The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the right to contest specific calls from the official, following the practice already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the official to review specific situations, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where spectators have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
