Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Athletes are granted the option to question specific rulings from the chair umpire, following the protocol already in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step comes just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to re-examine other situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been unsure if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
