Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the ability to question particular calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system already in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club implemented ELC, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Case in Point
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
