Desperately Seeking a New Format for College Tennis

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This week, tennis fans will be treated to the inaugural ATP Next Generation Finals in Milan, Italy. The Next Gen organizers have introduced some interesting rule changes this week and this caught my eye big time!

Some of the rules include player coaching via headsets, no lets, a 25-second shot clock between points, no doubles alley, a movement-free policy for fans, shorter sets, no-ad scoring and hawk-eye on all line calls. Now THIS is what I’m talking about!

In 2015, the NCAA approved some ‘major’ changes to the college tennis format, including no-ad scoring, no warm-ups and a set of doubles instead of a pro-set to 8 games1. The intention here was to make college tennis matches, which can last more than 4 hours, more fan-friendly.
I say these ‘major’ changes to college tennis to enhance fan engagement are totally missing the mark.  To make college tennis as engaging as possible, we need to be bolder. Fans attend games to take in the social scene.3  They also want to enjoy solid competition and exciting plays.2  We need to think like the ATP and make BIG, DRASTIC changes to deliver this to fans.


When the no-ad scoring and no warmup came into effect in my NCAA days, I have to admit the changes felt weird. They were uncomfortable and the team had to discuss the rules with our coaches and practice them during the week. But once I got used to the changes, I LOVED them. Our coach had a saying: “Big Points Big”. BPB!! As a team, we decided to embrace deuce points.  These are the moments of pressure that you remember. They are the ones that teach you how to deal with adversity. The changes were exciting and you could feel the tension and all eyes turn to the court when the umpire called out “deuce, receiver’s choice”.  But -- did this bring more fans to games? Did it make fans stay for the entire match? The straight up answer is no.
So, how do we get more fans at college tennis games?  College tennis coaches, players, administrators, people at the ITA and the NCAA must dare to think big and be bold.  We must think like the ATP did for the Next Gen Final.  The thinking must be way outside of the box.  
A few years ago, volleyball adopted new rules that accelerated games and engaged the fans. I believe that tennis could adopt a similar system and see a major uptick in fan engagement, fan participation and make it easier for tennis to be televised.
I propose a COMPLETE overhaul of the sport. Here are four changes that I strongly believe would make fan engagement much higher in tennis and would bring a new level of excitement for players and coaches!


1.    No Warm-Ups
We all warm-up for at least 1h before the match. No need for that extra 5 minutes.
2.    Super-Sets up to 25
Like volleyball, make sets “super” up to 25 where every single point is crucial to the score. I promise, this will bring much more intensity and focus from all players.
3.    One Court Playing at a Time
Play 3 out of 5 “super-sets” where you only have 1 court playing. That way, all eyes are on one court, your teammates are cheering and the atmosphere would be crazy!
a.       Doubles up to 25 = 1 set for the winner
b.       Singles up to 25 = 1 set for winner
c.       Singles up to 25 = 1 set for winner
d.       Continue until one team gets 3 out of 5 sets.
4.    In-Game Substitution
Make college tennis a real team sport where you can have in-game substitutions at the discretion of the coach.
Final Thoughts
Association of Tennis Professionals
If you’ve played college tennis, don’t you think this would be way more exciting?  If you’ve never played but have been to a match, wouldn’t you have been more engaged this way?  I’m calling for a BIG change. Something drastic needs to happen to make college tennis more exciting for fans and I’m telling you, this is the way to do it!

I’m hoping this blog has sparked some interest and maybe you’re thinking “yeah this could be cool”! And if you’re thinking “Girl, you’re crazy!” I say, no. This is the next step forward. Taking away warmups, shortening doubles sets and having no-ad scoring is a start, but this is in no way a ‘major’ shift in college tennis and will in no way bring more fans to the courts.  To survive, you must evolve!  



References:
2 Wann, D. L., & Wilson, A. M. (1999). Variables associated with sport fans’ enjoyment of athletic events. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 89, 419–422.

3 Lieberman S. (1991) The popular culture: Sport in America—a look at the avid sports fan. The Public Perspective: A Roper Center Review of Public Opinion and Polling, 2, 28–29.

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