The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the right to contest particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the protocol currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball 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 number of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
