The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the right to contest specific rulings made by the official, following the protocol currently in use at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there is no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled the player was guilty of interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted 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 plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
