Time Violation, Warning

Opinion

Time Violation, Warning

Tennis has a time problem. At the Shanghai Masters last week, three ATP players had disputes with their respective chair umpires over the serve clock rules.

Novak Djokovic said it was “unbelievable” that an adjustment to the rules mid-season wasn’t well-communicated to players. Stefanos Tsitsipas refused to play after receiving a time violation, at one point saying, “If it’s going to be unfair, I need to talk to the supervisor." And Frances Tiafoe had a full-blown meltdown and hurled F-bombs at his ump after receiving a violation in his 3rd round match, which he ended up losing.

For a refresher, after a point finishes, the server has 25 seconds to start the next point. If they don’t make it in time, they lose their first serve. The second time, they lose the point outright.

You get 25 seconds, easy enough right? Wrong. The clock has been a huge point of contention on the tours. Players have found ways around it, like tossing up the ball with no intention of hitting it, which resets the clock. And since the ump has the discretion to decide when a player is “ready to start the next point”, there’s bound to be angry players. TLDR, it’s a mess.

Here’s what I think should happen:

1. Players should only get one toss per serve. Think of the toss like a free throw in basketball. You can mimic your shot before shooting, but once the ball leaves your hand, it’s live. No re-dos. This isn’t 3rd grade PE. Those who are better at tossing the ball should be rewarded.

2. Players should get 30 seconds in between points. Players need a bit more time, particularly after long rallies or when they’ve finished the point far from the baseline. The additional 5 seconds could be enough to curb a significant number of disputes, while still rewarding players that are more physically fit. While this doesn’t solve the umpire-discretion problem, it could help.

Zooming out, pros have been frustrated with the serve clock rules for years. And given that there were three disputes in a single tournament, it doesn’t seem like we’ve made progress. These outbursts only end up prolonging matches, are bad for viewership, and ultimately for the players’ well-being. Perhaps I’ve belittled the problem with my simple solutions, but something’s got to change.

Trivia

Sometimes, matches start late at night and go into the wee hours of the morning. Which of the following matches holds the record for latest finish at a grand slam?

A. Musetti vs. Djokovic, Roland Garros 2024

B. Hewitt vs. Baghdatis, Australian Open 2008

C. Zverev vs. Etcheverry, US Open 2024

D. Alcaraz vs. Sinner, US Open 2022

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Mirra Andreeva

Tennis is a global sport, and it’s hard to keep track of all of the great players, old and new. In this section, you’ll get to know a new player each week, get quick analysis on their game, and how far I think they can go.

From: Russia

Best Slam Result: SF (Roland Garros 2024)

Career High Ranking: 17

Fun Fact: At the age of 17, already has an Olympic Medal. She won Silver in doubles this year.

Game Analysis: With speed, athleticism and a high rally tolerance, it’s no surprise that the teenager has already cracked the top 20. Andreeva is a great counter-puncher from the baseline, and possesses skills beyond her years — the ability to vary her groundstroke height and spin, mix up the pace with slice and drop shots, and move forward to the net.

Career Prediction: Andreeva has the potential to win multiple grand slams and become No. 1 in the world. It’s less a matter of if, but when she’ll break through.

Shot of the Week

Backwards Smash

Does every practice in France start with 15 minutes of trick shots? With Monfils, Paire, Moutet and Gaston, I can’t think of a country with more players that love to entertain. This week, Gaston ups the difficulty level and counters a lob his own way. Enjoy 🇫🇷

Around the Net

News From Around the Tour

🔥 Aryna Sabalenka overtook Iga Swiatek to become World No. 1. Since mid-August, the Belarusian has gone 20-1, winning two WTA 1000 titles, the US Open, and making the semis in Beijing. Oh and she’s made a cool $8.6M this year. This is Sabalenka’s second time reaching the top, after she briefly assumed the spot in September 2023.

🗣️ The ITF announced that it will allow off-court coaching in 2025. To clarify, this means that coaches will be able to communicate with their players verbally and through hand signals between points, during changeovers, and set-breaks. So basically all the time. While some players have been critical of the rule change, I think it’s great for fans. I love hearing the conversations between players and coaches; it makes me feel closer to the players.

💰 $15.25M - the total prize money pool for the WTA Finals, and the largest ever for the event. As of last week, the top 8 players competing in Riyadh is locked in. Meet the new millionaires field here.

🐶 The Danimal isn’t done yet. Eager to start the next chapter of her life, American Danielle Collins said 2024 would be her last season on tour this past January. But after having her best year on tour, she announced that she isn’t hanging up her rackets just yet. If I were her, I’d try and get a brand deal with Danimals and squeeze as much juice out of her “last year” as possible. Those things are delicious.

Answer

B. Hewitt vs. Baghdatis at the Australian Open in 2008

The two stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for their third round battle at 11:47pm, and hit the last ball at 4:34am. Hewitt won 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-3 in what’s now an underrated all-time classic match.