The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to question particular rulings from the official, mirroring the protocol currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to review specific decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
