The governing body of men’s tennis is set to implement a series of measures to prevent players from taking tactical breaks during matches, according to multiple sources.
From next year the ATP has confirmed to both L’Equipe and Tennis Majors that those on the Tour will only be allowed to take one toilet break during a match which will also be timed. A spokesperson has confirmed that once a player reaches the toilet they have a maximum of three minutes before they must return to the court. However, they will be allowed an additional two minutes if they wish to change clothing. The bathroom break must be taken at the end of a set.
In order to ensure that players abide by the rules, penalties will be issued to those who take longer than the extended period. It is expected that this will be a similar method as to time violations which is when a player is penalised by the umpire for taking longer than the allotted 30 seconds between points.
Adjustments will also be made to medical time-outs with players only being allowed to take them either at the changeover or at the end of a set. If a player says they can’t play until that stage, they will have to forfeit their points until it is necessary that they can do so.
In recent months there has been controversy over players being accused of abusing the break system, which currently has no time limit, in order to disrupt the momentum of their opponents. During the US Open Andy Murray criticised Stefanos Tsitsipas for taking a seven-minute break during their first round encounter. The Greek also took a similar break during his second round match but denied any wrongdoing and said it wasn’t done so to disrupt the momentum of his opponent. Other players, including world No.1 Novak Djokovic, have also been accused of using tactical breaks.
During the ATP Next Gen Finals in Italy, organisers tested the rule which is set to be implemented across the Tour from next year. The tournament is known for its testing of new innovations before being applied to the Tour.
The ATP is yet to issue a public statement concerning their rule change and it is unclear as to when it will come into force next year. Reports of the changes came a day after the 2021 ATP season concluded with Alexander Zverev beating Daniil Medvedev to win the ATP Finals.
