Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the option to question particular calls from the official, echoing the protocol already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will 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 scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
