The upcoming Australian Open in January 2019 will see the introduction of deciding tiebreakers for the first time. Following suit with the US Open and Wimbledon, the organizers of the Australian Open have chosen to implement a 10-point tiebreak, along with two advantage points, when the final set reaches 6-6 in both men’s and women’s matches.
This decision comes after extensive consultation, described as the most comprehensive in the tournament’s history by Craig Tiley, the tournament director. Tiley mentioned that they consulted with current and former players, agents, TV analysts, and commentators regarding the preference for playing a final advantage set or introducing tiebreakers, which ultimately led to the decision to go with tiebreakers.
In October, Wimbledon announced their plans to introduce a first-to-seven points tiebreak when a deciding set reaches 12-12 starting next year. The US Open was the first of the grand slams to introduce tiebreaks with a first-to-seven points format at 6-6. As a result, the French Open remains the only grand slam event that has yet to adopt tiebreakers for long deciding sets.
Tiley also mentioned that the Australian Open organizers are looking to enhance the tiebreak format to create an exciting conclusion to the matches. Tiley believes that a longer tiebreak can help reduce the serving dominance that is often seen in short tiebreaks, making it a favorable outcome for fans and players worldwide.In the men’s draw, a traditional seven-point tiebreak will occur at 6-6, while the women’s singles matches will feature a 10-point tiebreaker at the same score.
