Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the option to question specific rulings made by the chair umpire, following the practice currently in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move follows just a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to review other decisions, including:
- 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.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been unsure if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
