The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the right to contest specific calls from the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to review other situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another 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 solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
