The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Competitors will gain the ability to contest certain decisions from the chair umpire, echoing the practice already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine other decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted 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 next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
