Wimbledon Championships 2019 Final Set and Tie-Break Rules

The Wimbledon Championships 2019 had put an end to marathon matches as it announced that, as of 2019, tiebreakers will be played at 12-12 in the final set at the Championships.

The rule suggests that during the fifth set if the set score reaches 12-12 then a tiebreaker will be played to get the result of the match. It will be a traditional 12-point tie-break, with the first player to seven points — win by two — earning the victory.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club announced the tiebreaker rule at the Wimbledon Championships 2019, “The time had come to introduce a tie-break method at a reasonable point in a deciding set.”

Philip Brook, the chairman of AELTC had said, “While we know the instances of matches extending deep into the final set are rare, we feel that a tie-break at 12-12 strikes an equitable balance between allowing players ample opportunity to complete the match to advantage, while also providing certainty that the match will reach a conclusion in an acceptable time frame.” 

Brook continued and said, “In reaching this decision, the AELTC Committee sought the feedback of both players and officials, analyzed two decades of match data, and considered other factors including scheduling complexities and spectator experience.”

The Tiebreaker rules come after the semifinals match between Kevin Anderson and John Isner last year which lasted for almost 3 hours. Eventually, the South African, Kevin Anderson defeated the American with the last set score of 26-24.

The tiebreaker rule after 12-12 in the finals set at the Wimbledon Championships 2019 was introduced after fifteen singles match – 14 men’s and 1 women’s have gone fast 12-12 in the final set at the Championships in the last 20 years.

AELTC chief executive Richard Lewis suggested that most of the players were happy with the decision. He said, “There were mixed views but predominantly players favored the final set tie-break.”

He continued, “They recognize that the quality of tennis goes down and players start playing not to lose in a long final set rather than the determination to win, and they recognize it affects the quality of matches in subsequent rounds.”

Lewis also feels that the players will play better after the new tiebreaker rule at the Wimbledon Championships 2019. He said, “I think players will play better because they know it will finish at 12-12 in a tie-break and they don’t have to save energy. And a final set tie-break will be incredibly exciting in its own right.”

Lewis added the AELTC did consider not applying the rule in finals matches but ultimately decided “There should be consistency right through the whole event.”