The Next Gen ATP Finals tournament in Milan last week "delivered on its promise to be different from tennis as usual," according to Ben Rothenberg of the N.Y. TIMES. Whether that is "for the better or worse is still up for debate." The event, created this year to showcase young talent in men’s tennis, featured seven players born in '96 or later who earned the most ranking points during the season and one Italian wild card from the same age range. The "lack of star power did not mar the event" as much as its draw ceremony did. Instead of drawing chips from a bowl, organizers "instructed the young players to select a model who would then reveal a letter, A or B, on her body to determine each player’s group." The tennis world "quickly expressed its disapproval at the crass sexualization of the event." The draw ceremony was co-produced by the ATP and sponsor Red Bull. They issued a joint apology Monday. The young players "tested numerous innovations," the "most popular" being the automated line calling. Instead of relying on human line judges whose calls can be challenged and reviewed with Hawk-Eye technology, the event "puts the calls in Hawk-Eye's hands directly." Besides no line judges, there were also fewer lines. Because it was a singles-only tournament, the court was "painted without doubles alleys, which are a standard feature on most courts in the world" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/10).
PLAYERS WEIGH IN: In London, Kevin Mitchell reported the shot clock is "popular with many younger players, given that it urges the older slow-coaches they suspect of gamesmanship to get on with it." But the "more fundamental move would be cutting seeds in the grand slams to 16." As it stands, numbers one to eight can play only numbers 25 to 32 in the third round, "which more gently eases them into the fortnight." As Roger Federer observed, this gives the higher seeds an "obvious advantage" -- and one which he is "prepared to sacrifice." Asked if he thought it would be introduced in his remaining time in the game, the 36-year-old said, "That's how it used to be when I came up, way back when." Federer "kept a close eye on developments in Milan," where 21-year-old South Korean Chung Hyeon beat Russia’s Andrey Rublev to win the inaugural title in just under two hours. Federer "was intrigued, although not totally convinced." However, he is "protective of his personal strengths" and realizes shorter sets would not suit his expansive game, where "innovation and the ability to come back from intermittent dips help him to prevail over lesser opponents" (GUARDIAN, 11/11). A number of singles players expressed their views on the event. Alexander Zverev said, "I don't think many of the new innovations will transfer to the ATP World Tour. I think the automatic line calls will, I was positively surprised by that, and also the shot clock. That has potential and could be transferred." Dominic Thiem: "I don't like the scoring system, but I like the shot clock so everyone knows when a player needs to be ready again. It's not on the umpire to decide. That's a very good rule. Everything else should stay the same." Marin Cilic: "It's been quite interesting and seeing what the coaches are saying at the end of the sets, how the Hawk-Eye line calling is working. The shot clock is something I think can be introduced straight away in tennis. I'm not a fan of no let cords and the number of games per set." Grigor Dimitrov: "I'm not the biggest fan of changes. Tennis is such a traditional sport. It's been interesting to watch. My personal opinion is that I like the way the things are" (ATP).
TAKING A VOTE: In London, Stuart Fraser reported a shot clock, in-match coaching and a reduction in the number of seeds from 32 to 16 are "among reforms to be discussed" by the Wimbledon Championships and the other three grand slam tournaments in London next week. As tennis "embraces innovation," there is a "fresh willingness from the All England Club to consider change at the championships." Amendments to the rulebook will be on the agenda at the grand slam board’s year-end meeting, which will be attended by Int'l Tennis Federation President David Haggerty and representatives from the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Some reforms "could be introduced next season." Although there is a "preference for consistency," new rules do not have to be adopted by all four tournaments. For example, a shot clock, which counts down the 20-second time limit between points, "could be used at the Australian Open but not at Wimbledon." The U.S. Open was the first to adopt the shot clock, "experimenting with it in junior events last year and qualifying this year." The hope had been that this could be "extended to main-draw matches within three years but the positive reaction has accelerated the process." In-match coaching was also trialed at the U.S. Open, and "could be extended." Coaches will not be allowed to come on the court, as they do on the WTA tour, but "will be permitted to communicate with the player from the courtside box" (LONDON TIMES, 11/10).
