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Zverev upset by the introduction of the 5th set breaker at the Australian Open

Sascha explain why he doesn't like the new rule

27 December 2018

It seems that (almost) all the organizations of the Slams are frightened by long matches especially after the famous win of Kevin Anderson in the last Wimbledon semifinal when he defeated John Isner 26-24 in the 5th set. That match came after the South African defeated Roger Federer 13-11 in the fifth set in the previous encounter.

Until this year, the US Open was the only major to adopt a 5th set tiebreak. In 2019 things will change.

The 5th set rule of the Slams.

While the Roland Garros decided not to introduce a 5th set tiebreak, Wimbledon will adopt the tiebreak in the decisive set when the score reaches 12-12.

The Australian Open has introduced the breaker in the 5th set on 6-all scoreline, but that would be a “champions tiebreaker” (i.e., the winner has to win at least 10 points and not 7).

According to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley, the rule was introduced after a long consultation during 2018 with the players and the other stakeholders. Zverev doesn’t think that this is true.

Why Zverev disagrees with the Australian Open 5th set tiebreak rule

Sascha is currently in Perth where he is about to compete in the Hopman Cup. When asked about his opinion on the new rule he was quite straightforward to comment

“We weren’t [consulted] at all. I don’t think any players were, to be honest.

I don’t like the change too much because I think it has something special when you go 12-10 in the fifth set or something like that. I really enjoyed those kinds of situations, really enjoy those kinds of matches, even though they are physically tough.

These are the things we play for, and now, at every grand slam except for Roland Garros, there is a tiebreak, which I am not in favor of.”

It would be interesting to observe Sascha’s mindset if he will play the 5th set breaker.

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