Tennis is dying slowly, year after year"- Fans react to all Grand Slams adopting 10-point tie-break rule in final set

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Roger Federer taking on Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon 2019 final
Roger Federer taking on Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon 2019 final

Wednesday proved to be a historic day for the four Grand Slams -- the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Jointly with the Grand Slam Board, the Majors announced that they will use a 10-point tie-break when the matches reach 6-6 in the final set.

It is pertinent to note that this new system will be on trial for one Grand Slam year, beginning with the 2022 French Open.

Tennis fans will no longer get to see epic drawn-out battles like the one between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 edition of Wimbledon or the one between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in 2019.

Tennis fans have made their feelings regarding the new scoring system known all across Twitter. It is safe to say that the majority of them are displeased with the rule, given they will be robbed of high-octane fifth set drama.

One fan lamented the state of tennis, pointing out how it was "dying" a slow death.

"Tennis is dying slowly, year after year. I'm so sad and angry," they said.

One fan opined that the new scoring system was the price to pay to protect the best-of-five format.

"If this is the prize to pay in order to keep best of five tennis around for a longer time, I'll gladly pay it," he said.

Another Twitter user hilariously mentioned that tennis was spiraling like their love life.

"Tennis breaking my heart more than any relationship and it's getting worse," she quipped.

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut set the record for the longest-ever fifth set in tennis history by going 70-68 during their 2010 Wimbledon encounter. The American tends to play really long matches, especially on grass, given how difficult his blistering serve is to break.

Another fan listed memorable matches that existed solely due to the earlier scoring system, indirectly lamenting its departure.

Noted tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg expressed his displeasure at the new system, even though he has been a long-term advocate for best-of-three tennis.

Wimbledon may return to the 12-12 tiebreak after the trial period of the 10-point tie-breaker ends after the 2023 Australian Open.

Wimbledon is renowned for long five-set matches.
Wimbledon is renowned for long five-set matches.

Wimbledon has arguably had the longest final-set matches in the history of Grand Slams. The Australian Open has had lengthy fifth sets, but they switched to the 10-point tie-breaker format in 2019.

It gets hard for players to hold their serve on clay after a certain period, making long fifth sets uncommon. Meanwhile, the US Open has had a fifth-set tie-break in place for some years now.

Tennis journo Ravi Ubha detailed the existing system for each of the Slams in a tweet below:

The new 10-point fifth-set tie-break trial will apply across qualifying, men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, wheelchair and junior events in singles.

The Grand Slam Board plans to review the system at the end of next year's Australian Open before deciding on a permanent course of action.

Should they decide against sticking with the system, the previous scoring rules at the All England Club (tie-break after 12-all in 5th set) might continue to remain in place.

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Edited by Keshav Gopalan
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