Ben Shelton has urged tennis authorities to introduce a new rule around the serve clock after losing to Alexander Zverev in the US Open final. The American was beaten in four sets, with Zverev winning 6-3 7-6 5-7 6-2 to claim his first title in New York.
Shelton admitted after the match that he was frustrated by the amount of time Zverev took when serving. Under current tennis rules, players have 25 seconds after the previous point to start the next one, but that rule only applies to the first serve, meaning players can take as long as they like on their second serve.
Frustration over time violations
Zverev received several time violation warnings in the latter rounds of the US Open, with the 29-year-old drawing criticism for how many times he bounced the ball before serving. Shelton believes a shot clock should be implemented for the second serve as well as the first to avoid unnecessary delays on court.
Speaking in his press conference, Shelton said: "I definitely think for a first serve, you should be able to do whatever you want, you know. You can use the full 25 seconds every time."
Call for change
He added: "I think that there should be some sort of rule. I'm not sure exactly how you would do it, limiting time on second serve. You shouldn't have unlimited time."
Shelton also highlighted the impact on fans, saying: "I think it's, for our sport, for the fans, I think it's tough to be sitting there that long for the next play, the next action to happen."
He concluded: "I'm sure at some point it will be something that these tournaments look at just because there is such a delay in play, you know, in some matches."
