The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the ability to question specific calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined the player was guilty of interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Other Changes
Another change at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
