Wimbledon Embraces Video Challenge Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the right to question particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the protocol already in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
