The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the right to question specific decisions from the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in use at each of the US Open 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 remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine other situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
