As US Open quarterfinal action continues from Flushing Meadows, it sounds like a pretty significant scoring change could be in store for all four Grand Slams.
On Tuesday, renowned reporter Jon Wertheim explained on Tennis Channel Live that because of a dispute between the technology company behind automated let calls and Grand Slam tournament directors, chair umpires have manually made let calls at the US Open, and several other Slams this year.
According to Wertheim, directors from the four Grand Slams have met, and a major scoring change could be on the horizon.
“This is not the first major at which there has been lacking technology for the let cord. I’ve been told by multiple sources that the four majors have gotten together, and this might be the start of a move toward just doing away with the let entirely. At least starting at the majors. They won’t have this technology to worry about. They’ve already tried no-let tennis in juniors and college tennis. It’s worked pretty well.
“So keep an eye on this story. This technology dispute may lead to no service lets, at least at the majors.”
1998 US Open Winner Lindsay Davenport & 4x Grand Slam Champ Jim Courier Weigh In
Following Jon Wertheim’s report on Tennis Channel, the network cut back to the desk, where 1998 US Open winner Lindsay Davenport and four-time Grand Slam winner Jim Courier weighed in.
As Davenport, who coaches the United States’ Billie Jean King Cup team explained, the move would speed up play.
“I’m totally for it. Play is stopped so often when players think they hear a let and it’s not called, walk around the grounds the second week and go watch one of the junior matches they play lets, they have for the last couple of years. I’ve experienced through my son’s eyes. It’s really a non issue. The amount of times that it hits the top of the tape and trickles over is less than once a match. It rarely happens.
“I think it would just speed up play as well. Collegiate tennis has done it as well (doing away with let calls). I’m a big fan of it. I think it could really help the flow of the matches.”
As Courier explained, some players aren’t even aware that let calls are made manually by chair umpires now.
“The players don’t even realize what’s happened in the background, that the slams have quietly moved away from it (electronic let calls). But we could move away from lets and we wouldn’t skip a beat.”
Looking At How NCAA Tennis Handles Lets
While doing away with let calls would certainly shake up Grand Slams next season, as both Lindsay Davenport and Jon Wertheim mentioned, NCAA tennis and juniors tennis have already done away with lets.
At the collegiate level, when a player’s serve hits the net cord, so long as it dribbles over the net and lands in the service box, the ball is live.
Per page 13, Section G, subsection 12 of the NCAA.org’s ITF rules:
“In all divisions, there are no service lets. If the serve
hits the net and goes into the proper service box, the ball is in play. (Revised August 2022)”
Of course, as previously mentioned, the latest change would only impact Grand Slams, meaning that for the rest of the season, let calls would be made at the chair umpire’s discretion.
Massive Rule Change Coming to US Open & Other Grand Slams?