Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review systems will be launched at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the right to challenge particular calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the 147-year tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough call for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
