Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the option to challenge certain rulings from the chair umpire, echoing the protocol currently in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough call for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place 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 verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
