Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Video review technology will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the right to question certain calls made by the chair umpire, echoing the system currently in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent example took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
