Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to contest specific rulings made by the official, echoing the system already in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club implemented ELC, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
A recent example took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. 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 the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
