Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the option to question particular calls made by the official, echoing the system already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no limit on the amount of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
