The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the option to contest specific calls from the official, echoing the practice currently in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough call for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Further Updates
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
