The Rules of Tennis
Last week the ATP Tour announced some new rules that will be put into effect for the 2022 season. While the Rulebook that reflects those updates has yet to be published, the organization issued a detailed press release outlining the changes.
With all the attention and controversy on the bladder capacity of Stefanos Tsitsipas, it comes as no surprise that hard limits on toilet breaks have arrived. Starting in 2022, players can take a maximum of three minutes once they have entered the toilet area. That final clause has been omitted from other press coverage of the change, but it is significant.
At professional tennis venues, there is a disparity of distance between the various courts and the closest available restrooms. Imposing time limits with a clock that starts as soon as the player leaves the court would produce great variation in the actual time allowed for the players to actually take care of business. That wording deftly handles that disparity in a fair and equitable way.
I am guessing that we may see some running clocks on televised matches that start when the player leaves the court and announcers that don’t understand the subtlety of the rule next year.
Players may also be granted an additional two minutes to change attire in addition to the toilet break. The ATP press release on the new rule contained a weasel clause that indicated that “change of attire may only be done in conjunction with a toilet break (unless authorised by the Chair Umpire).” It will be interesting to see how frequently such a request is asked for and granted and under what conditions.
The new ATP rule also establishes a limit of only one toilet break per match and indicates that toilet breaks may only be taken at set breaks. That is reasonable for best of three sets which is played at the ATP Tour Level. It will be interesting to see what rules are put into place in the Grand Slam Rulebook which would be applicable for the best of five set matches.
The new rule also includes that Time Violations will also apply if the player is not ready within the allowed time. Time Violations in ATP Rulebook will be the subject of next week’s post.
- ATP Announces Rule Changes To Speed Play, ATP Tour Press Release, November 23, 2022.
