Topic: No-ad scoring for tennis.

[Anonymous]

I would like to see no-ad scoring in tennis or at least a cap on the number of points in a game.  After so many deuces when the cap is reached the next point is sudden death.  It is then served on the same side as the last point rather than the opposite side so the game ends on its traditional side.  In the present rules you know after the first deuce the game will have to go an even number of points more.   That means you also know what side that game will end so the sudden death serve will be on the same as as the previous served when that point becomes sudden death.

[Arcforce]

No-ad scoring is dumb, IMO.

A lot of excitement, tension and emotion has come from lengthy deuce games this past year making for VERY fun and enticing entertainment.(ie. Davenport vs Mauresmo WTA Champs, Williams vs Mauresmo WTA Champs, Davenport vs Venus US OPEN Rnd of 16) To mention only a few. I hate it when people try to change the way the game is played. All of these YOUNG hotshots come up trying to make decisions in the professinoal tennis world attempting to change things that have been set in stone and quite efficient for decades now.

Deuces are a huge part of the excitement of tennis and without them, tennis wouldn't be nearly as interesting.

[gary2414]

My idea is you would still have deuces in a game.  The only difference is there would be a cap on the number of points in a game.   It might be a limit of say four to eight deuces so you would still get exciting games.  The reason is that some players get tired with a long game and it is usually the server.  Players would also less likely get injured if the were a limit on the length of a game.  Another problem is with long games fans have to wait too long to get in and that can create a backlogue.  Maybe in a long game the server could call time out anytime after there has been eight deuces or whatever number you have.  That would also allow the fans to get in.

[Tennis4you]

I am not sure that most matches have enough deuces to worry about it, but I could be wrong...  I doubt the majority of matches, at any level, have more than 5 deuces in one game...

I play in some USTA leagues here.  The singles in no ad, which I hate to play...  And they of coarse we play a 9 point tie-breaker which menas the first person to 5 by 1.  At 4-4 it is sudden death all the way...  I have been there, lost one, won one...  No fun...

As far as capping deuces, I do nto mind that as much.  The doubles Thursday night league I play in does that, 3 tops and then a sudden death point...  I would personally rather play it out, but if the game was going to change and I had to pick one or the other I would pick this one hands down!

[gary2414]

Still another idea of no-ad tennis would be for the women only if they were ever going to play best of five sets rather than the best of two.  That way the women's match would be somewhat shorter than the men.   Also no-ad could be used to help a tournament catch up that had been plagued by rain delays.  It might be used if players ever had to play three matches in a day.

[Tennis4you]

Wow, 3 matches in a day is a ton!

I would like to see the women play best of 5 sets, even if it was just for the finals of slams.  But maybe capping the # of deuces.  I do not think they will ever go to the no ad...  It is just such a huge change.

[gary2414]

Well three matches in a day might not be so bad if they were best of three sets and no-ad scoring.   This would only be a last resort if you could not move the tournament indoors.  They do shorten best of five sets to best of three sets when they are rain delay such as the Masters final this year in Houston but maybe if the neeeded to shorten it they could instead keep it best of five but go to no-ad scoring.  If a cap on the number of deuces in a game the socreboard would have to be changed to show what number deuce you are on.  Also instead of capping deuces you might have a rule that when a person has reached the fouth ad he would win the game.  That the person who seems to be geting the ads after a duece would have the advantage.

[Thomas]

Donīt remember the year, but in a Masters final at the Garden in NY women went to a five setter (sabatini was one of the players)
I think it was about 1990-1991

[Tennis4you]

Great memory...  They used to play the year end championship finals 5 sets for the women!

I used to love that, I wish they would do it still..

[gary2414]

TV doesn't like best of five sets.  That is why they went back to best for three sets for the women's WTA final.  But maybe TV would go for a best of five set final if it were not-ad or points in a game capped.