Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors are granted the right to question specific calls made by the chair umpire, following the system currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
Case in Point
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It has been in use 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 men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
