The excitement for Wimbledon 2025 is reaching its peak, with the tournament set to begin from Monday, June 30. The singles draws were revealed on Friday, June 27, drumming up further enthusiasm.
Wimbledon with its rich history and traditions holds a special place in the sport. The all-white dress code for players is one of the most well-known rules in place at the tournament.
There are more rules to adhere for fans and players alike. While the tournament has been slow to embrace change, there will be two big changes starting from this year. Here’s a quick rundown on what’s new at Wimbledon:
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Live Electronic Line Calling to be implemented across all courts
Wimbledon is a tournament famed for its many traditions. However, starting from this year, one of the key aspects that has been a huge part of matches for over a century will be done with. The sharply dressed line judges will be a thing of the past from this edition.
The tournament has adopted the Live Electronic Line Calling (Live ELC) system, thus foregoing the need for line judges to make the "out" and "fault" calls. The technology has already been in use across other tournaments on the tour.
The Wimbledon organizers did the requisite research and tests before proceeding with the same. Sally Bolton, the Chief Executive Officer of the All England Club, felt this was the right move and the decision was taken after careful consideration.
"The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation."
"Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour," Bolton said.
Wimbledon is the third Major to implement this technology. The US Open was the first to test it during the pandemic-hit 2020 edition. However, it was the Australian Open where this technology became a regular fixture starting with the 2021 edition. The US Open followed suit in 2022 and now Wimbledon has done the same, leaving the French Open as the only Major with line judges.
Wimbledon finals to be held at a new time slot from this year
Starting from this year, the men's and women's doubles finals will commence at 1:00 p.m. local time on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The women's and men's singles finals will get underway at 4:00 p.m. local time on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The singles finals have been delayed by two hours, and previously the doubles finals would be held after the completion of the singles matches. The new time slot gives doubles players more certainty around their schedule. This was also done with the aim to capture more viewers around the globe.
This year's women's singles final and the men's doubles final will be held on Saturday, July 12. The women's doubles and the men's singles final will be contested on Sunday, July 13.
