Wimbledon Introduces Video Challenge System for the First Time.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the right to question specific calls made by the official, mirroring the protocol already in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a player can request.
A Recent Example
A recent incident occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have the system in place at every one of its events.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been unsure if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.