Jack Draper to be part of Next Gen trial as players to face new rules

Jack Draper will make his Next Gen Finals debut in Milan (Image: Getty)Jack Draper will be among the players to trial a new set of rules at the upcoming Next Gen Finals after qualifying for the 21-and-under event for the first time. The Milan tournament has always used a different scoring format to the rest of the tour and will now trial new innovations including shorter times between serves.Draper is one of eight ‘next gen’ players who have qualified for the season-ending tournament between the top 21-and-under players. The Next Gen Finals has previously been won by the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, while current world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz lifted the trophy less than a year ago.As well as breeding talent – players like Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev competed in the past – the tournament is also known for its irregular format, with sets that are first-to-four-games used while other rules have been trialled in Milan, sometimes going on to be implemented on the main tour.And it will be no different this year, as players like Draper and world No 18 Holger Rune will be the guinea pigs for new procedures surrounding changeovers and time between games. This year, the ATP will be experimenting with the shot-clock and reducing the time players get if a point is won through the serve.JUST IN: Murray blows it as Simon ends Brit’s season and keeps career going Carlos Alcaraz is the reigning Next Gen Finals champion and has already reached world No 1 (Image: Getty)Players on the tour get 25 seconds between every point but at this year’s Next Gen Finals, they will only receive 15 seconds if the previous point has been won by an ace, double fault or a winning serve. Changeovers will also get a shake-up at the 21-and-under event, as players will swap sides every three games instead of every two, while there will also be a changeover at the end of every set.If successful, the changes could begin to be seen on the ATP Tour year-round, with the shot-clock itself being a product of the Next Gen Finals, as it was trialled in the tournament’s inaugural year in 2017 before the visible ticking-timer was introduced to the main tour. DON’T MISSNorrie gives Kyrgios reason as he slams ATP rule benefitting DjokovicTennis star slams sexist marketing and shares what sponsor ‘told her’Djokovic fires warning to seven rivals as he vows to ‘kick butts’ Former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev played the inaugural Next Gen Finals in 2017 (Image: Getty)