Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the option to challenge certain calls made by the official, following the practice already in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use 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 comes just a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
