The ATP Tour have moved to reverse a rule change that Judy Murray led calls to implement, after Wimbledon, which is set to have a drastic impact on the ball boys and girls moving forward.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, regulations were put in place to prohibit ball kids from handing players sweaty towels to reduce the chance of germs spreading, with the duty previously part of their job at Grand Slam events.
Players were then made to fetch their own towels during points in a tightening of hygiene protocols, though that rule is set to be outlawed in an attempt to speed up the time taken between play.
According to the Tennis Channel, recent ATP board meetings confirmed the rule change: “Board approved a rule change to permit players to request and be handed towels between points, as was customary before the Covid-19 pandemic. All ATP tournaments must accommodate this provision. This rule change will take effect starting after Wimbledon.”
The update is unlikely to be music to the ears of Andy Murray‘s mother, who has already been in the headlines for her reaction to Emma Raducanu pulling out of mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
During the 2018 Shenzhen Open semi-final, Fernando Verdasco appeared to criticise a ball kid for not moving quickly enough to get them a towel, only for Judy to lambast him on X (formerly known as Twitter) and request a rule change that was introduced, but is set to be terminated.
She wrote, accompanied by an angry emoji and tagging both the ATP and WTA tours: “What about a rule that makes players get their own towels? And the ball kids just look after the tennis balls.”
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