LONDON: The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced Friday the introduction of a final set tie-break for all Wimbledon events starting from 2019.
Wimbledon reviewed match data thoroughly from the last 20 years and took feedback from players and officials to agree upon a tie-break being enforced should the score reach 12-12 in the final set. This rule will be processed with respect for the rules of tennis governed by the ITF.
The match winner(s) will be the first player(s) to win seven points with an advantage of two or more points. There will be no change to the current format of the Wheelchair and Quad Wheelchair events, which are the best of three tie-break sets.
AELTC chairman Philip Brook commented: “In reaching this decision, the AELTC Committee sought the feedback of both players and officials, analysed two decades of match data, and considered other factors including scheduling complexities and spectator experience.
“Our view was that the time had come to introduce a tie-break method for matches that had not reached their natural conclusion at a reasonable point during the deciding set. While we know the instances of matches extending deep into the final set are rare, we feel that a tie-break at 12-12 strikes an equitable balance between allowing players ample opportunity to complete the match to advantage, while also providing certainty that the match will reach a conclusion in an acceptable timeframe.
“As a next step, we look forward to sharing further details with our Grand Slam, ITF, WTA and ATP colleagues when we meet in Singapore.”
The non-existence of the rule created much controversy after this year’s men’s singles semifinal in which South African Kevin Anderson defeated John Isner 26-24 in the final set in a marathon game which lasted more than 6 hours and delayed the semifinal between the eventual winner Novak Djokovic and World No.1 Rafael Nadal. Eventually, Anderson fell way short in the final to Djokovic, losing in straight sets.
