Tennis fans may still be getting to grips with the rule changes on final set tie-breaks and the French Open is sure to deliver plenty of nail-biting moments when it comes to deciding the winner of a match.
Tennis organisers announced a new rule to be followed by all four grand slams last year — the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open — to reduce the chance of matches being played for hours upon hours.
The Sporting News is on hand to explain exactly how the tie-break works in tennis so that next time it happens in a final set at this year’s French Open you’ll know exactly what’s going on.
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What are the final set tie-break rules in tennis?
Previously, final sets at grand slam events have gone on until one player wins by two clear games and unsurprisingly that’s led to some very late finishes that have wrecked havoc with players’ schedules, let alone their fatigue levels.
However, new rules introduced in 2022 and first trialled at the French Open, now sees a 10-point tie break to decide all final sets that reach six games all.
This is what happened in Andy Murray’s epic opening round win against Matteo Berrettini at the 2023 Australian Open. Having…
