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Players will face a fine of up to $20,000 if they are not ready to play seven minutes after they walk on court at next year's Grand Slams, a meeting of the four majors has decided.

The gathering in London announced that the timing of the pre-match preparations would be "strictly enforced", tightening up the regulations to improve the experience for both fans and broadcasters.

The Grand Slam Board also said in a statement Tuesday that it intends to change the rules on seedings from 2019, cutting the number at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open in half to 16.

This would reduce the protection afforded to the top players in a system of 32 seeds and should make tournaments more exciting from the first round.

Roger Federer said recently in London he thought this would be an "interesting" alteration and make things more competitive, but the board has allowed a year before implementation with a view to gauging reaction from those involved in the game.

Wimbledon saw off the suggestion of introducing in-match coaching that was on the agenda, while a rule change on first-round withdrawals was confirmed.

Any singles player who is unfit to play and withdraws on-site after noon on the Thursday before a slam starts will now only receive 50 percent of the prize money, with the rest going to the lucky loser replacement.

The rules will also allow for a fine of up to the equivalent of the first-round prize money for any player who retires at that stage or "performs below professional standards".

The introduction of a shot clock for the majors also moved a step closer at the board meeting during the ATP Finals, with the Australian Open being granted permission to use it to enforce a 25-second time limit on serves as a trial outside the main draw next year.

The Grand Slam Board announced at the ATP World Finals a few weeks ago that the Grand Slam events will feature some significant changes intended to enhance the speed and integrity of the game in 2018. But the rule changes have also created a measure of confusion, so an FAQ is in order, starting with the most significant of the proposed revisions:

Will the Australian Open use a 25-second shot clock?

As of now, the 25-second clock between points will be used only in the qualifying tournament. But it may yet be introduced for use in the main draws.

The wording in the news release announcing that decision was vague. As a result, many outlets inaccurately reported that the shot clock would be used in the tournament at large. But while it is confirmed only for qualifying, Australian officials told ESPN that no final decision has been made regarding main draw matches.
A 25-second clock between points was tested during US Open qualifying, but it doesn't yet have the green light for use in Grand Slam main draws. AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr.

Our take: The shot clock is a powder keg. Rafael Nadal, the man most famous for playing at his own leisurely pace, has already told the press, "Having a clock with 25 seconds playing in some extreme conditions, you cannot have the best show possible."

Roger Federer has weighed in as well, suggesting at the ATP World Tour Finals that it could be "quite stressful" to be on a clock. You can consider those warning shots fired by the men most responsible for the spectacular success of the 2017 Australian Open. Tournament officials seem torn between wanting to be hailed as innovators and keeping their indispensable partners (the players) happy.

This is a real conflict. As Justin Gimelstob, an ATP board member and Tennis Channel commentator, told ESPN: "Keep in mind that these are not player-driven initiatives. They're sport- and event-driven. You have to proceed with some caution."

How will the new rules curb first-round retirements?

Novak Djokovic and Federer each won their first-round matches at Wimbledon this year when their opponents retired less than 45 minutes into their matches. It highlighted a disturbing, growing trend of injured players starting but quickly retiring from first-round matches -- but still collecting first-round loser prize money. A first-round loser at the US Open earns $50,000.

The new rule for majors gives a player half the first-round payout for withdrawing before the tournament starts and allowing a lucky loser to take his place. The lucky loser gets the other 50 percent of the first-round prize money, along with any additional money that might be earned.

Our take: It isn't a moment too soon for this rule, but the Grand Slams made a mistake in not adopting the ATP's policy of awarding the full amount of first-round money to an injured player who withdraws before play starts. The $25,000 difference at the US Open is still substantial enough to tempt players to make a cameo appearance while hurt.

What's different about the new rules as they may apply to tanking?

