Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Replay technology are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the right to challenge certain decisions made by the official, mirroring the protocol currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine other situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
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 qualifiers in Roehampton.
