Linked to the world of tennis for over twenty years, Rado is partner and official timekeeper for the first year of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, a tournament reserved for the world's best eight under-21 players. The tournament, which takes place from 7 to 11 November at Fiera Milano Rho, confirms the brand's vocation for high-level tennis and its promotion among the younger generations. Official Timekeeper in 2017 of no less than 17 international tournaments, Rado inaugurated the Rado YoungStars programme in 2015, an initiative aimed at supporting and encouraging the inclusion of young tennis players with the objective of creating an international team of talent with the ambition and potential to become tomorrow's tennis stars. The new regulations introduced by the ATP and tested at the Next Gen ATP Finals with the support of Rado technology as official timekeeper include several new features. Here they are in detail.
A shorter format:
the first player to win four games (with tie-break on 3-3) wins the set, and matches are best-of-five sets. The shorter sets (normally a set is won by the player who first wins six games, with tie-breaks on 6-all) is designed to increase the number of key moments in the matches, while the best-of-five-sets matches will maintain the number of games needed to win the matches (12) compared to the traditional scoring format. Furthermore, no advantages will be played.
The warm-up is shorter:
matches will start precisely 5 minutes after the second player enters the field, thus reducing waiting times before the start of matches and between matches.
Shot Clock:
The time elapsed between points will be calculated with a court-side clock in order to verify the tennis players' full compliance with the 25-second rule between points, as well as the duration of breaks between one set and the next, medical time-outs and compliance with the 5-minute rule between entering the court and the start of the match. In addition, Rado, on the occasion of the Next gen ATP Finals, is offering an unmissable opportunity to tennis fans. In fact, the Swiss company will give two of them a unique experience: being able to play on the Finals centre court, the same court on which the great champions will face each other. All tennis players, of all levels, from all parts of Italy, aspire to tread such a special and exclusive court, and Rado can make this great ambition of theirs come true. By uploading a video of their best shot, all participants in the operation can thus find an ideal stage to show the fruit of their work, their progress and results, as well as their great passion. But this is not the only experience: in fact, all eight finalists selected by the qualified jury, which includes Maurizio Riva and Barbara Rossi among others, will be able to experience a great day together with Rado by attending the final stages of the tournament. Finally, Rado presented this year a watch specifically dedicated to the world of tennis, the HyperChrome Match Point, produced in a limited edition of only 999 pieces. This new tennis-inspired wristwatch is the ideal successor to the original HyperChrome Match Point. The new model embodies the same elegant style and sporty spirit as its predecessor, but features a different colour scheme and updated details. The blue dial houses three counters: for small seconds, chronograph minutes and chronograph hours. As a tribute to tennis points, the seconds counter shows the numerals 00, 15 and 40 and the chronograph minutes counter goes up to 30. The design of a net in the background of the chronograph hour counter adds a further reference to the world of tennis. The Match Point looks even sportier thanks to the tachymeter scale engraved around its polished bezel. Thanks to the tachymeter and the red-tipped hand, it is possible to calculate speed on the basis of travel time or distance by knowing the speed. The sophistication of this watch is further enhanced by the unmistakable, warm metallic sheen of its hi-tech plasma ceramic case. The one-piece case and bracelet are matt, while the polished central links create a fascinating contrast.
