The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to contest certain rulings from the chair umpire, following the protocol currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific situations, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major 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 men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at every one of its events.
Further Updates
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
