Grand Slams including the US Open are the biggest tournaments in the tennis calendar.
There have been many rule change requests at this year’s US Open, including Tommy Paul calling for tennis events to allow fan movement throughout matches.
The former coach of Coco Gauff, Brad Gilbert, also called out a tennis rule in one of Novak Djokovic’s matches.
While there have been many positive things at this year’s US Open, Ben Shelton’s emotional retirement also prompted a big call for change.
However, the US Open has quietly implemented a change into this year’s tournament that could spark a big change to Grand Slam tennis.
Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty ImagesJon Wertheim reveals that Grand Slams are considering removing lets
The serve is perhaps the most important shot in all of tennis, as it gets the point underway.
However, it can sometimes take more than the two standard attempts, as players have to redo their serve if it hits the top of the net first and then lands in, which is called a let.
At most tournaments, there is technology on the net that tells the umpire when the ball has even marginally touched the net, but tennis journalist Jon Wertheim has revealed this has not been available to umpires at the US Open.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Wertheim also confirmed that the Grand Slam tournaments are in discussion to completely do away with lets altogether, as they do in both junior and collegiate tennis.
Wertheim wrote, “Note the absence of technology on the net. Owing to a patent dispute, the chair ump is calling lets….The Majors are discussing using this as an opportunity to do away with lets entirely. Play it out – as we do in rallies (and as juniors and college players do now).”
Note the absence of technology on the net. Owing to a patent dispute, the chair ump is calling lets….The Majors are discussing using this as an opportunity to do away with lets entirely. Play it out – as we do in rallies (and as juniors and college players do now) #USOpen2025
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) September 2, 2025
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Lindsay Davenport explains why she is in favour of this rule change
When reacting to this news on the Tennis Channel, former world number one Lindsay Davenport was fully in support of doing away with lets.
Davenport, whose son Jagger Leach is a junior tennis player, claimed that a let cord actually affecting a match is very rare and thinks the change would really help speed play up.
“I’m totally for it…play is stopped so often when players think they hear a let and it’s not called,” said Davenport. “Walk around the grounds and watch one of the junior matches, they play lets, they have for the last couple of years. I’ve experienced it through my son’s eyes, it’s really a non-issue.
“The amount of times it hits the top of the tape and trickles over is less than once a match, it rarely happens. I think it would just speed up play as well. Collegiate tennis has done it as well, I’m a big fan of it, I think it could really help the flow of the matches.”
Lets will at least still be in play for the rest of the US Open this year, but umpires will have to keep a close eye on the net.
The first Grand Slam where they could remove lets is the Australian Open in January next year.