Short-format tennis occasions such because the Tie Break Tens at Indian Wells can complement the standard sport by providing a faster, high-intensity spectacle for contemporary audiences, British coach Jamie Delgado stated.
The blended doubles curtain raiser for the mixed ATP and WTA match was performed in a packed stadium within the Californian desert this week, with Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina defending their Eisenhower Cup title and pocketing the $200,000 prize.
Launched in 2015, Tie Break Tens is constructed across the premise that each match is a tiebreak and the primary to 10 factors with a margin of two wins. Leading names like Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal have all beforehand performed in it.
Its success displays a broader development throughout tennis, the place progressive codecs just like the Tie Break Tens, the MGM Slam, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown league, and Tennis Australia’s Fast4 and One Point Slam have gained traction with followers.
“Tie Break Tens was the first one, I think, of the fast-format tennis events and since then we’ve had a few creep in as well, but it’s a good thing,” Delgado, the previous coach of Andy Murray and present mentor of Jack Draper, informed Reuters.
“It’s not something that’s trying to replace traditional tennis, the long matches and normal scorelines. I love the way the sport works in that sense.
“But it’s a great addition to events.”
NON-STOP ACTION
Fritz stated that followers have been handled to continuous motion whereas the gamers felt the power constructing in between matches.
“Every point matters,” Fritz added. “It’s great to see the format growing, because it shows how tennis can keep evolving while staying true to what makes it great.”
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) in September named Tie Break Tens as its short-format companion, with the popularity understood to probably enable the format to be included within the Olympics alongside customary tennis in future.
“Our focus is on putting as many rackets in as many hands as possible,” added Luca Santilli, the manager director of tennis improvement on the ITF.
“We want more people to play tennis in more places, more often. We are open to exploring new ways to do that and this partnership with Tie Break Tens is an exciting step for us.”
Delgado stated the format additionally served a sensible function for gamers throughout busy match weeks.
“It was a full stadium (this week). It’s totally like a match situation. So yes, it gets you ready for the big points,” he added.
“It’s also getting players time on big match courts, because often in these tournaments, it’s difficult to get practice there with so many players. So this is a way of playing competitive tennis and you get practice on the court.”
Published on Mar 07, 2026
