Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Athletes will gain the option to contest specific decisions made by the official, following the practice currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
