Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes are granted the right to contest particular rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in use at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to review other situations, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
