Wimbledon Embraces Video Review System for the First Time.

Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.

Athletes are granted the ability to contest specific calls made by the official, mirroring the protocol already in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.

The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.

This move arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line officials.

What Can Be Reviewed?

Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review other decisions, including:

• If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
• Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
• Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.

Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can request.

A Recent Example

An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the review system against Jack Draper.

Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."

Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.

Growing Trend

Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open 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 men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its events.

Additional Innovations

A further change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.

This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.

Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.