“It May not be Ideal for Everyone” – Kevin Anderson On ATP Amendments

Published 03/07/2019, 5:51 AM EST

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The World Number six tennis player,  Kevin Anderson is the present vice president of the ATP Player Council. With the changing times, the rules of tennis are also getting modified. The Australian Open and Wimbledon have put an end to their marathon matches and have shrunken the fifth set of the match. The South African, Anderson is involved in amending the rules in the ATP World Tour.

Amongst the changes, one of them is shot clocks, as the time violation rules are already applicable in the sport, but the shot clock allows the players and the audience to witness the time ticking. Also, the ATP ranking system has been revamped. The 2018 Wimbledon finalist, Kevin Anderson feels that these amendments are inevitable to evolve the game and keeping the game scrupulous.

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“There are some interesting changes, on the court the shot, some of the Grand Slams have changed the fifth-set tiebreak, transition tour,” Kevin Anderson mentioned at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, India. “We (Player Council) speak a lot about it… it is all to keep developing the game, making it more attractive to fans and making it player friendly. It may not be ideal for everyone but we try to make the best possible decision which will have positive effects on the game.”

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The ATP and WTA ranking points would be bestowed to the player only during the Challenger Tour and also in the events worth 25K and more. The rankings will conclude at 750. The rest of the tournaments will be included in the Transition Tour without but any ranking points being awarded to the player, which will subsequently reduce the number of ranked players from the nations like India.

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“I think the number of players making a living out of playing tennis is more than ever,” Kevin Anderson stated after receiving mixed responses. “Nobody at 800 or 900 is making a living anyway so it is not a goal for anybody. Before it was top 100 or maybe even top 75. I feel like now that is getting lower and lower so more people can support themselves playing tennis. That is what is ultimately going to drive more people to our sport. For the integrity and overall image of the ATP, in my opinion, it is much better, to have the cut-off.”

“In my opinion, it could have been much higher, look at the PGA Tour, 750 people are not getting the tour card it is something you have to work for, earn the card,” Anderson continued. “It may not be ideal for everyone but we try to make the right decision for the game.”

Kevin Anderson condemned the International Tennis Federation since they made changes in the Davis Cup regulations without consulting the players. From one-week format, the home and away format is being practised through the season.“They have been doing their own thing a little bit, they haven’t really collaborated with the players as closely as we would have liked. We don’t have any sort of say,” Anderson said. From the year 2020, the ATP will follow their own version of a world team event and the ATP Cup will start at the beginning of the next season.

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Mahalakshmi Murali

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.
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