MX23RW : Thursday, November 14 07:20:48| >> :600:376592933:376592933:

Tennis rule changes possible at Rio 2016 Olympics

Tennis rule changes possible at Rio 2016
© PA Photos
Third-set tie-breaks could be brought in and bronze-medal matches removed from the Olympic tennis event at Rio 2016.

Minor changes to the Olympic tennis event could be made at Rio 2016, ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti has revealed.

The alterations would see tie-breaks come in at the end of the third set, replacing the current first-to-two-clear rule that can result in some mammoth matches.

At this year's event in London, Andy Murray saw off Roger Federer after the Swiss great had endured a 19-17 third-set triumph against Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals.

Ricci Bitti told The AP at the European Olympic Committee's general assembly in Rome that the matches this year were "very balanced and very long and that ruins the scheduling somewhat".

Bronze-medal matches could also be removed to lighten the loads of players entered in multiple events. This change would see the losing semi-finalists both awarded a bronze, as happened at the 1988 Seoul Games.

ID:58415: cacheID:58415:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1555:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Roger Federer
Read Next:
End-of-season reports 2012: Roger Federer
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!