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Tennis officials make major rule change in 117-year first

Andrew Reid
·4-min read
Seen here, 2021 champion Novak Djokovic poses with the French Open trophy he won at Roland Garros.
All four grand slams, starting with the 2022 French Open, will feature first-to-10 tiebreaks in the deciding sets of matches. Pic: Getty

Lawmakers are ushering in an exciting first in grand slam tennis history after revealing that all four majors will feature first-to-10 tiebreaks in the deciding sets of matches.

Tennis' Grand Slam Board announced the decision, which will initially be adopted on a trial basis, to bring consistency to the issue of how to finish a match that reaches 6-6 in a decider.

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The new move will come into effect from the next grand slam tournament - namely the 2022 French Open starting in May.

Since the Australian Open became the last of the four grand slam tournaments to be established in 1905, the four majors have never all employed the same method of concluding matches that were 6-6 in the final set.

For the first time in 117 years that's set to change, with The Grand Slam Board striving for better consistency across tennis' flagship tournaments.

In a statement issued on behalf of the Australian, French and US Opens and Wimbledon, the Grand Slam Board said: "The Grand Slam Board's decision is based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the grand slams, and thus enhance the experience for the players and fans alike.

"This trial, which has been approved by the Rules of Tennis Committee governed by the ITF, will apply to all grand slams across qualifying, men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, wheelchair and junior events in singles, and will commence at the 2022 edition of Roland Garros."

The Australian Open already employs a first-to-10 breaker, while the US Open has been operation under a traditional first-to-seven model for more than half a century.

Wimbledon introduced a first-to-seven tiebreaker at 12-12 in 2019, while the French Open has never used a tiebreak to decide a final set.

Prior to those moves three years ago, however, no final-set tiebreaks were used at grand slam tournaments - with the exception of the US Open.

Calls for a rule change were made after John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the final set of their first-round match at Wimbledon in 2010, which took eight hours and 11 minutes to complete.

From left to right John Isner and Nicolas Mahut pose for a photo after their 70-68 final set Wimbledon epic.
John Isner's 70-68 final set Wimbledon epic against Nicolas Mahut proved a catalyst for change in grand slam tennis. Pic: AAP

And final set tie-breaks were finally rubber-stamped for the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2019, after criticism of two lengthy 2018 semi-finals at the All England Club, including Kevin Anderson's 26-24 deciding set win over Isner.

The statement added: "The Grand Slam Board plan to review the trial during the course of a full grand slam year, in consultation with the WTA, ATP and ITF, before applying for any permanent rule change."

The ruling has prompted plenty of debate on social media, with tennis fans divided over the first-to-10 tiebreak plan.

with agencies

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