The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the option to challenge particular calls made by the chair umpire, echoing the system already in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine other decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there is no limit on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open 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 implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
