Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in implementing video review technology.
Video review systems will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the right to contest certain decisions made by the chair umpire, following the practice already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review other situations, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
