Ball Kids to Serve Towels to Players Again

The ATP Tour is set to reintroduce a rule that allows ball persons to hand towels to players during matches starting as soon as this week. The decision marks a return to traditional pre-pandemic practices and is anticipated to speed up the flow of the game. As health protocols are now significantly relaxed, the ATP has decided that a prohibition on the ball persons touching the player’s towels is no longer necessary.

Setting aside the hygiene implications for the moment, this decision is largely driven by the need to enforce one of the foundational rules of tennis. While most sources seem to link the ATP rule change to the “shot clock,” that is actually just an enforcement mechanism.

Between points, a maximum of twenty-five (25) seconds is allowed.
USTA Friend at Court, ITF Rules of Tennis, 29(a) excerpt.

The simple reality is that the elimination of towel-handling services for the ball players forced chair umpires to exercise a high degree of discretion on when to start the clock. That is particularly needed on the stadium courts, where there is typically much more space between the sidelines and the towel baskets provided for the players.

I previously wrote about this rules conundrum in “Service Shot Clock” after a dispute between Coco Gauff and Laura Siegemund at the 2023 US Open. That post examined how practices that enforce the 25-second shot clock rule are detailed in the Grand Slam rulebook. I also observed that the rule isn’t enforced as written and suggested that the wording should probably be updated to align with current practice.

The alternative is to simply enforce the 25-second rule as written, which is the option that the ATP has elected to take. At events between the French Open and Wimbledon this year, the men’s tour conducted a trial of an automated shot clock that takes that discretion out of the umpire’s hands. The players, including Carlos Alcaraz, complained about feeling rushed.

Consequently the ATP has to consider multiple options to better support the players and maintain the flow of the game. The resumption of the ball persons expediting the towel retrieval process became an inevitable obvious decision. The WTA has not implemented a rule change yet, but I anticipate a similar update for the women once the fuss over the ATP decision dies down.

The criticism over the new rule naturally centers around concerns about the health implications. While the ATP has issued assurances that appropriate guidelines will be in place to protect both players and ball persons, we have yet to see those protocols.

Many players now routinely strip off their wristbands and headbands after their matches and toss them into the stands to fans who clamor for the sweat-soaked souvenirs. With that backdrop, the reintroduction of ball persons serving towels was inevitable.