The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the ability to challenge particular decisions from the chair umpire, echoing the protocol currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine other situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used 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."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
