4 rules from the Coca-Cola IPTL which should be included in regular tennis tournaments

The inaugural edition of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League has kicked off this year with the best players from around the world taking part in the tournament. And to make things more interesting, there have been several new innovations on show, which have hadded a fun element to the league.The rules in the IPTL are quite different from regular tennis, and a lot of these rules could be implemented in the tournaments that take place during the normal calendar. The biggest complaint, if any, about tennis, is that matches sometimes take too long to get over. The new set of rules which are implemented in the Coca-Cola IPTL makes sure that the matches get over quickly.Here are 4 rules from the Happiness Open which should be included in regular tennis tournaments of the ATP and WTA tours:

#1 Shot clock

One of the best and the most effective rules introduced at the Coca-Cola IPTL is the shot clock system. The players get only 20 seconds between points, which really helps speed things up. During a shoot-out (i.e. tie-breaker), where time is of the essence, the shot clock gains added relevance.

This is one rule which really should be implemented in tennis as it could save a lot of time and matches could get over a bit faster. There are many players who take an unusually long time to serve. It might be a tactic or it might be a superstition, but it definitely does waste time, much to the annoyance of both the opponent and the audience. A shot clock will do away with all that.

#2 Time-outs

Coaching timeouts have been implemented in the first edition of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League, where a player gets 60 seconds to discuss strategy with the coach. This is something which should have been included in tennis a long time ago.

Playing alone on the court for hours at a stretch can really be a burden for the players and sometimes they tend to feel isolated, especially when they’re losing or the whole crowd is on the side of the opponent. A time-out can help players get a breather and mentally release some of the pressure.

The coach would be able to tell the player what is going wrong and motive and calm the player down, thus leading to better tennis on the court.

#3 Shoot-outs

Berdych beat Monfils in the super shoot out

The shoot-out has been a very innovative feature of the Coca-Cola IPTL and has become a fan favourite as it's a really exciting way to finish off a set instead of the regular 7-point tie-breaker. The 5-minute shoot-out follows the traditional tie-breaker rules, except there is no side change after six points.

At the end of 5 minutes, the player with most points wins the shoot-out and the set.

Introducing this in regular tennis would be really exciting for the fans and it would be a nice way to finish off a set. Regular tie-breaks can sometimes get quite long and excruciating. Having a shoot-out could definitely save plenty of time, while not tinkering too much with the existing rules.

The shoot-out would require the players to do some quick and strategic thinking of how to go about playing the points, which would add another dimension to the action.

#4 Power point

Power point would be an exciting new rule in tennis

Another exciting rule introduced in the Coca-Cola IPTL is the concept of the power point. According to this rule, the receiving player can call for a power point and the next point would count for double.

For example, if the score is 30-30 and the player calls for a power point, the winner of the point would win the game. It is definitely a risk to take and it can be used only once during the set by each player.

Introducing the power point in regular tennis would be really exciting, and make the sport even more unpredictable than it is right now.