Vasek Pospisil hurt by the unworkable time-violation rule against Murray, a rule that won't change any time soon

WIMBLEDON – You would think, more than 2 1/2 years into the “crackdown on slow play” protocol put in place by the ATP Tour, that they’d have the hang of it by now.

But Canadian Vasek Pospisil’s experience on Centre Court at Wimbledon Wednesday during his quarter-final match against Andy Murray was just the latest example of how the system is flawed. Worse, there doesn’t seem to be any solution in sight.

Pospisil was dinged for slow play at 5-all, 30-all, serving in the second set.

You could say, knowing a break of serve at that point would almost inevitably mean being down two sets to none, that it was a crucial moment.

If Pospisil takes 30 seconds, he should get called on it. That’s the rule.

The problem was that ITF, which adjudicates the Grand Slams, has a 20-second limit between serves while the ATP Tour, which runs the rest of the season, has a 25-second limit.

The shorter limit is practically unworkable in today’s tennis. As result, at one point, the statistics showed that Pospisil was over the 20-second limit 70 per cent of the time, and Murray close behind him at 60 per cent. So Pospisil violated the rule – multiple times, it seems – through the first set and most of the second. At that point, he was averaging 25 seconds between points, and Murray 23 seconds.

But it was only at this crucial juncture that chair umpire Pascal Maria called it, right after a couple of extended rallies (including the longest one of the match to that point).

And he called it not once Pospisil was a few seconds over the limit, but at about the 30-second mark right as Pospisil was about to toss the ball up to serve. Of course, Murray broke, and served out the set.

That was part one. Once you get that warning, any subsequent violation costs you a first serve. So at 4-all, love-30 in the third set, Pospisil was called again. He served a second serve, and managed to win the point.

Again, it was almost assuredly not the first time Pospisil had gone over time.

At that point, even the pro-Murray crowd was booing Maria.

Murray went back to the old excuse of players not knowing how long 20 seconds is. 

Clue: not very long. So hurry along.

“I have no idea how long he was taking between the points.  I'm sure Vasek also has no idea how long he was taking between the points because we can't tell because there's no way of us knowing,” he said. “It's down to the umpire to make that call.  When it goes against you, it can be frustrating.”

Check out this YouTube montage of the two extremes, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Obviously, Federer would have no issue with this being enforced. So he's speaking out for the rank and file, as well.

A previous match between the Murray and Pospisil in Rotterdam last winter was an even better illustration of the ridiculousness of the rule enforcement.

This time, chair umpire Cédric Mourier called Pospisil for a second time violation when he was serving for the second set. On set point, after a crazy 30-shot rally, he got docked the loss of serve. Pospisil didn’t win another game.

Yes, he was over time. The issue was that the Canadian took 32 seconds to serve after the first point of that game, and 27 seconds after the third point. But it was only after that crazy rally, when a little judgment could have been used and both players were equally winded, that Mourier called it. 

Earlier in the set, when Murray was down love-40 on his serve, he went over 30 seconds before serving – and didn’t get called.

Whether it’s perception or reality, the top players don’t get called for this. Obviously Exhibit No. 1 is slowpoke Nadal. Yes, he gets the warnings, but how often does he get the second violation, resulting in the loss of serve? Not often. Well, it happened this time.

And if an umpire dares to enforce it, well, Nadal has enough clout to get that experienced umpire removed from the chair for his matches. Right, Carlos Bernardes? If it can happen to Bernardes, it can happen to any of them. And as in any hierarchy, no umpire wants to lose their status and their nominations to umpire the big matches because of something like this.

You will have apologists who will say, let the players take whatever time they need. This seems to mostly come from former players, so it’s understandable they would take that stance. But here’s the thing. Tennis isn’t just a game of skill; it’s a game of fitness, recovery and stamina.

How fair is it to the returner if he runs his opponent absolutely ragged during a point, back and forth and up and back, wins the point, is ready to play the next and … the server takes whatever time he needs to recover so he can compete in the very next point?

Answer: it’s not fair. Too often, it seems the chair umpires are in that group as well.

Or, they’ll say, put a shot clock on the court so after every single point, the players will know.

Pospisil said Wednesday he wasn’t sure that was the solution, and he’s right.

For one thing, the umpire has enough to do without starting a shot clock after every point. What if he forgets? What if it malfunctions? And if there’s a crowd disturbance or a stray ball or some other delay, he no longer has leeway.

As well, especially at certain tournaments, you know some well-oiled fans are going to count down the time clock. Every point. You know the type: they’re the guys who try to be the first to yell out, “YOU DA MAN!” after a golfer tees off.

Eventually the players will complain that it distracted them, and then they might have to start the point over. Which takes even more time. And then those well-oiled fans will just be encouraged to do it more.  

Here’s the truth. They know all too well how long 25 seconds is. They’ve playing tennis their whole lives. How many times have you seen players get up a split-second before the umpire calls time on a changeover? They know exactly how long 90 seconds is, too.

At worst, the players can spend 10 minutes during an off-season practice session, go through their routines, and see how much time it takes. You know Nadal had to have done this when word came out at the end of the 2012 season that the umpires would be cracking down in 2013; he leaves nothing to chance. Isn’t that when the two-towel procedure made its way into his routine at tournaments in hot, humid conditions?

But the solution is the easiest thing in the world. Enforce the rule. Repeatedly. Every time it happens – in the first points of the first set of the match and beyond.

Not the 20-second rule, mind you. But the 25-second rule. And unify it between the ITF and ATP.

The players will get so aggravated – and the spectators, too – it won’t take but a tournament or two for them to stay within time.

You know what else might happen? The game might get better.

Knowing they have that strict time limit to recover between points, and knowing that grinding out long rallies might hurt them with the loss of their first serve, players – those adaptable creatures – will soon figure out that the best way to be recovered as much as possible for every point is to … shorten the points.

That might mean trying to finish the point sooner. It might – gasp – mean they’ll come to the net more to accomplish that.

Everyone wins.

Too bad it won’t happen.