Wimbledon Embraces Video Challenge Technology for the First Time.

Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.

Players are granted the right to contest particular decisions from the official, following the protocol currently in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.

This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.

This step comes just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.

Reviewable Decisions

Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific decisions, such as:

• Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
• Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
• Possible interference end of a point.

Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.

Case in Point

An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.

Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."

The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.

Broader Adoption

Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.

Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.

Other Changes

A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.

This addresses instances where fans have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.

Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.