Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Athletes will gain the option to contest particular calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club implemented ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at The Championships 2025 involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
