The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to contest certain rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
