Fiend at Court Unplugged
Modern tennis fans might be surprised to learn that providing on court chairs for the players during professional tennis matches is a relatively recent development. The fact that on-court chairs were introduced at Wimbledon in 1974 was mentioned as a casual aside in conjunction with a post on some proposed rule changes in 1994. In retrospect, it was worthy of a separate post.
Chairs were relevant because some of the 1994 proposed rule changes centered around efforts to speed up play during matches. The fact that the players were sitting down on the changeovers was cited as a contributing factor to longer matches. Until Wimbledon in 1974, players simply placed their gear on the ground on opposite sides of the umpires chair. They basically stood during the changeovers.
The absence of chairs can be observed during footage of a quarterfinal match between Bjorn Borg and Roger Taylor at Wimbledon in 1973. I bookmarked the clip at a point where Borg broke a string and changed racquets. The absence of chairs is apparent as Borg makes the swap.
In 1974, Jimmy Connors defeated Ken Rosewall in the finals. Complete footage of that match is also available on YouTube. I started that clip at the changeover after the third game. Not only are the chairs now in place, Connors sits down.
I am fascinated by the initial placement of the chairs. They were back to back behind the umpires chair. Somewhere in the interim, the professional tennis marketing establishment made the realization that player seating provided abundant space for advertising. Thus, the seats were ultimately moved to the present more prominent location alongside the court.
It is not a coincidence that chairs made an appearance in tandem with the rise of matches being carried on broadcast television. The professional tours and event organizers wanted longer changeovers so the networks could run commercials. It should come as no shock that increasing the length of changeovers contributes to longer matches.
The other interesting aspect from these old clips is that it is apparent that the players did not carry much gear with them on court. The innovation of the racquet bag had not yet made an appearance.
The original post where the introduction of chairs was mentioned was “Rule Changes in the News, 1994 Edition“
- Quick fix plan for tennis junkies, The Canberra Times, February 3, 1994
- The search for lively tedium-free tennis, The Canberra Times, June 21, 1994.
