The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the right to contest certain calls from the official, mirroring the protocol currently in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the official to review specific situations, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Further Updates
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
