It could never be said that the All England Club was bullied into hasty change; indeed it is rumoured some members still hanker after long trousers. However, only a week after putting its hands on 73 acres across the road at the local golf club for expansion that will secure the club’s position as the pre-eminent tournament in tennis once the deal is finalised in December, it dropped a minor bombshell on the game on Friday by announcing the end of the interminable final set at the Championships.
Tradition has bowed to expediency. From next year, matches will go to a tie-break when the score reaches 12-12 in the deciding set, a simple device that brings Wimbledon almost in line with the US Open, a tournament that uses final-set tie-breaks at 6-6 and has shown an inclination in recent years to adapt to the pace of modern life.
Written by Kevin Mitchell
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/oct/19/wimbledon-right-to-introduce-tie-breaks-into-fifth-set under the title “Advantage everyone: Wimbledon is right to have tie-breaks in fifth set | Kevin Mitchell”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
