Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge System in 2025.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest certain rulings from the chair umpire, following the system currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to review other decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent case took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for interference, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
