Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in implementing video review systems.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the option to contest certain calls from the official, following the practice currently in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
