The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the right to question specific decisions made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie 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 in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
