Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in implementing video review systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the option to question certain decisions from the chair umpire, mirroring the practice already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
A recent example took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, 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 events.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
