The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan are thrilling crowds, innovations being tested are certainly making the games run faster, capturing the imagination of a younger audience, who may find watching the traditional sport more taxing.
The ultimate agenda behind some of the changes being tested does concern me though.
Chris Kermode is the ATP Executive Chairman and President and is at pains to assure us that extensive scoring changes would be a long term arrangement, but to even countenance the possibility worries me
“Don't panic. We're not rushing into doing mad stuff but what I do want to do is to test things that maybe five, 10 years down the line can be used, and we'll see whether they work,” he said.
Of the scoring change:
“This is obviously going to be the most dramatic one because you could argue that it fundamentally changes who wins the game,” Kermode said of the format change.
There is no talk of any scoring changes from the WTA Tour, and the ITF is ignoring this outright.
So, if ever introduced on the ATP World Tour, we would have:
- Grand Slam Tournaments
- WTA Tour
- WTA 125k Series
- ATP Challenger Tour
- ITF Futures circuit
- Davis Cup
- Fed Cup
In all above, first to six games in a set, with a tie break at 6-6 (played to advantage in deciding set in some Grand Slam tournaments)
- ATP World Tour
First to four games in a set, with a tie break at 3-3
Men would come into Grand Slam tournaments on the back of playing a different class of tennis in lead up events.
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