The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the ability to question specific calls made by the official, mirroring the practice already in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined the player was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
