The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to question specific decisions made by the chair umpire, echoing the system currently in place at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific decisions, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
