The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the right to contest particular rulings from the official, echoing the system already in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
