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SPORTS Wednesday 8 november 2017

Shot clock & Hawk-

Eye most popular

changes players

By DANIELLA MATAR between points, and short-
Associated Press er warm-ups ensure match-
MILAN (AP) — “Can you es begin precisely five min-
say something useful and utes from the second play-
not be this useless all the er walk-on.
time? Just say one thing Zverev withdrew from the
that is actually useful.” Next Gen Finals to focus on
“Go more to the net ... not the elite ATP Finals starting
just to shake hands.” on Sunday in London, but
And with that, coach Mar- turned up in Milan on Tues-
celo Melo let Alexander day to play an exhibition
Zverev return to the base- match against alternate
line with, hopefully, a win- Stefanos Tsitsipas.
ning tactic. “The Hawk-Eye calling all
Player coaching, normally the lines, that would be
forbidden during a match, something that I wouldn’t
is being trialed at the ATP’s mind at all,” Zverev said.
Next Gen Finals in Milan this “The shot clock is some-
week, and conversations thing not bad. There has to Alexander Zverev talks to his coach by headphones during a break of an exhibition match against
like the above are giving be a few adjustments may- Stefanos Tsitsipas at the ATP Next Gen tennis tournament finals, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Tuesday,
fans new insight, and enter- be made to that but I think Nov. 7, 2017.
tainment. that has potential.” Associated Press
Coaches and players con- ATP executive chairman let’s just do it. The reduced just day one. Let’s take all should be doing,” he said.
versing through headsets and president Chris Ker- warm-up for sure we can the data through all the “But once you start the
at the end of sets is one mode believes the clocks get done, too, and the rest matches, see what works, dramatic scoring format
of the new rules being ap- will become a feature on is then up for discussion. what doesn’t work.” changes that’s going to be
plied, along with shorter the regular tour from 2019. “You’ve got to have a The most drastic change is the most difficult. I’m actu-
sets, no-Ad scoring, medi- “Next year, for sure not, but year’s lead-in so everyone the shorter set, where the ally a big fan of the system
cal timeout limits, and no I think 2019 there’s a pos- is fully aware of what’s first to four games takes the but I’m aware of the chal-
lets on serve. sibility,” he told The Associ- happening. You can’t just set, with a tiebreak at 3-3. lenges.
But, for the players, the most ated Press. thrust it upon them and While Kermode says it is his “Will this happen on the
popular innovations are the “To me, having a shot go, ‘By the way, January, favorite innovation, he rec- tour in the next five years?
shot clock, and Hawk-Eye clock, people have been guys, you’re playing under ognizes it is unlikely to be Probably not. But 10 years
making all the line calls. talking about it for years different rules.’ Also I think brought in anytime soon. down the line could this be
The on-court clocks en- and it’s like can we just do we need to analyze the “There are a couple of the way it’s played? Yeah,
force the 25-second rule it or not do it? This is clearly success of this week. This is no-brainer ideas that we it could be.”q
Azarenka says custody dispute

keeps her out of Fed Cup final

By HOWARD FENDRICH breaking for me to not have afar.” She added: “While it
AP Tennis Writer a chance to play and help has been a tough year for
Former No. 1 Victoria Aza- Belarus in the final, but un- me, I am already looking
renka says she’ll sit out the fortunately, my current cus- forward to 2018 and play-
Fed Cup final between Be- tody situation is keeping me ing before my fans very
larus and the United States in California,” the two-time soon.” The 28-year-old Aza-
because of an ongoing Australian Open champion renka gave birth to her first
custody dispute with her wrote. “Even though I will child last December and
baby’s father. Azarenka not be in Minsk for the final, returned to the WTA tour in
tweeted about her ab- my heart is always with my June. But she only played In this July 3, 2017, file photo, Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus,
sence from Belarus’ team country and my team and six matches this season and returns to CiCi Bellis during a match on the opening day at the
on Tuesday. “It is heart- I will cheer for them from is currently ranked 208th.q Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London.
Associated Press