Two Ways Tennis Has Become A Modern Sport In 10 Years

As with many sports, tennis has been able to adapt and evolve over the time it has been around

. And of course with any change comes challenges from loyal fans who really like to see things stay at the status quo. One of the first major changes in tennis was using HPS Ballast instead of a Lamp Ballast to light the courts, so players were then able to play at night.

Another change came as women were given the freedom to play for money. As important as these changes were, they are now a segment of the past and it is important now to look toward the future. In order to see what is next in terms of the future of tennis, we must look at two major changes that have taken place within the sport over just the past ten years. The first major change came through the addition of retractable roofing to just about all of the Grand Slam stadiums. The second major change is the addition of Shot-spot technology added to the stadiums.

Even though a retractable roof may not seem as though it is big change, it actually is for tennis. Before retractable roofs began being installed it was common at Grand Slam tournaments for players to think about a rain delay, in which they must leave the court for fear that the courts may get too wet and a player could slip and hurt his or her self. During a rain delay momentum has been easily change as the player who was ahead at the time of the rain delay could suddenly find his or her self losing after a delay. Some rain delays have been known to take just 30 minutes, while others meant close to 24 hours, being mentally prepared for and during a rain delay used to be an important skill for players to have. With a retractable roof on most of the center courts at the Grand Slam tournaments momentum can no longer change solely based on rain. Most tournaments now have this technology installed in the outer courts as well.

Shot-spot technology has been very helpful to the evolution of tennis. For hundreds of years, chair umpires had been known to make bad calls when it came to calling the ball out or in. These umpire mistakes could very simple cost someone a match. With this new technology, players have the ability to challenge a certain amount of calls per match that they feel is incorrect. This keeps the umpire honest and it also is now known to help change momentum in the game. For example, in a big point, if the opponent challenges a bad call and wins the point then the momentum can easily switch to their favor because of the confidence gained from calling the point correctly.

In order for tennis to keep the current fans while gaining new ones, the sport must keep making little adjustments to the game so it is as fair as possible for all players and fans. So far the sport has had the ability to keep up with technology while not altering the game too much. It is important to look for a balance, so the game is fundamentally the same with a few small changes along the way.

by: Connor Sullivan

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