The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay technology are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the option to challenge specific rulings from the official, following the system already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes 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 Championships, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
