 "ATP men's tour to run trials in doubles tennis: What are the changes?")
The men’s tour, ATP, will try to spice up doubles tennis with a set of trials at the Madrid Open later this month. ATP announced that it will also be trialled at select tournaments throughout the season.
The goal is to improve the “exposure and marketing appeal of the doubles game by creating new narratives and storylines for fans, a better on-site experience at tournaments and enhanced product for broadcast,” the ATP said.
“As a tour we believe there’s untapped potential in today’s doubles game,” ATP chief tour officer Ross Hutchins said in a statement. “We know it can add huge entertainment value, but it requires fresh storytelling to connect with fans. The trialing of new formats and rules allows us to stay agile and explore ways to enhance the product.”
Speaking about the changes on trial, Matthew Ebden, teammate of Rohan Bopanna, and President of the ATP Player Advisory Council, said: “Doubles has so much to offer fans and the atmosphere it can create when presented in the right way is phenomenal. That said, we as players recognise that more needs to be done to put our best foot forward. I’d like to commend my colleagues from across the ATP for taking this on and adding great new concepts into the mix. A lot of time, thought and care has gone into this process, and it’s been a privilege to play my part.”
What are the changes?
1. Attract more singles players - At the ATP Madrid Masters 1000 event, the 32-team draw will include up to 16 slots for pairs entering using their singles rankings, which the tour said will create “an unprecedented number of matchups between the world’s top doubles and singles players, and compelling new narratives for fans.”
To allow more singles players to play doubles, the start of the doubles event has been moved to the second Tuesday in Madrid.
2. Streamlined schedule - With the doubles event moving to five days in the second week, it will create a streamlined calendar for fans and players to navigate.
3. Quicker matches - To quicken the pace of play and reduce downtime during matches, time between points will be reduced to 15 seconds if the rally before it was shorter than four shots. However, if the rally was four or more shots, the shot clock will begin at 25 seconds - which is the norm presently.
4. Quicker changeovers - The time at the changeovers is going to be radically reduced. Players were previously allowed 90 seconds at the changeover to sit down and recover after every two games. As per a report, it would be cut down in the first set and allow more time between the sets to compensate.
5. Free fan movement - Fans will be allowed to move around in the stadium even during play. The idea is to add convenience to the on-site experience. At most tournaments, fans are only allowed to enter the arena or get up from their seats when the players are sitting down during the changeovers. At the Australian Open earlier in the year, fans were also allowed free movement but it was criticised by some.
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