Tennis’ Grand Slam Board have been met in London to discuss a number of possible rule changes ahead of the commencement of the 2018 season, and a number of alterations are set to be introduced at the Australian Open which gets underway at Melbourne Park on January 15th.


Source: BBC Sport via Twitter

The shot clock

The headline rule change is the introduction of the 25-second shot clock which has been trialed during the end of the season at the nextgen finals.

Players will be given just 25 seconds to unleash their serve which is bad news for serial time wasters and significantly decreases the potential to play mind-games with the opposition. The decision hasn’t gone down well with many of the players including World number one Rafa Nadal who bemoaned its introduction saying “If you don’t want a great show, of course, it’s a great improvement.” The Nike-sponsored Spaniard, who has to pull out of the ATP Finals through injury is worried about the possibility of the shot-clock ruining potential thrillers at future Grand-Slam tournaments.

The 31-year-old, who finished as runner-up in the Australian Open in 2017 has been priced up as the second favorite for the 2018 event and is predicted to fight it out with Roger Federer for the first Grand Slam of the season. The ‘King of Clay’ can be backed for success down under using one of the many first deposit bonuses, like at Betstar, who offer new customers up to $250 when they sign up for an account.


Warms-ups

Timings of pre-match warm-ups will also be strictly monitored ahead of Grand Slam matches with one minute allowed to walk on before the Umpire’s briefing before a five-minute knock-up commences. Players will have a further minute to prepare for the first point and anyone caught flouting this limit could be fined up to $20,000.

Mid-match retirements

Mid-match retirements during the first round of Grand Slam tournaments have been a big concern for event organizers, and they’ve taken steps towards reducing the number of players limping off but still collecting their prize money. Any player who withdraws in the days leading up to the competition will still get 50% of the prize money

which is usually handed to the losers of first-round matches. The remainder of the kitty will be awarded to the lucky loser who replaces the original entrant.

With $50,000 available for players who compete in the first round of the Australian Open, many stars turned up, limped through the opening few games before announcing their plans to withdraw. They still collected the full amount thus making the journey worthwhile, and this is something the Grand Slam committee are hoping to curb with the introduction of their new regulations.

At Wimbledon 2017, Bernard Tomic announced he was ‘bored’ during his straight-sets defeat during the first round of the tournament and was fined for his comments. This has set a precedent for disinterested players in future Grand Slams.

The new rules have been trialed extensively and planned to be introduced ahead of the Australian Open 2018. Not all players are in favor of the alterations, but they must follow each of the guidelines in order to avoid a hefty fine. Time will tell whether the new regulations improve Grand Slams as a spectacle, but the authorities appear confident they will have a positive effect on the key tournaments throughout the season.