Its decision, it said, “is based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the Grand Slams, and thus enhance the experience for the players and fans alike.”
Now, if the score reaches 6-all in the final set, the winner will be the first player (or team in doubles) to win 10 points with an advantage of two or more points.
Previously, each of the Grand Slams used different methods to determine the winner when the score is 6-6 in the final set.
The Australian Open, which took place in January, already used the 10-point tiebreaker, while the U.S. Open used the seven-point tiebreaker in the final set. Wimbledon employed a seven-point tiebreaker in the final set when the score reached 12-12. The French Open had been the only major that did not use a tiebreaker in the final set and matches continued until one player had a two-game lead.
“It may disappoint the purists, but we are proud to match the other Grand Slams with a super tiebreak at 6-6 in the fifth set,” said Amelie Mauresmo, a two-time Grand Slam winner who is now the French Open tournament director (via Reuters). “From a sporting point of view it makes sense. It’s consistent with the other Grand Slams. Sometimes players didn’t know what the rule was.”
The trial, approved by the Rules of Tennis Committee which is governed by the ITF, will apply to qualifying, women’s and men’s singles and doubles and singles play in wheelchair and junior tournaments. It will begin with the French Open, which runs from May 22-June 5 in Paris.
The decision means that the record for the longest match of all time may be unbreakable. In that 2010 Wimbledon first-round singles match, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled for 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days, with Isner winning the fifth set 70-68.
The board added, “At the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, and the U.S. Open, the 10-point tiebreak will be played in lieu of the final set for mixed doubles, junior doubles and wheelchair doubles. At Wimbledon, the format will remain the same as for the other events.”
The board said it would review the trial over “a full Grand Slam year, in consultation with the WTA, ATP and ITF, before applying for any permanent rule change.”
So, at least for 2022′s majors, there will be uniformity.
“The central idea of the four Grand Slam tournaments was absolutely to line up. That was really the priority,” Mauresmo said (via the Associated Press). “For the sake of consistency, for the understanding of the fans, the players, the media.”