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Your Take: No-ad scoring
Posted: Monday November 08, 1999 06:33 PM
CNN/SI asked you what you thought of professional tennis' discussion of a no-advantage scoring system, which would basically incorporate a winner-take-all point. Here's a sample of your responses:
To make this kind of a change in a sport with such longstanding tradition would be a shame. We cannot allow this sport to bow down to the "do or die", impatient, American view of sports. Tennis is doing just fine without being Americanized. I mean what's next? A blue-red flashing ball so we can see the serves better? Give me a break.
I think the present scoring system should not be touched. From the audience's perspective, it's more exciting to watch players fight to win a point -- the excitement of watching a point go from advantage to deuce to advantage to deuce can keep you at the edge of your seat. As a player, I find it more challenging, because even at 40, you can still lose the game point when your opponent catches up with you. I think no-ad scoring would make the game boring.
One of the greatest parts of a tennis match is to watch a struggle between two contestants going back and forth on deuce/ad points. It adds tremendously to the excitement of the game in my opinion. The only reason to change the rules of the game would be to benefit television. And although I hate not being able to watch full matches as much as anyone, I don't feel its worth changing the game.
The NBA has changed numerous times to keep up with the modern game. Football is using instant replay again. Baseball has interleague play. Tennis must step up to the plate. As a tennis professional for the last 22 years, I have witnessed a major decline in our sport. We need to make drastic changes. The no-ad concept has been used in the colleges for years. We need to be fan-friendly and the no-ad will enhance our relationship with fans. We should consider the old 9 point tie break which features a winner take all point when the score reaches 4 points all. We need to eliminate 3 out of 5 set matches. Spectators do not tune in for a five hour match with just two foes. Look at the golf match play format used earllier in the year. Golf fans were bored with just two players instead of 30 or more. We live in a different time, and tennis must change.
We think it would make the game of tennis a farce! Deuces and ads are what make the game exciting. Vehemently against it!
Yes, Particularly for the pros. The current system makes it difficult for TV coverage due to the extreme variation in elapsed match time. The new system would promote TV coverage, which would benefit the game overall.
Making rule changes simply to garner better television ratings is appalling. If television sponsors wish to create a new and different game, then let them -- but leave tennis alone. Advantage scoring and let serves have been a part of this sport for a very long time. They help to create more intriguing matches as players must use their brains to think strategically, rather than just banging away.
For those contemplating a switch to the no-advantage scoring system, I would point to the recent fifth rubber match fought between Jim Courier and Greg Rusedski in the Davis Cup, which Courier won 8-6 in the fifth set. Apart from being a great tennis match, it had all the inherent drama in great sporting contests; switching to no-advantage would rip the heart out of matches like this.
Yes, absolutely. Just as tiebreakers, which decide a set on a 2-point rather than a 2-game margin, have done away with overly long sets, this will not only eliminate "endless" deuce games, but shorten the set and make its length -- and more importantly its MAXIMUM length -- more predictable.
IF no-ad scoring really results in more predictable match lengths, and IF more predictable match lengths would really result in more tennis on television, then no-ad scoring should be adopted for the professional game. Compromise: revert to traditional ad scoring for any game that decides a set, such as 5-4. (Just as the tiebreaker is abandoned for the 5th set in some tournaments).
I play Division II collegiate tennis. And we played a non-conference team a few days ago, which played no-ad scoring. I hated it. It changes the entire complexion of a match. Too much is decided by pure luck. It also hurts players who like to "fight" their way through a match, and players with good fitness, because it is impossible for a game to go any longer than seven points. If tennis switched to no-ad scoring I would not play competitive tennis anymore!
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