Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova was reportedly tormented on Saturday with the inaugural International Premier Tennis League tournament's shot-clock, saying that she feels like pressing the snooze all the time.
The shot-clock has been introduced in the IPTL as part of a novel experiment designed to speed up tennis and make it more fun to watch. The World No 2 likened the 20-second clock, which beeps loudly when players take too long winding up with their serve, to a bedside alarm clock.
A giggling Sharapova admitted that she feel like pressing 'snooze' all the time, which is what she dislikes most about the new IPTL format.
The reigning French Open champion and five-time Grand Slam singles winner ended her two-day stint in Manila on a losing note, both in the women's singles and in mixed doubles.
After securing her Manila Mavericks team's only win against the UAE Royals on Friday by beating Kristina Mladenovic, Sharapova sprayed double faults and unforced errors across the court Saturday to bow 3-6 to World No 5 Ana Ivanovic.
Sharapova also lost both her mixed doubles matches with teammate and World No 6 Andy Murray on Friday and Saturday.
The shot-clock is among various innovations made by the IPTL, aimed at speeding up the game to appeal to viewers with shorter attention spans. The team-based format calls for ties consisting of five one-set matches, with no advantages and no let. The first to six games wins.
At 5-5, players go into a five-minute shootout instead of the traditional tiebreak. Players receiving a serve can also call a 'happiness power point' once per set, meaning the point will count double, the report added.
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