Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest particular rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the practice already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
