Line-calling replay expands, timeout mechanics tighten, and the paddle testing program grows teeth. What players and fans need to know.
Why It Matters
Rule changes shift results at the margins — and the margins are where the race is decided.
The headline change is replay. Electronic line-calling review, previously limited to Championship Court, extends to every streamed court at Slams and Worlds this season, with players carrying a fixed challenge allotment per match.
Timeout mechanics tighten in response to last season's momentum-gaming: timeouts must now be called before the server begins the service motion, ending the between-points hover that had become a tactical stall.
Paddle testing moves from spot-checks to a standing program, with pre-round equipment verification at every main-draw stage and immediate replacement protocols for out-of-spec paddles.
Qualifier integration formalizes too: Pro Qualifier Draw winners now receive guaranteed main-draw scheduling no earlier than the following day, closing the same-day double-header that disadvantaged Monday qualifiers.
For fans, the visible difference is pace: the tour projects the rule set cuts dead time between points by a measurable margin — faster sessions, tighter broadcast windows, and fewer momentum stalls on Sunday afternoons.