A player who "retires or performs below professional standards" could be fined up to the total amount of his first-round prize money. You can call this one the "Tomic rule" because of the sensation caused in July at Wimbledon by Bernard Tomic. The controversial Australian said he was "bored" and "couldn't care less" about the result following his first-round loss to Mischa Zverev.
Bernard Tomic's lack of effort during his first-round loss at Wimbledon, and his lack of concern afterward, prompted one rule change. Adam Pretty/Getty Images

The incident was recorded as an unsportsmanlike conduct violation of the code of conduct, and Tomic was hit with the maximum fine of $20,000. But he still left Wimbledon with a profit of over $25,000, or the balance of his prize money. Under the new rule, Tomic would forfeit all his prize money.

Our take: While the antics of Tomic and his Australian countryman Nick Kyrgios have forced the ATP and Grand Slam officials to take a good hard look at tanking, there's another useful purpose for this rule. It pertains to the earlier change regarding first-round withdrawals. Injured players who retire during the first round rather than withdraw earlier can now be docked all their prize money if they quit or it's obvious they weren't fit to play.

What's the big deal about streamlining the prematch warm-up?

The lords of tennis are looking at all the ways to "speed up" the game for fans whose attention spans in this age of social media are only getting shorter. The warm-up and players' little preparation rituals are areas that represent fat that can be cut without threatening the nature of the game.

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Tennis players to be fined for slow match preparations

Players will face a fine of up to $20,000 if they are not ready to play seven minutes after they walk on court at next year's Grand Slams.

The majors will now strictly enforce a regimen that requires players to be ready for the prematch meeting (coin toss) one minute after they walk on court. The warm-up will last five minutes, and the match will start 60 seconds later. A player could be fined up to $20,000 for ignoring the timetable.

Our take: It's a welcome bit of belt-tightening, but why not eliminate the warm-up entirely? You can argue that a first-timer on Centre Court at Wimbledon must get a quick feel for how the court plays. But hard and clay courts have greater uniformity one to another, making it easy to warm up on one court and play on another. There's no good reason to start the match with the warm-up. Do it elsewhere, with whomever, then come out and start the match immediately with the coin flip.

What potential changes weren't implemented, or even looked at?

The grail for tennis reformers is the scoring system, and officials are moving toward changing it in the rush to please an evolving audience. The ATP Nextgen Finals in Milan featured many innovations, including a shot clock and, most significantly, shorter sets and no-ad scoring.

Gimelstob isn't suggesting that the ATP or Grand Slam Board embrace the full menu of changes, but his reaction after attending the Nextgen Finals is noteworthy: "The event was exciting. There was more crowd engagement, and more points mattered."

Also, the Grand Slams considered seeding just 16 players, as was once the custom, but decided to stick with 32 seeds for 2018. The majors "intend" to revert to a 16-seed format in 2019.

Our take: The game is fast approaching the banks of the Rubicon, where officials will have no choice but to act on what they learn about the needs and habits of fans, especially younger ones. The duration of matches, which is mainly a function of the scoring system, may have to be significantly shortened. But it will probably take a significant drop in fan interest -- something unlikely to happen while Federer and Nadal are active -- to force such a radical change.

Dropping back to 16 seeds would be welcome, and create more high-quality matchups in the early rounds.

Thirty-two of Australia’s top tennis stars will battle it out for direct entry to the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open 2018 Play-off, which runs from Monday 11 to Sunday 17 December 2018. In the men’s field promising 20-year-old and world No.145 Akira Santillan (Qld) is the top-ranked player and will face strong competition from the likes of world No.192 Alex Bolt (SA), last year’s winner [277] Omar Jasika (Vic) and young gun [210] Alex de Minaur (NSW) who are all set for a big week at Melbourne Park.

Victorian [245] Sam Groth, who has announced he will retire after next year’s Australian Open, promises to be a strong contender. Top seed In the women’s field is world No.119 Arina Rodionova (Vic) who will hope to finish off what has been an impressive 2017 by winning direct acceptance into January’s event.

Rising stars Destanee Aiava (Vic) and Jamiee Fourlis (Vic) are currently competing in the 18/u Australian Championships, with the winner of the tournament to be awarded an AO 2018 women’s singles wildcard. Both are currently on the AO Play-off entry list but will be fighting to win the honour early and concentrate on their preparation for the Australian summer.

