The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors are granted the option to challenge particular decisions from the official, mirroring the practice already in use at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to review other situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
A recent example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
