Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes are granted the right to question certain decisions made by the official, mirroring the practice currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
