The ATP continues to make changes regarding some regulations. This time it is time to set rules for bath breaks, changes of clothes for the players or the medical break for the problems of any tennis player.
Tennis wants to keep innovating and evolving. A perfect tournament to try out some new rules is the Next Gen ATP Finals. This time the ATP has made it official that the new season that will start in 2022 will have some relevant changes. These modifications will be related to the visits to the bathroom and changes of clothes. Those ‘toilet breaks’ that have caused so much controversy especially with Tsitsipas as the protagonist they will be much more watched from this moment. There is also a pending proposal for a change in the norm of the medical break, although it still has an application date to be determined.
Rules for a bath break or ‘toilet break’ in tennis for 2022
- Players have a maximum of three minutes from entering the bathroom
- They will have two more minutes in case they need a change of clothes on their bathroom visit
- This change of clothes can only be combined with bathing time (unless the judge authorizes it on another occasion)
- The maximum is one bathroom visit per game.
- You can only request the bath time between sets
- The player will be penalized with a time violation if he is not ready before the maximum time established.
Rules of the medical break in tennis
- A three-minute medical break per match that can be used only at the change of ends or in the pause between sets
- In case the player cannot continue until the next change of ends, he will lose the necessary points to achieve that change of ends or the pause between the different ends
