After Anderson outburst, Australian Open to consult players over fifth-set tie-breaks

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Melbourne, July 17: Australian Open officials plan to consult players over key decisions regarding the future of the Grand Slam, including the possible introduction of final-set tie-breaks.

Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson was vocal in his criticism of the lack of a breaker in the fifth set of matches at the All England Club after he was forced to play for six-and-a-half hours in his semi-final against John Isner. He also was part of a five-setter with Roger Federer.

And as the Australian Open starts to make plans for the future, officials want to involve the athletes in discussions.

"Obviously in recent days there has been a lot of public comment on a fifth-set tie-breaker for the men," said tournament director Craig Tiley. "We encourage the discussion and we want to know what the players think.

"We also want to know what they think about a third-set tie-breaker for the women, how they feel about the current presentation of doubles and many other aspects of the existing playing conditions."

He added: "We pride ourselves on being a player-friendly slam. We have always consulted heavily with the playing group and this is simply the next phase of that process."

Three of the four majors - the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon - don't currently have final-set tie-breaks unlike the US Open.

After losing the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, Anderson lamented: "It was a tough start for me. You always have high hopes. Going into the match, I was hoping to draw on some previous experiences, playing at the US Open in the finals, obviously playing Federer a couple days ago."

Source: OPTA