Australian Open boss Craig Tiley is set to lobby world tennis bodies to abolish the let service at grand slam tournaments in a bid to speed up the game.
The move comes after the Melbourne slam came under fire in recent years as matches finished as late as 4am, with an extra day added to the 2024 tournament in a bid to reduce the number of such finishes.
That move failed, with a host of matches running late this year, including five-set contests involving losing finalist Daniil Medvedev.
Now Tiley has come up with a radical suggestion that he wants to be applied to not only the Australian Open, but all grand slam events around the world.
He wants the let service, when the ball collects the tape at the top of the net and lands in the service box, to be abolished.
It’s unclear whether that means lets would be called in under his plan, or whether they would be called faults.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley wants to abolish the let to allow for more continuous play at all grand slam events
Players like Australia’s Alex de Minaur would have to adjust to a new way of serving and returning serve under the proposal
Tiley will take the suggestion to the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association in a bid to have it implemented in time for the 2025 Open at Melbourne Park.
‘We’re looking at the entire puzzle and how to make it better for the fan and better for the player,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘We want to make the game faster and continue to grow its appeal … which is why we look at things like lets … it’s a decision for the entire sport.
‘I definitely want to speed the game up.
‘For us the most important thing is to get to a position where the game itself is not too long. We’ve got to keep people’s interest in it.’
Tiley said that let services alone had help up the Australian Open by 15 hours at the 2024 tournament.
‘That’s an incredible stat,’ he said.
‘I’ve asked players that before and most said they thought maybe one or two hours. But 15 hours?
‘We will do it all in collaboration with the tour. It would be crazy not to.
‘The more the rules can be consistent from event to event, the better it is for the game.’
Beaten Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev played four epic five-set matches that went late into the night, which impacted him in the final
Tennis fans have called for more practical changes and better scheduling to combat the late finishes at the Australian Open
However, tennis fans have not welcomed the call, saying there are other measures that can be taken to prevent long, late matches without changing the rules of the sport.
‘To make it more appealing to fans the first thing to change is to stop a player bouncing the ball 19 times before they serve,’ one fan suggested.
‘Imagine is the match last night was short format or Fast 4? Who would the winner be? Medvedev. It’s very silly the suggestions they put out,’ posted another.
‘How about we put four walls around the court and reduce the size of the racquets?’ another asked sarcastically.
Others called for Tiley to stand down for not addressing the late finishes in a practical way.
‘I’ve always given Tiley credit for being a good tournament director even as he was ruining the rest of tennis in Australia, but his scheduling this year suggests he has absolutely no idea. Time to go,’ a passionate fan posted.
Tiley will also call for a review of the 25-second service shot clock system in a bid to speed up matches.
‘We need to review the shot clock because it has seemed to add more time into matches when it was supposed to add less,’ he said.
‘It’s when the official behind the clock waits for someone to be ready and then you push the button for 25 seconds, that player might bounce the ball for 25 times before they serve. I think that has got to be looked at.
‘I think the use of the shot clock, which was a new innovation and a good one, has got to be looked at.’
