The qualifying tournament at this year’s US Open will be an historic occasion after organisers confirmed that they will be testing a series of new rules in what could change the future of the sport.
A countdown clock will be implemented on courts for players to monitor their own time. The aim is to reduce the amount of wasted time players spend during points and in their warm-ups. Under tournament rules, the warm-up should last exactly five minutes and the time taken between points should not exceed the allotted limit. 20 seconds in grand slams and 25 in tour events. With the implementation of the clock, they will follow the 25-second rule.
According to The Telegraph, who were the first media organisation to report the new changes, the match umpire will reset the clock after points and use their own discretion in regards to when to do it.
“We’ve seen some players take 15 minutes to do a change of attire or toilet break. The idea is to give the athletes what they need to perform at their best, but do it in such a way we can deliver to our fans and keep them engaged.” Former WTA CEO Stacey Allaster told The New York Times on Thursday.
Another new rule will allow players to be coached during matches. On the WTA Tour players can request to speak with their coaches during breaks, but it is still prohibited in both grand slams and on the men’s tour. At the US Open players will be allowed to talk with their mentors between points, but not whilst the ball is in play. If the coach is on the opposite side of the court, they will have to communicate via sign language.
“We know coaches sitting in players’ boxes are regularly communicating with players, so there’s hypocrisy around us not enforcing the rule. You either enforce it or make it part of the game, and we think this adds another element of excitement for the fans.” Allaster argued in favour of the new rule.
The groundbreaking trial will not be tested in the five main-draw events at the US Open – men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles.
Earlier this year, the ATP confirmed they will be trailing a series of new rules for the inaugural Next Generation finals. An end-of-year tournament for the best players under the age of 21 on the men’s tour. Similar to New York, they will also implement a stop watch and allow coaching during certain points. They are also trailing shorter sets, which the grand slam tournaments are not considering at the moment.
The USTA has confirmed the new rules will also be used at ‘several main draw events this year’ without elaborating further.
