The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the right to challenge particular rulings from the chair umpire, following the system already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
