Tennis Grand Slams to all trial final-set tie-breaks

Tennis' Grand Slam tournaments will all trial using a first-to-10 tie-break in final sets this year, the four competitions announced on Wednesday.

Until now, the major events all employed different rules on how to end a match which reaches 6-6 in a deciding set.

The Australian Open already uses a first-to-10 breaker, while the US Open has opted for a traditional first-to-seven tie-break at 6-6 for over 50 years.

The French Open has still not used a final-set tie-break, although Wimbledon introduced a first-to-seven breaker at 12-12 in 2019.

"The Grand Slam Board are pleased to announce the joint decision to play a 10-point tie-break at all Grand Slams, to be played when the score reaches six games all in the final set," the organisers of the Grand Slams said in a statement.

"The Grand Slam Board's decision is based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the Grand Slams."

With the exception of the US Open, the Grand Slams had no final-set tie-breaks until three years ago.

But there were calls for change after John Isner's famous match against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, which the American won 70-68 in a fifth set after more than 11 hours of play.

The Grand Slam Board added they would review the trial before "applying for any permanent rule change".

Tennis' Grand Slam tournaments, including the French Open, will all trial using a first-to-10 tie-break in final sets this year, announces Amelie Mauresmo, the director of the Paris tournament. "We are quite proud to be able to align ourselves with the other three Grand Slams," she says, adding the decision "took into account the health of the players" who can become fatigued if they play for too long. Mauresmo also confirms "there's nothing stopping" Novak Djokovic and unvaccinated players from participating in the French Open in May.