The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing video review systems.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the option to question specific rulings made by the official, following the system already in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined Draper was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.