The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review systems will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to contest specific calls made by the official, following the protocol currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move comes just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the US Open 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 tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
