The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the ability to contest certain decisions made by the official, following the practice already in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to review specific decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common 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.
Other Changes
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
