The governing body of men’s tennis has announced a series of new rules for the upcoming Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan later this year.
Based on the idea of the year-end championships, the new tournament features the best players in the world under the age of 21.The tournament is set to feature the seven highest ranked players in that age group along with a wild card entrant. The initiative is part of the ATP’s plan to promote the future generation of the sport.
The ‘trial of rule changes’ includes the shortening of sets from six games to four. Overall players will have to play best-of-five-set matches with the hope that there will be more ‘pivotal’ moments in every set. There will also be no ad-scoring in the matches.
“We’re excited to be bringing something new to the table with this event. The sports & entertainment landscape is changing rapidly, as are the ways in which fans are consuming our sport. This event is not only about the next generation of players, but also about the next generation of fans.” Said ATP CEO Kris Kermode.
A total of six new rule changes has been made for the new event, which will have a prize money pool of US$ 1.275 million. There will be a shortening in warm-up prior to the match with players required to start play five minutes from the moment they walk onto the court. There will also be a no-let rule and only one medical time-out will be allowed in matches.
#NextGenATP Finals will take place on a singles-only court, with the best 7 qualified 21-and-Under players of the season, plus 1 wild card! pic.twitter.com/WsYSqloHal
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) May 16, 2017
The new initiative stems from the idea of Fast4 tennis, which also featured four-game sets and no ad-scoring. Fast4 tennis was created by Tennis Australia with the goal of creating a shorter version of the sport similar to cricket’s twenty20 game.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of innovation and change in tennis through this unique event, with the future stars of the sport that will be making headlines on the biggest stages over the next years. This tournament is all about looking to the future, and we would like to thank the ATP for having the vision and willingness to bring innovation into our sport.” Said Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis Federation.
For the first time in the history of the men’s game, coaching will be allowed during matches. During certain parts of the match, players will be able to communicate with their coach via headset. A contrast to the WTA, who have on-court coaching.
Full list of changes
Shorter Format: First to Four games sets (Tie-Break at 3-All), Best-of-Five sets, with No-Ad scoring
Shorter set format designed to increase number of pivotal moments in a match, while the best-of-five set format does not alter the number of games required to win a match (12) from the traditional scoring format. No-Ad scoring will be played (receiver’s choice).
Shorter Warm-Up
Matches will begin precisely 5 minutes from the second player walk-on, leading to a reduction in down time before the beginning of matches.
Shot Clock
A shot clock will be used in between points to ensure strict regulation of the 25-second rule, as well as during set breaks, Medical Time-Outs, and the five-minute countdown from the player walk-on to the first point of the match.
No-Let Rule
The No-Let rule will apply to serves, bringing in an additional element of unpredictability at the start of points.
This rule will also remove any ambiguity over let calling from umpires, ensuring the rule is consistent with normal ‘let’ occurrences during regular point exchanges.
Medical Time-Outs
A limit of 1 medical time out per player per match.
Player Coaching
Players and coaches will be able to communicate at certain points in the match (to be determined), providing additional content and entertainment value for broadcast. Coaches will not be allowed on-court.
Criticism gathering
The new concept has prompted some backlash on social media with various fans criticising the rule changes. Some are arguing that the changes are unnecessary and turns the event into an exhibition. It has also angered some that this rule change has been applied to such a highly publicised event without any prior testing.
Both the Facebook and Twitter accounts of the ATP have been left with angry messages from numerous fans.
@ATPWorldTour @nextgenfinals Ridiculous idea. Not tennis. Was looking forward to this, now why watch?
— Tyler Green (@TylerGreenDC) 16 May 2017
@ATPWorldTour @nextgenfinals pic.twitter.com/bNBHr87l8r
— Stella (@storacle) 16 May 2017
The five-day tournament will get underway on November 7th. Besides the final, a third place play-off for the losing semifinalists will also be played on the last day.
