Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the right to challenge particular decisions made by the official, mirroring the protocol already in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative example 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 official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
