Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the option to contest specific calls from the chair umpire, following the practice already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
