The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to question specific decisions from the official, echoing the practice currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major 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 video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
