The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the option to contest particular calls from the chair umpire, following the system already in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. 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 women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
