Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the ability to contest specific decisions from the chair umpire, following the protocol currently in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
