Players briefed on unique rules ahead of Jeddah action
One key aspect to succeeding at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF? Getting your head around the rules.
The 20-and-under event has been a hotbed for innovation since its inaugural edition in 2017. This year’s tournament is no different, as the eight-player field discovered during a pre-tournament meeting on Tuesday in Jeddah.
Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik, Shang Juncheng, Learner Tien, Luca Van Assche, Nishesh Basavareddy and Joao Fonseca gathered in a King Abdullah Sports City press conference room for a run-through of the signature rules and innovations in play for the tournament.
The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF player briefing. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
As in previous years, matches will be first-to-four-games, best-of-five-sets, with a tie-break (first to seven points) at 3-3. A No-Ad scoring format will be used, with the server choosing the service box at 40/40.
Reduced and shortened changeover times are also in place to ensure fast-moving encounters. Players will sit down at the end of the set for 90 seconds, reduced from 120 seconds in 2023. On-court warmups have been reintroduced for 2024 after they were absent last year. Players will warm up for three minutes on court, two minutes fewer than warmups on the ATP Tour.
A No Let rule, which was used in previous editions of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF but not in 2023, will also be reimplemented. Play will continue even if the ball touches the net during a serve, provided it lands in the correct service box. It raises the prospect of a player’s reaction time to a net-cord being potentially decisive at a key moment in a match.
The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City from 18-22 December, with a tournament-record US $2.05 million prize money on offer.
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