Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Players are granted the right to question particular decisions from the official, mirroring the practice already in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
