Sept. 4, 2014
NASHVILLE, TENN. –
From the NCAA:
September 4, 2014
The Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee, in collaboration with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association, is recommending several changes to reduce the length of championship matches.
The recommendations from the committee’s July meeting include all matches being played with no-ad scoring, effective in the spring of 2015. For example, in games tied at 40-all, the player who wins the next point will win the game.
After months of coordinated discussions, experimentation, research and vetting with college coaches and administrators, the committee concluded that reducing the overall length of play will enhance student-athlete well-being and increase the level of excitement of the matches, making collegiate tennis more fan-friendly.
The ITA is also adopting these format changes for its regular-season matches. All recommendations made by the committee must be approved by the Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet Sept. 9.
“We’ve known for quite some time we needed to make a change,” said D.J. Gurule, chair of the committee and head women’s tennis coach at Gonzaga University. “Sometimes even a good change is a difficult one, if only because of unfamiliarity. We’ve worked collaboratively with the USTA and ITA, experimented with formats, had many, many hours of discussion and reached a consensus.
“The ITA is adopting these format changes for the regular-season matches, and we believe it is the right thing for the championships. Some student-athletes compete for 11 of the 12 days of the tournament, which includes competing in both singles and doubles matches on the same day. Currently, some team matches might last five to six hours, and something has to be done. It’s tough on the student-athletes as well as the fans.”
For more information please visit: http://www.ncaa.com/news/tennis-men/article/2014-07-31/di-tennis-committee-recommends-changes-reduce-length-matches
