Take a quick dip into the rule book, familiarise yourself with the newbies that are at the Australian Open and the ones to come!
Shot-clock, fines, seeds and prize money. Last year was very much a year where new rules were suggested, discussed and trialled. The trials continue, but we can just about see the light at the end of the tunnel on what has been a long road towards rule changes. I think it’s for the better, so let’s get to grips with the carefully devised guidelines…
In November last year the full Grand Slam Board (GBS) met in London over two days, a considerable part of which was spent discussing new rules which are now coming to the fore.
The new 25-second shot-clock, designed to reduce the amount of time in between points and therefore reduce the length of matches, was trialled in qualifying in Melbourne, following its first introduction at the same stage at last year’s US Open. A easily enforceable rule which is clear to all through the on-court clock and one that will be very hard for players to argue against… provided the umpires manage it well.
Strict pre-match warm-ups are in place at this year’s tournament: players should be ready for the coin toss after 1 minute of walking on court, then they have a 5 minute warm-up, before having 1 minute to be ready to start the match. Violate that rule? They could face up to a $20,000 fine. A hefty hit to the wallet, I wouldn’t risk an extra few seconds after ‘time’ is called!
This year’s 17th seed, Nick Kyrgios could face a tougher draw in the future when unseeded.
By this time next year there will only be sixteen seeds in Grand Slams, an innovation which will be terrific for the spectacle of the major tournaments. More tightly fought matches in the early rounds will give a greater opportunity for an unseeded player to advance deep into the tournament, therefore giving them extra potential earning opportunities. If those earnings are invested wisely, in a better backroom team, for example – having your own physio or fitness trainer, can make all the difference. On the surface it is just a reduction in seeds, but it could begin to tighten the gap between the world’s elite – an exciting prospect.
As well as warm-up fines, a further rule holding financial pressure will prevent further problems with players withdrawing. If they are deemed to not be fully-exerting themselves in first-round matches, they could have their pay cheque torn up. Any player who retires after doing so, or plays below professional standards, could be hit with a fine of up that of the first round prize money. This sum stands at £28,900. Pricey. But who deems a player’s effort unsatisfactory? That is unclear.
But can you blame them? Before this rule, you had to play to receive your prize money. To a lower ranked player especially, missing out on the sum above is not an option when you’ve worked so hard to get there, regardless of your physical state. But now, according to the full GBS statement:
‘Any Main Draw singles player who is unfit to play and who withdraws on-site after 12:00 noon on Thursday before the start of the Main Draw will now receive 50% of the First Round Prize Money in 2018. The replacement Lucky Loser will receive the remaining 50% plus any additional prize money earned thereafter. The replacement Lucky Loser will receive the remaining 50% plus any additional prize money earned thereafter.’
Serbian Filip Krajinovic will be the first to benefit from the new rule after his pre-match withdrawal.
Great! So, now players have to be fit to play in first round matches, so no matches will be thrown in the name of financial gain, because players can pull out and still be paid. However, what’s to stop players waiting until just after the deadline and claiming 50%, even if they knew they were unable to compete before the deadline? Honesty? Hmm.
It’s worth mentioning that the problem of withdrawals later in the tournament still hasn’t been addressed. In my opinion, the player defeated in the previous round should advance in the place of the player withdrawing and a similar 50/50 prize money deal applied. Walkovers solved, boom.
Anyone would be naïve to think it’s as simple as my brief explanation above, but I believe that’s the next step the GBS should take to guarantee matches are played and keep ticket holders happy.
Will the shot-clock become a burden and unnecessarily rush players? Are the fines too strong? Are there any further changes you think should be considered? Comment below!
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