The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the ability to challenge specific calls from the official, echoing the protocol currently in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC implemented ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Further Updates
Another innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
