More than 50 years after introducing the tiebreak to professional tennis in 1970, the US Open will now implement a 10-point tiebreak at six games all in decisive sets, in conjunction with the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
The Grand Slam Board announced the joint decision on Wednesday, based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the highest level. With the goal of enhancing the Grand Slam experience for players and fans alike, the move follows extensive consultation with the WTA, ATP, ITF and tennis officiating community.
This trial, which has been approved by the Rules of Tennis Committee governed by the ITF, will apply to all Grand Slams across qualifying, men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, wheelchair and junior events in singles, and will commence at the 2022 edition of Roland-Garros.
At the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, and the US Open, the 10-point tie-break 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.
Under this trial, if the score reaches six games all in the final set, the match winner(s) will be the first player(s) to win 10 points with an advantage of two or more points.
The Grand Slam Board plan to review the trial during the course of a full Grand Slam year, in consultation with the WTA, ATP and ITF, before applying for any permanent rule change.
Did You Know?
In 1970, the US Open introduced the sudden-death first-to-five tiebreak, with serves alternating 2-2-2-3, and a deciding point played at 4-all. After player complaints about the nature of that format, the seven-point tiebreak was introduced in 1975—the familiar format that is still commonly used today, requiring a player to win by two.
