Wimbledon and other three Grand Slams confirm uniformity as they will use 10-point tie-breaks in final set

Wimbledon
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut Wimbledon 70-60 final set tie-breaker plague

A 10-point tie-break will decide the final set at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open with immediate effect with the Grand Slam Board opting for “greater consistency”.

The regulation change will first run on a trial basis and will be adopted at Roland Garros.

All four Grand Slams have had different tie-break rules over the past few years as the Australian Open uses the first-to-10 tie-break at 6-6 in the final set, Wimbledon plays a first-to-seven tie-break at 12-12, the US Open uses first-to-seven at 6-6 while there was no final-set tie-break at the French Open.

A statement read: “The Grand Slam Board’s decision is based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the Grand Slams, and thus enhance the experience for the players and fans alike.

“This trial, which has been approved by the rules of the tennis committee governed by the ITF, will apply to all Grand Slams across qualifying, men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, wheelchair and junior events in singles, and will commence at the 2022 edition of Roland-Garros.”

It means the days of record-breaking final sets are over as there will be no repeat of John Isner and Nicolas Mahut’s 70-68 final set.

The duo took 11 hours and five minutes to complete the match at Wimbledon in 2010 while eight years later Kevin Anderson’s win over Isner at the All England Club had a 26-24 final set.

The statement continued: “The Grand Slam Board plan to review the trial during the course of a full Grand Slam year, in consultation with the WTA, ATP and ITF, before applying for any permanent rule change.”

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