Analysing Proposed Davis Cup changes by ITF
Tennis, like many sports has been often been accused of being stuck in a malaise of tradition. However, tennis has been involved in quite a bit of innovation over the decades. For instance the tiebreak, which was introduced in 1970; before the tiebreak, first sets in matches could often end up 10:8! Tennis along with cricket were also the first sports to introduce Hawk-Eye. Cricket initially brought in Hawk-Eye (developed by Paul Hawkins) for the benefit of television viewers, then later as part of the review system for the Third Umpire to check LBW (leg before wicket) decisions on the TV monitor in the back studio. Tennis soon followed suit introducing Hawk-Eye in 2006 as part of their review system, where a player could challenge a call made by the umpire or line judge. The ATP tour has introduced the no ad scoring system in doubles matches, however, I consider that more of a convenience for television rather than an innovation. One ...