By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 31, 2018
"If you don't want a great show, of course it's a great improvement," says Rafael Nadal of the serving clock.
Photo credit: Aspall Tennis Classic
Time waits for no one, but almost everyone is talking time passing these days.
The Citi Open is using a 25-second serving clock on court for the first time this week in preparation for the US Open clocking major history.
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The Flushing Meadows major will become the first Grand Slam tournament to use the 25-second serving clock in main-draw matches next month.
Under the rule, players will have 25 seconds from the end of a point before starting their service motion to begin the next point.
If they exceed the 25-second rule, players will be given a warning first escalating to loss of point and loss of a game penalties with subsequent violation.
The chair umpire will have the discretion to pause the clock or reset the clock to 25 seconds. The clock begins ticking once the chair umpire announces the score following the previous point.
The Citi Open in Washington, DC and this week's Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose are both using the clock. The Rogers Cup, Western & Southern Open, Connecticut Open and Winston-Salem Open will also use the clock.
Champions offer varied views on US Open Series events—and the US Open—employing a serving clock.
Defending Washington, DC champion Alexander Zverev, who plays at a quicker pace than most on the ATP Tour, says change is good for the game and supports the serving clock.
"This is a change," Zverev told the media in Washington, DC. "I think it's a good thing they're trying it out before the US Open and not straightaway at the Grand Slams.
"For me, statistically, I'm one of the quickest players on tour. So for me, it will probably not be as big of a distraction as for others. I like the idea. I like that they're trying it out."
World No. 1 players Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova are among the players who tend to play at a more deliberate pace with Nadal and Venus Williams both known for their liberal use of the towel.
Nadal asserts a shot-clock will diminish the quality of play and could provoke mindless shot selection.
"If the fans want short points and players playing without thinking, the matches, only going for the shots, maybe is good,” Nadal said during the 2017 US Open. "If you want to have matches like I played here with Novak, probably the three finals that I played here with Novak, probably that kind of match that the crowd is more involved because the points are so long, well, you cannot expect play 50 shots rally and in 25 seconds be ready to play the next tennis point."
"I think that's not possible for a great show. But if you don't want a great show, of course it's a great improvement."
Employing a serving clock at next month's US Open is a sign of changing times in tennis.
The ATP is aiming to tighten up time between points—and tidy up towel usage.
The ATP will likely add a 25-second shot clock—and require players to use a towel rack at the back wall rather than use ball kids as towel deliverers—either next year or in 2020, the BBC's Russell Fuller reports.
While Zverev supports the clock, he contends the game's governing bodies must consider competitors' reactions after they've played with the new rule.
"I can tell you more after the first match because obviously I haven't experienced it yet," Zverev said. "But I think it's gonna be important to listen to the players' reaction from different kind of players. For me, I'm obviously one of the quickest players to Rafa who is probably not the quickest player to just listen and hear their opinions. And it's gonna be important for the ATP as well to have an importance to the players' opinion."
Kei Nishikori, one of the more methodical players on the ATP Tour, suggests the clock can cause complications.
Nishikori, who has trained at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for years, questions why the game's governing bodies are experimenting with the serving clock during the North American summer hard-court season when players can require a bit more recovery time amid sometime scorching summer conditions.
"Maybe tough for me because I usually take a little time actually between the points," Nishikori told the media in Washington, DC. "Especially this summer, it's gonna be tough. If it's in Europe maybe it's okay, but it's one of the hottest places here. But also US Open it's gonna be hot."
The 2014 US Open finalist believes the clock carries an added mental challenge for competitors.
"For myself, it's not going to be easy," Nishikori said. "I'm not going to have too much to think where I should go on my serve. I'm not going to have time to think much between the points especially in the heat. Mentally, I think it's gonna be a little bit tougher, I think."
Officials, of course, hope the serving clock will speed up the pace of play and make matches more audience-friendly, both for fans in the stands and viewers at home.
The clock can also eliminate the gray area of officiating and the fact some players typically exceed the time violation rule, which isn't always enforced.
Some players, including former ATP pro Dimitry Tursunov, suggest stars have received preferential treatment when it comes to time violations.
For years, some have used bathroom breaks, medical time-outs and stalling between points—going to the towel, tying shoelaces, switching racquets, turning their back to the court—as tactical tools designed to disrupt an opponent's rhythm.
World No. 3 Zverev is hopeful the clock could cut down on gamesmanship.
"I'm not someone who tries to bring my opponent out of his rhythm by doing things that are unnecessary to play tennis," Zverev said. "I'm trying to play tennis better than my opponent does. That's what I'm focusing on.
"There's other players out there who are going to use every single thing to get their opponents out of their rhythm to take a medical timeout when you're serving for a set or to go to the toilet after you lose a set, 6-0, something like that. I'm not that kind of person. I try to always be fair."
US Open champion Sloane Stephens says time will tell if the clock should stay.
"I think it will be interesting," Stephens said. "Obviously adding something new to the game is always difficult and different whatever. We'll see how it goes. I can't really say if it will be good or bad. I have no idea. We'll see. You'll see when I see whether it's very good or very bad."