Wimbledon Introduces Video Replay Technology This Season.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the ability to contest particular decisions from the official, mirroring the practice currently in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the amount of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system 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 will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
