Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System in 2025.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the right to challenge specific calls from the official, following the protocol already in place at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
