PONTE VEDRA, January 24, 2020 (ATP Press Release)

The ATP has announced that a trial of Electronic Review will take place at a select number of clay court events on the ATP Tour for the first time, beginning with the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro in February.

The trial on clay was approved by the ATP Board in November 2019 and will take place at three events across the ATP 250 (TBD), ATP 500 (Rio Open presented by Claro), and ATP Masters 1000 (TBD) categories in 2020. The tournament application process for Electronic Review in the Spring clay court season is on-going.

The Electronic Review challenge system was first introduced on the ATP Tour in 2006 in Miami. Subsequently, the challenge system has been successfully implemented on all surfaces except for clay, where the protocol of allowing players to ask chair umpires to check ball marks during matches has been maintained.

The use of Electronic Review on clay is designed to elevate the accuracy of officiating. During the trial, there will be no limit to the number of challenges players are able to make during matches, ensuring consistency within the tournament for players competing on show courts with the review technology as well as on outside courts where standard ball mark inspection protocols will apply.

The ATP has been working closely with suppliers to ensure the accurate and successful application of the technology on clay. A number of trials have taken place at ATP Challenger Tour events in 2019 which have included accuracy testing prior to the tournament, shadow testing during the qualifying and real play testing during the tournament.

The trial at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro will take place with technology from FOXTENN, which has been officially approved by ATP as an Electronic Review system for use on clay.