Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the option to contest particular decisions made by the official, echoing the system already in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step comes just a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to review other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there is no limit on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
