Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Players are granted the option to question particular calls from the official, echoing the practice already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
