Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest particular decisions made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in use at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development arrives only a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the official to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