Australian Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik said the Play-off is always an exciting week where anything can happen. “We’ve got some really strong players such as Arina Rodionova, who has traditionally performed well at this event. Arina had a strong finish to her year, ending up just outside the top 100, so she’ll be highly motivated.

“And then we have a group of promising young players, like Destanee Aiava and Jaimee Fourlis who had a taste of success at Grand Slam level earlier this year. With such an important prize on the line the play-off is an event where everyone has the opportunity to break through,” Molik said.

Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said the play-off is a chance for players to finish their 2017 in a positive way, with a lot to look forward to in 2018. “The men’s field is a mix of some really impressive young guys who will be keen to make their mark, alongside established and experienced players.

“The play-off format will replicate the Australian Open, with best of five-set matches giving the players a real feel for Grand Slam conditions. We’ve seen some tough battles over the years and I’m looking forward to watching all the boys in action next week,” Hewitt said.

The Australian Open 2018 Play-off is a knock-out tournament with the men’s singles best of five sets and the women’s singles best of three sets. For the second year at December Showdown eight women’s doubles pairings will play off for the chance to earn direct entry into the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open 2018 women’s doubles play-off.

Play will start with the men’s singles round of 16 and the women’s doubles on Monday 11 December followed by the women’s singles round of 16 on Tuesday 12 December. The official draw will take place on Sunday 10 December at 12.00 pm. Entry to Melbourne Park is free for spectators.

Francuska Federacja Tenisowa ogłosiła dzikie karty do wielkoszlemowego Australian Open 2018. W rozpoczynającym się 15 stycznia turnieju w Melbourne zadebiutują Jessika Ponchet i Corentin Moutet.
Rafał Smoliński
Rafał Smoliński
08 Grudnia 2017, 23:20
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Getty Images / Alex Pantling / Na zdjęciu: Corentin Moutet

Koniec wielkoszlemowej serii Jeleny Janković. Była numer jeden rankingu WTA nie zagra w Australian Open

Dzikie karty są efektem współpracy pomiędzy organizatorami Australian Open i Rolanda Garrosa. Francuska Federacja Tenisowa zdecydowała, że do Melbourne polecą Jessika Ponchet (WTA 270) i Corentin Moutet (ATP 156). Dla reprezentantów Trójkolorowych będzie to debiut w głównej drabince zawodów Wielkiego Szlema.

21-letnia Ponchet przebojem wdarła się do Top 300. Francuzka osiągnęła w tym roku półfinały dużych turniejów ITF w kanadyjskim Granby, Saguenay i Toronto. Polscy kibice mogą ją kojarzyć z wygranych pojedynków z Urszulą Radwańską (Dunakeszi) i Sandrą Zaniewską (Tunis). Godne uwagi rezultaty dostrzegła krajowa federacja i dzięki temu Ponchet poleci do Melbourne.

Moutet dotarł w sezonie 2017 do półfinału juniorskiego Australian Open i Wimbledonu. 18-latek porzucił występy w tej kategorii wiekowej i rozpoczął marsz w górę rankingu ATP. Na koncie ma już tytuły w pięciu futuresach, a pod koniec października wygrał challengera rozgrywanego w miejscowości Brest. Fani tenisa w Polsce mogą go kojarzyć z pojedynku z Kamilem Majchrzakiem, którego pokonał pod koniec sierpnia we włoskim Como.

Ponchet i Moutet otrzymali dzikie karty od Francuskiej Federacji Tenisowej. Amerykanie przyznali je Kristie Ahn i Timowi Smyczkowi. W przeciwieństwie do tenisistów z Europy reprezentanci USA musieli o nie powalczyć na korcie, w ramach tzw. USTA Wild Card Challenge. U panów najlepszy był właśnie Smyczek, ale u pań najwięcej punktów w poszczególnych turniejach zgromadziła Taylor Townsend. Ponieważ dostała się do Australian Open 2018 na bazie rankingu, dziką kartę otrzymała Ahn.