The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to question certain rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in place at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent case took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
