Wimbledon call time on marathon matches
‘ISNER RULE’ WILL BRING IN LAST-SET TIEBREAKS AT 12-12
MORE than eight years after the extraordinary marathon involving Nicolas Mahut and John Isner, Wimbledon will finally put an end to the most lengthy matches by capping them with tiebreaks in deciding sets at 12-12. The move, reported by Sportsmail early in September, will see an end to the type of encounter which also disrupted the end of the Championships this summer.
It may become known as the Isner Rule, for it is the giant American who has played the biggest part in precipitating the change in regulations, coming into force next year.
Wimbledon should have moved following his famous 70-68 final set against Frenchman Mahut in 2010, which is now marked by a plaque on the side of Court 18 at the All England Club.
But it was not until this year’s semi-final that minds were properly focused when Isner and Kevin Anderson played out a 26- 24 decider to finish a match of six hours and 36 minutes that numbed both body and spirit.
Not only did it mean the other semi-final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic spilled into Saturday, it clearly affected the performance of the South African when it came to the final. Anderson battled hard to make it a contest against Djokovic but at one point there was some doubt about whether he would even be able to take to the court.
The US Open has long had sudden- death tiebreaks at 6-6, although it is rare for matches to get that far. There was only one case in the whole men’s tournament at Flushing Meadows this year, the 2.04am finish between Nadal and Dominic Thiem.
The Australian Open and French Open still have open- ended fifth sets but may now follow suit, although even 12-12 still seems unnecessarily long. That NadalThiem match in New York, won by the Spaniard, hardly lacked drama.
Hyper-extended matches in both the men’s and women’s game are actually something of a rarity, although they inevitably attract much attention.
Of more profound significance are parallel discussions going on across the game about whether to legalise coaching from the stands, as is the case on the regular WTA Tour. This would change the essence of the game and is being strongly resisted by Wimbledon.
That and other matters are expected to be debated around the year-end WTA Tour Finals in Singapore next week.
While the move to 12-12 was not unexpected, the timing of the announcement may be connected to Wimbledon not wanting to be seen to be following any lead from the ever-innovative Australian Open, which it increasingly views as a rival.
The new measure at SW19, which will cover all singles and doubles events including juniors, generally met with a positive reception, although approval was not universal.
Boris Becker described it as ‘excellent’ but former British No 1 greg Rusedski pointed out via Twitter: ‘This is better than the previous rule, but it is still an extra set after having played five sets. I would prefer a tiebreaker at 6-6.’
All England Club chairman Philip Brook said: ‘While we know the instances of matches extending deep into the final set are rare, we feel that a tiebreak at 12-12 strikes an equitable balance between allowing players ample opportunity to complete the match to advantage, while also providing certainty that the match will reach a conclusion in an acceptable time frame.’
Meanwhile in Moscow, Jo Konta’s season came to an end with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to home favourite Daria Kasatkina in the semi-final of the Kremlin Cup.
Having been in the world’s top 10 this time last year the 27-yearold Brit has fallen to No 44.
But this second semi-final of a bleak season will at least give her something to build on for the coming year.