Ben Shelton has urged tennis authorities to change a “stupid” rule after being instructed to remain in a receiving posture while Alexander Zverev completed his lengthy ball-bouncing routine during their US Open final on Sunday.
The German’s pre-serve ritual has frustrated several competitors over the past fortnight, with Zverev bouncing the ball as many as 25 times before initiating his delivery.
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While a 25-second shot clock applies to a first serve, no such restriction exists for a second serve.
Shelton expressed irritation after umpire Marijana Veljovic instructed him to stand on the baseline ready to receive, despite knowing the serve might not arrive for another 30 seconds.
“I think there’s not an athlete in the world that you’re going to watch them do their thing and they’re going to sit in a ready position for 30 seconds before the play starts,” said the 23-year-old American following his four-set loss to his German opponent.
Zverev bounced the ball up to 25 times before hitting a serve (Reuters)
“So for me it’s the same. I’m not going to sit there in a ready position with my knees bent, tension in my body for 30 seconds while I’m waiting.
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“I’m going to try to stay loose, and you know, I’ll let him do his thing when he’s up there, but I’m not going to sit there, be locked in, focused, in a ready position for that long.
“(The umpire) was telling me I need to get to the line earlier, and I was, like, ‘he can start his routine whenever he wants. I promise you there will never be a time where he serves and I’m not ready’.
“But I shouldn’t have to sit at the line. If he’s bouncing the ball 20 to 25 times, I shouldn’t have to just sit there for that.
“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.”
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Zverev, the 29-year-old top seed, ended American hopes for a first home male champion since Andy Roddick in 2003 by securing a 6-3 7-6 (2) 5-7 6-2 victory as he won his second major of the year after also securing victory at the French Open.
