“This is a surrender of sovereignty” Former French Tennis Federation chief Bernard Giudicelli angered over the 10 point tiebreaker rule adopted by all Grand Slams
Follow Us
The Grand Slam Board, a joint body comprising of all the 4 majors, made a new announcement that shook the entire tennis fan base in the World. Starting with the upcoming 2022 French Open, all four grand slams will implement the 10-point tiebreaker rule in the final set when the match reaches a point with 6-6.
Former president of the French Tennis Federation Bernard Giudicelli has found this rule simply ‘dreadful’ and does not fish for it to be established equally in all grand slams. This was especially a big blow to those fans who believed in the traditions and norms of a particular tournament, in this case, the grand slams.
“This is a surrender of sovereignty” Bernard Giudicelli not pleased with the ‘Super Tiebreak’
Although the Grand Slam Board decided to enact the 10-point tie-break rule when the final set reached 6-6, they did it out of concern for the player’s stamina and for the sake of equality to all that play and observe.
Their declaration started with, “On behalf of the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, the Grand Slam board are pleased to announce the joint decision to play a 10-point tie-break at all grand slams, to be played when the scores reached six games all in the final set.” It continued to read “the Grand Slam Board’s decision is based on a strong desire to create a greater consistency in the rules of the game at the Grand Slams, and thus enhance the experience for the player and fans alike.”
It is very evident that the rule changes will now no more give matches like the 11 hour-epic match spread over three days fought between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut with a score of 70-68 in the final set in Wimbledon. Giudicelli disagreed with this settlement and took to Twitter to share his opinion. He said, “Appalling. For 4 years I resisted the Australian will to assimilate us. This is a surrender of sovereignty. Only 3% of RG’s 5th sets went beyond 6–6.”
“It may disappoint the purists” Amélie Mauresmo sides againt Bernard Giudicelli
The former president of the federation retweeted on the Current tournament director of the French Open and two-time grand slam champion Amélie Mauresmo who felt otherwise. She said, “It may disappoint the purists but we are proud to line up for the other grand slams with a super tie-break at 6-6 in the fifth set.”
She continued, “The central idea of the four Grand Slam tournaments was absolutely to line up. That was really the priority, For the sake of consistency, for the understanding of the fans, the players, the media. Players, the interest of the spectators and TV viewers. We could no longer afford to operate differently.”
Stay Updated!
Varsha Srikumar
(135 Articles Published)