12-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic has hit out at the US Open over their planned introduction of shot clocks later this year.
The clocks will be placed on the side of the court for players to monitor how long they take between points. Under current rules, they are only allowed a maximum period of 25 seconds. Supporters of the move have hailed the initiative as a positive step to help speed up the game. On Wednesday a joint statement by the ATP, WTA and USTA announced that shot clocks will be rolled out at numerous North American tournaments throughout the summer. An announcement that has drawn a critical response from Djokovic.
“I don’t like the shot clocks between the points.” Djokovic told reporters following his four-set win over Kei Nishikori. “It’s something the US Open is going to introduce this year without consulting players. That’s really not nice and not fair. But it is what it is.”
Another new initiative will see players be timed during their warm-ups. As soon as they walk onto the court, they have 60 seconds to be at the net. Then they have a further five minutes to warm up and be ready to play. If they break those allotted time limits, players will be eligible for post-match fines.
“I think it’s good to have maybe shot clock for the warm-up, the walk into the court.” The former world No.1 said. “I get an idea that it’s maybe a little bit too much now with chair umpires always stressing 45 seconds, 38 seconds, 12 seconds. They keep on reminding you that the time is coming closer. You have to prepare, get ready.
“But at the same time there should be always a little bit of, I guess, a tolerance and understanding of the game, of the pace of the match, how it goes.” He added.
Djokovic is not alone in voicing his concerns about the new initiatives. Rafael Nadal, who defeated Juan Martin del Potro in a five-set epic at Wimbledon, is another critic. The Spaniard believes that such efforts to speed up the game could have a negative impact on the quality rallies. Due to players not having sufficient enough time to recover after certain points.
“I don’t remember any emotional match that the total time was two hours,” Nadal replied when questioned about such a system being used at Wimbledon.
“All the matches that have been important in the history of our sport have been four hours, five hours.
“To play these kind of matches you need time between points because you cannot play points in a row with long rallies, with emotional points, having only 25 seconds between points.”
Djokovic will take on Nadal in the semi-finals at Wimbledon on Friday.
