New rules are always coming out in tennis. In some events, advantage scoring is gone at deuce, and line judges have gone entirely in others. Sets end at four games, serves that hit the net stay live, and a clock counts down between points. None of these new rules ‘replaced’ tennis, however. Every one of those changes was just bolted onto the game itself.
What Changed
The NextGen ATP Finals has served as the tour’s so-called laboratory since its first staging in Milan in 2017.
The format there runs best-of-five sets, each first to four games rather than six, and a seven-point tiebreak at 3-3. Alongside this, deuce is settled by a single deciding point, serves clipping the net cord stay in play, and Hawk-Eye Live handles every call, with no line judges on the court.
Then there’s the clock. Players get 25 seconds between points, dropping to 15 after a rally of fewer than three shots and a maximum of eight seconds between first and second serves. Warm-ups run to three minutes as well, and balls change every seven games instead of nine.
A few of these ideas actually graduated. The shot clock is standard across the tour now. Electronic line calling has replaced line judges at the Australian Open, the US Open, and most Masters 1000 events, with Wimbledon following also. On-court coaching was also tested and passed in Milan, and is now available at tour level.
The underlying games have remained the same. Same court, scoring system, serve, and so forth; however, it’s these small and tiny changes that have changed the sport into what we know today.
Other Sports and Games Are Doing the Same Thing
You’ll be surprised how often such changes occur in sports or games with set rules.
Chess is a good example. The game has been the same for hundreds of years. However, the clock has created several different chess categories, like Rapid, Blitz, and Bullet. The only thing that has changed is the clock; everything remains the same.
Some games have even merged mechanics together, like Slingo. This is a bingo slot game, such as Sling Bells, that merges the two game types. In this instance, slots and bingo remain separate, but some titles bring both of those together, creating a whole new genre.
Twenty20 did it to cricket, keeping the bat, the ball, and the stumps, while cutting the innings to 20 overs.
Why It Tends to Work
First of all, the learning phase is near zero. The sport is the same, but there are a few rule changes, so it doesn’t confuse players or spectators.
Many like that the dead time gets compressed now as well. Shorter sets, faster overs, tighter clocks, more action. Something all parties like.
Sports and games do it all the time, and it’s these small iterations that modernise the event for players and fans of today.
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