Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Competitors will gain the ability to question certain calls from the chair umpire, following the protocol already in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move comes just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
