Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the right to challenge particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the system already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
