Wimbledon Embraces Video Review Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the right to question specific calls from the chair umpire, following the practice already in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no limit on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
A recent example took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
