This seems to be the year of changes in tennis, with the Davis Cup being completely up-ended, the new shot clock in effect everywhere, and now the Best of Five is up for debate as well. Can someone explain to me why the French Open still hasn’t implemented hawk-eye nor made good on their plans to employ a roof?
The Tennis Channel asked Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for their opinions on the ‘best of five’ matches, and if all tennis matches should just go to ‘best of three’ instead.
Roger Federer, being more traditional, didn’t surprise with his answer, but also talked about his experience coming onto the Tour having played more best of fives in other tournaments outside the grand slams.
“On the ATP Tour, we actually don’t have any best-of-five-set matches. They’re all at the Slams, Davis Cup and at the Olympics finals,” said the 37-year-old. “I feel like that’s a bit of an opportunity wasted. I know it’s also for player protection, for injuries. … I think that’s a bit of a pity, but I understand the reasons.”
“I’m happy I’m healthy this time around…”@RogerFederer is back in Cincinnati for the first time since 2015.
The 7-time champ spoke to us following his win.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/iJYj9aPxD1
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 15, 2018
Novak Djokovic disagreed with him, however, and said the next generation of tennis enthusiasts can’t sit through the longer matches.
“I would have even Grand Slams best of three, to be honest,” Djokovic countered in his Tennis Channel interview. “This new generation of tennis fans and millennials, they don’t have the great attention span. They want things to happen very quickly. So for the players as well and to attract more people, more viewers of a younger audience, I think we have to keep tennis matches dynamic, shorter and no shot clock.”
It’s interesting that he’s not a fan of the shot clock. It also sounds like he doesn’t have much faith in the next generation of tennis players, frankly, and one can’t blame him. But Andy Murray had a very interesting perspective on the matter, both as a player, but a contrasting one as a visiting commentator for the BBC this last Wimbledon.
“As a player, I really like best-of-five. It’s been good to me,” Murray said. “I feel like it rewards the training and everything you put into that. But then, when I sat and watched the match — that Nadal-[Juan Martin] del Potro [Wimbledon quarterfinal] in the commentary booth — it was an amazing match, it was a brilliant match, but it was really, really long to sit there as a spectator for the first time.”
But in a fan vote about keeping the best of five matches at the slams, 81 percent voted to keep the current configuration.
Rafael Nadal weighed in on the new shot clock rule around Wimbledon, but I think what he said could be applied for the best of five as well.
“If you want to see a quick game without thinking, well done.
“If you want to keep playing in a sport that you need to think, you need to play with more tactics, you want to have long and good rallies, then of course you are going the wrong way.
“But seems like sometimes is only about the business, so… I can’t support this, no, because I don’t feel the matches that stays for the history of our sport went that quick [snapping fingers].”
When it comes to best matched of all time, they are always going to be the best of five, hands down. Let’s hope this doesn’t get changed any time soon.
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