Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System in 2025.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest particular decisions from the official, mirroring the practice already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough call for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
