Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the option to contest particular calls made by the official, mirroring the practice already in place at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review specific decisions, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
