New rules to enhance doubles experience at Queen’s Club Championship

Queen’s Club Championship doubles draw will undergo a series of rule changes amid the ATP Doubles Trial. The first tournament to participate in the Trial was the Madrid Open, and this will be the second event, the first ATP 500, to explore changes aimed at making the game more dynamic.

The ATP will test some changes in the doubles at Queen’s Club. Among the innovations are reduced playing time and the creation of a better experience for present fans. There will be less time between points, adjustments to time allocations during changes, and the use of time extensions.

Tournament director Jamie Murray, former doubles world No. 1, highlighted that the rules being tested will be an opportunity to provide a better spectacle for fans: “I'm excited to see the ATP continue to try to test ways to figure out things to try to improve the doubles product and unlock more value for all the different stakeholders: players, fans, tournaments, streaming, TV and broadcasters,” he said.

“We were excited to be a part of that and hopefully, it's a positive experience for the players and fans that are coming to watch it at Queen's this week,” Jaime Murray added.

There will be 18 seconds between all points (15+3), and changes will be 60 seconds, with the time called after 40 seconds. Additionally, each team will be able to strategically request a time extension in each set to adjust strategies.

Furthermore, similar to Madrid, the audience will be able to move around freely, and fan participation is encouraged. Additionally, a doubles-only court will be implemented, and some matches will be played at night to encourage fan engagement: “Doubles should be marketed as nonstop action and I think reducing a lot of the dead time will improve the product, hopefully a lot,” Murray said. “It's a good thing going forward,” Murray added.