The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors will gain the option to contest particular rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use 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 arrives only a season following the All England Club implemented ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
