Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest certain calls made by the official, mirroring the system currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open 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 video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
