Paris (AFP)

ATP will test a video system to check clay courts for the first time this year, the men's professional tennis court said on Friday.

The first tournament concerned by this experiment will be the ATP 500 in Rio, from February 16 to 23. The electronic examination system will also be used during an ATP 250 event, which has not yet been announced, and during a Masters tournament, in Monte Carlo, Madrid or Rome, specified the ATP, which thus hopes "improve the accuracy of arbitration".

In the current system, players cannot use video to check the point of impact of the ball and know if it is in or outside the court when it is on clay, unlike tournaments on hard or grass.

In the event of a dispute, the referees decide on the basis of the mark made by the ball on the clay, which can cause controversy during discussions, when several traces are close.

During the experimentation, the players will have an unlimited number of remedies, to guarantee equality with the courts in the tournament without the video, where the previous rule will apply.

Video control was first introduced in 2006 in Miami.

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