Tennis rule changes possible at Rio 2016 Olympics

Minor changes to the Olympic tennis event could be made at Rio 2016, ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti has revealed.

The alterations would see tie-breaks come in at the end of the third set, replacing the current first-to-two-clear rule that can result in some mammoth matches.

At this year's event in London, Andy Murray saw off Roger Federer after the Swiss great had endured a 19-17 third-set triumph against Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals.

Ricci Bitti told The AP at the European Olympic Committee's general assembly in Rome that the matches this year were "very balanced and very long and that ruins the scheduling somewhat".

Bronze-medal matches could also be removed to lighten the loads of players entered in multiple events. This change would see the losing semi-finalists both awarded a bronze, as happened at the 1988 Seoul Games.