Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the right to challenge particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the protocol already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
Practical Application
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where fans have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
