The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the ability to question certain calls from the official, mirroring the system currently in place at both 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 tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at The Championships 2025 involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
