Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the right to contest certain calls from the official, following the system already in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was guilty of interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
