Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the ability to question specific calls made by the chair umpire, following the practice currently in use at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
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 hosting singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the official to review specific situations, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
