The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the option to question specific decisions made by the official, echoing the practice currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which terminated the longstanding tradition 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 review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the review system 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."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. 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 the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
