Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge Technology This Season.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the right to question certain decisions made by the chair umpire, echoing the system already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted 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 ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
