The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the ability to question specific calls from the official, echoing the practice currently in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step comes just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- If a 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.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent example took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled the player was guilty of interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted 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 ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
