Wimbledon Embraces Video Challenge Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the right to contest specific rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice already in place at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
A recent example took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It 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 ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
