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Love It or Hate It, There’s No Ignoring Tennis’s New Serve Clock

WASHINGTON — Tennis has traded in a small, personal timepiece for a mounted stadium clock, pitting players and their various pre-serve tics against a conspicuous ticktock.

After the United States Open announced in April that it would display a digital clock that counts down the 25 seconds allotted before players must begin their service motion, the ATP and WTA Tours agreed to have the clock at events leading up to the Open so that players could adjust to its presence.

The clock was first used at tournaments in Washington and San Jose, Calif., two weeks ago.