Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the ability to question certain rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another change 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 situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
