The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the right to contest particular calls from the chair umpire, echoing the practice already in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent case took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
