Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge System in 2025.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors will gain the ability to question specific rulings from the official, following the protocol currently in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships 2025 involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
