“Should Not Revolutionize”: ATP Chairman Disregards Amendment of Traditional Tennis Rules

Tennis is definitely an ever-evolving sport. While it has persisted with some of its basic fundamentals and traditions, it has also undergone drastic changes technologically. With the involvement of the ATP and WTA along with the players, the sport has definitely revolutionized over the period of time.

Recently, Andrea Gaudenzi, the chairman of the ATP, expressed his views about the future of tennis and what improvements it required at the moment.

“I am convinced that we should not revolutionize the rules of tennis, even if all ideas are good. We must above all improve in the distribution of news, data, offer short formats outside the field,” said a firm Gaudenzi.

The chairman appreciates all the informative ideas but wants to stick with the fundamentals and basics of the sport. However, he strongly believes that tennis could undergo some amendments in terms of distribution. The 47-year-old Gaudenzi also emphasized making the game a little shorter format-wise.

“Positioning of our sport is fundamental” – Andrea Gaudenzi on tennis

Gaudenzi argued that it was necessary to go ahead by following the basic structure of tennis. The former Italian player expressed that sticking to the fundamentals was one of the biggest strengths of the sport, and it should continue to do so. His views are completely contradictory to that of Patrick Mouratoglou, coach of Serena Williams, who advocated for bringing reforms in the sport.

“What is fundamental is the positioning of our sport in the digital world against the other pillars of the entertainment industry,” added Gaudenzi.

Gaudenzi explained that while other sports are adopting new and attractive measures to lure attention, tennis continues to impress fans just like it has in the past. He believed that the reason for its success so far was its positioning.

Change is surely inevitable. Like other sports, tennis has witnessed many changes too. With the introduction of Hawk-Eye, it has made it easy for both the players and the match officials. However, as far as rules and regulations are concerned, they have mostly been the same. Many fans would surely disagree with the chairman’s views. But they also realize that tennis has stood strong with its basic and fundamental structure so far.

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