The prestigious Wimbledon tournament concluded just a few days ago, but already voices are being raised about what changes should be made in the future. "Abolish the rule regarding contact with the tape during serve," urges tennis legend Martina Navrátilová.
The eighteen-time Grand Slam champion is determined to push for this change. "Most of these contacts are so minimal that you don't even notice them," Navrátilová stated at the All England Club. According to her, the rule regarding replaying a serve if there is any contact with the tape fundamentally affects the flow of the game. "You know I've been talking about this for years, but no one does anything about it. Let's get rid of it; it's pointless," she said in a sharp statement to the BBC.
“The match should continue, most of these contacts are really negligible. It would increase the pace of the match.” Navrátilová’s words were exemplified in the opening game of the men's singles final, when eventual champion Jannik Sinner served with a slight "touch" on the tape three times in a row.
Although the exchange in the duel with Alexander Zverev eventually ended with a direct point for the Italian, it still took 80 seconds. Navrátilová also finds support among other prominent figures. The situation where the umpire calls "let" and then there is a replay of the serve is also frustrating Todd Woodbridge. "You just have to adapt. Of course, if the ball lands right behind the net, there's nothing you can do, but that's usually not the case," said the nine-time Wimbledon doubles champion.
“You have to play every point, that’s how tennis is. Abolishing it would give the game more momentum,” agreed John Lloyd, a mixed doubles champion at the All England Club in 1983 and 1984. Will tennis see this desired change in an era of increasing pressure to shorten the duration of individual matches?