The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the right to contest certain rulings from the official, following the protocol currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted 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 hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships 2025 will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
