Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the option to challenge specific rulings from the official, following the protocol currently in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development comes just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
A recent example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined the player was guilty of interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
