By Shrivathsa Sridhar
(Reuters) -The International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Thursday appointed Tie Break Tens (TB10) as its official partner in short-format tennis, with the format set to be integrated into the governing body’s Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) programme.
Tie Break Tens is a format of tennis which is played in 10-point tiebreak matches, without games or sets, with the winner being the first player to reach 10 points and lead by a margin of two.
“The recognition of Tie Break Tens is a very exciting step for us,” ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement.
“We hope integration of this dynamic format into the Junior Tennis Initiative will entice and inspire the next generation of players and encourage confidence in those high-stakes, fast-paced match moments.”
Tie Break Tens was launched in 2015 and has hosted 13 events, which have featured a number of high-profile players like Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Rafa Nadal, Iga Swiatek and Andy Murray.
“TB10 will be integrated into the ITF’s JTI programme in select nations, ensuring that young players are introduced to the format from the very start of their tennis journey,” ITF said in a statement.
Its recognition is understood to potentially allow the format to be included in the Olympic Games in the future alongside standard tennis.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar, writing by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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