The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge particular calls from the official, following the protocol already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was guilty of interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
