The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the right to contest specific rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC implemented ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to review other situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
