The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Players will gain the ability to challenge specific calls made by the official, following the protocol already in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move comes just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the review system 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."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
