Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the ability to question particular calls made by the official, following the practice currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine specific situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges 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 his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
