ATP: Video proof and towel hook at Next Gen Finals

At the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (6 to 10 November) the video proof will be tested in tennis for the first time.

Thanks to Hawk-Eye, players can now have all the referee’s decisions reviewed. Not only whether the ball has still scratched the line or not, but also any double ball jumps, double strokes or net touches.

“Disputes about such matters are rare, but when they do occur, they are unpleasant for the players. So we don’t expect a lot of challenges, but should it happen, this technology will make sure that the right decision is made,” said Gayle David Bradshaw, ATP Vice President of Rules and Competition.

The second edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals will continue to retain many of last year’s innovations, including video evidence, a further reduced warm-up (to four minutes) and a towel hook at the end of the court to relieve the ball children. The last point in particular had provided discussion material at ATP level a few weeks ago, when Fernando Verdasco approached a ball child rudely.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev and Jaume Munar qualified for Milan this year. The eighth place goes to the winner of an Italian U21 tournament that ends on November 4th.

Alexander Zverev is actually also eligible for Milan, but as a top 8 player he will be part of the adult version, the ATP Finals in London (11 to 18 November), as he was last year.