Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Players will gain the right to question specific calls from the official, mirroring the practice already in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development follows just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted 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 his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews 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 women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
