Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System in 2025.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the option to contest particular rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon 2025 involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
