Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the option to challenge certain rulings made by the chair umpire, following the system currently in operation at both 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 show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review other decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
