The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the option to challenge specific rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
