Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to question certain rulings from the official, following the protocol already in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative case occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge 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 watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for 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 WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
