The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in implementing video review technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Players will gain the option to contest specific decisions from the official, mirroring the practice currently in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step arrives only a year after the All England Club implemented ELC, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not exclusive to 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 the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
