The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the option to challenge certain calls made by the official, echoing the system currently in use 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 throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a season following the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to review other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews 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 complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
