Speed it up! Federer calls for faster play

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a return to Gilles Muller of Luxembourg during their men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday, June 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Sang Tan

LONDON (AP) Roger Federer says shot clocks might be soon introduced to speed up play.

After advancing to the third round at Wimbledon, Federer said that the ATP Player Council is discussing the opportunity of such an extreme measure because of players abusing the rule allowing 20 seconds between points at Grand Slams.

Federer, who fears tennis could lose viewers and fans if it's too slow, said ''I wouldn't be surprised if that were to happen all of a sudden. Because you only just need a couple of guys always doing it, and that's when it happens.''

The council's next meeting is in August.

Among the players often infringing the rule is Rafael Nadal, who was criticized Thursday by his second-round opponent Lukas Rosol for his slow pace.