The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes will gain the right to question certain rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year 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 scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been unsure if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
