The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals tournament are being played at the Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy. That means the best-of-best male tennis players will feature at the last tournament of the season with major changes in pregame, as well as on court, and off the court. However, neither Carlos Alcaraz nor Jannik Sinner will be part of this one-of-a-kind tournament. So, there will be a new champion, as the Spaniard was the 2021 championship winner.
For the tournament, the first eight-ranked male players in the Association of Tennis Professionals ranking will play in a round-robin tournament to qualify for a semifinals, then to the finals. This new tournament system meet the needs to make more attractive these type of tournaments.
However, the changes doesn't stop there. There will be a four-minute warmup, as well as the permitted use of technlogy, as well as coaching for the players during the game. Also, there will be free movement for the crowd at the arena to move in playing time. But one of the most important jobs on the court won't be there anymore, the line judges.
2022 Next Gen ATP Finals: Why there are not line judges in the indoor tournament?
When the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Italian Tennis Federation as well as the Italian Olympic Comitee set up this tournament, they wanted to make a unique tournament in the tour. Despite it doesn't count as an official tournament. Even so, it doesn't give out ranking points to the players. However, there is top-class tennis being played in Milan.
When the organizers announced the first edition of this tournament in 2017, they mentioned this season-ending tournament will not have line judges on the court. Simply, because the top-class court will use the Hawk-Eye Live system. The same technology currently used for replay reviews at other tournaments when players contest a line judge’s call. For example at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in New York City.
However, the major difference now, is that the calling is final. There will be screens to show the close shot in order to watch it, but it won't change the final decision made by the chair umpire, who coincidentally will be the only jugde on the tennis court.
