Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Players will gain the ability to question particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the system currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club implemented ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine other decisions, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where spectators have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
