The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the right to question specific calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine other situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common 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 The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
