How will the Tennis tie break at Wimbledon in 2022 work now that the rules have been modified? How long can the tie-break last now?
You’ve been playing for nearly three hours against a rival who just won’t give in and is determined to beat you as you are them.
It’s level on sets and level on games as it begins to dawn the only way to separate the two of you will be on a tie break.
Tie breaks have provided some iconic matches down the years – think Federer vs Nadal in 2008 or Federer vs Djokovic in 2019 – but how do they work exactly?
What have the new rules for tennis tie breaks been?
Tennis: How does the tie break work?
A tie break in Tennis occurs when a set ends at six games each.
The tie break is over and it’s a race for seven points. The first one there wins.
This applies only to sets that are not final or deciding.
Paula Badosa, for example, beat Petra Kvitova 7-5 and 7-6 (7-4) in tie break in two sets.
This match was not decided in three sets so the new Tennis tie break rules weren’t necessary.
2022: New rules
A new set of rules has been introduced for 2022. Players will aim to win 10 points in the Tennis tie break if a final, decisive set reaches 6-6.
The requirement that players get to the next game with two points more than the previous one is removed.
It was designed to reduce the length of long matches such as the John Isner Nicholas Mahut match from 2010.
This game finished 6-4, 3-3, 6-7, 7-9, 7-6 (7-3), 70–68 for Isner. The match lasted three days, lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes.
Under the new Tennis tie break rules, Isner and Mahut would have played a tie break in that deciding set when they reached 6-6 – and saved everyone a lot of time and themselves a load of energy!
The new Tennis tie break rules were in force since the Australian Open in January, with Serena Williams’ defeat to Harmony Tan in the first round at Wimbledon the first time it was used in competition.
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