Is it Inevitable that Men's Slams Will Eventually Switch to Bo3?

Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
A number of future tennis "superstars", tennis pundits and the current World #1 / Heavyweight Champion have remarked in the past that it may be in the interests to switch men's Slam tournaments to Best of 3 at some point in the future to maintain public interest in tennis.

Djokovic has since reversed his stance:

www.essentiallysports.com

"Would Prefer Best Of 5 to Best Of 3": Djokovic Reverses His Opinion on Five-Setters in Majors Ahead of French Open

Novak Djokovic, who is one of the top contenders for the French Open this year, takes a u-turn on his opinion to have the best of 3 sets in majors.
www.essentiallysports.com

Djokovic reverses his stance in the Best of 5 versus Best of 3 debate
The Serb now feels that he would like to play the best of five sets against next-gen players instead of playing three sets.
“Playing the young guys, I would prefer best of 5 to best of 3. I feel I am fit, I have more experience. It doesn’t guarantee me the win, but I feel like I’m in a better position. The more it goes, the more I feel I am able to wear them down,” the Serb concluded.


I think the switch would undermine the very fabric of the game, but is it now more a question of "When" than "If"?
 
C

cha cha

Professional
I watched a set of the semis on Friday, went to the pub, had five drinks and came back in time for the final two games.
I love tennis, but watching someone bounce the ball seven thousand times over the course of five hours is not my idea of a 21st century entertainment.
 
A

Arak

Legend
cha cha said:
I watched a set of the semis on Friday, went to the pub, had five drinks and came back in time for the final two games.
I love tennis, but watching someone bounce the ball seven thousand times over the course of five hours is not my idea of a 21st century entertainment.
Click to expand...

Same here. Even for such important matches as the final and the Nadal-Djokovic SF, it’s impossible for me to bear 4.5 hours of tennis. About 2-3 hours max is my limit.
 
Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Red Rick said:
Ban thread.

Delete OP
Click to expand...

Thx, I'll see myself out

2Liw.gif
 
UnforcedTerror

UnforcedTerror

Hall of Fame
Fake news. Djokovic didn't reverse his stance at all. He still thinks Bo3 is the way to go for the future generations and I believe this is how it will end up to be.

Him feeling better about his chances in Bo5 sets is a different matter entirely.
 
MichaelNadal

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
Krish872007 said:
Djokovic reverses his stance in the Best of 5 versus Best of 3 debate
The Serb now feels that he would like to play the best of five sets against next-gen players instead of playing three sets.
“Playing the young guys, I would prefer best of 5 to best of 3. I feel I am fit, I have more experience. It doesn’t guarantee me the win, but I feel like I’m in a better position. The more it goes, the more I feel I am able to wear them down,” the Serb concluded.


I think the switch would undermine the very fabric of the game, but is it now more a question of "When" than "If"?
Click to expand...

tenor.gif
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
"Djokovic reverses his stance in the Best of 5 versus Best of 3 debate
The Serb now feels that he would like to play the best of five sets against next-gen players instead of playing three sets.
“Playing the young guys, I would prefer best of 5 to best of 3. I feel I am fit, I have more experience. It doesn’t guarantee me the win, but I feel like I’m in a better position. The more it goes, the more I feel I am able to wear them down,” the Serb concluded. "
Fast forward and he would have lost to the young guys twice had it not been for best of 5. No wonder he changed his stance ;-)
 
daddy

daddy

Legend
All things change and we may expect the tennis rules in general as well as GS's from BO5 to BO3. That being said, 1 - the big three are dominating the masters as well so regardless of the format the best will always end up winning and 2 - we can always choose if we're going to continue watching tennis when the rules change. In my opinion, BO5 is the way to go, we have only 4 slams and this is what makes them the ultimate challenge.
 
Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Chanwan said:
"Djokovic reverses his stance in the Best of 5 versus Best of 3 debate
The Serb now feels that he would like to play the best of five sets against next-gen players instead of playing three sets.
“Playing the young guys, I would prefer best of 5 to best of 3. I feel I am fit, I have more experience. It doesn’t guarantee me the win, but I feel like I’m in a better position. The more it goes, the more I feel I am able to wear them down,” the Serb concluded. "
Fast forward and he would have lost to the young guys twice had it not been for best of 5. No wonder he changed his stance ;-)
Click to expand...

A clever ploy to then encourage the switch to Best of 3 for future generations
His Open Era records remain intact / unsurpassed as Best of 3 Slams simply don't stack up in a comparison against the Best of 5 format
 
Forehanderer

Forehanderer

Professional
It will end tennis if it goes to Bo3 in slams. i for sure will stop watching it. There was a period when even the masters final were played Bo5 as late as 2006. I remember Rome final was a Bo5 and went to 5 sets. It was a classic. If anything, they need to bring the Bo5 to masters final as well in addition to slams
 
C

cha cha

Professional
There was also a time when the Tour de France had cigarette breaks. The good old days. Our attention spams, however have got a lot shorter.
Tske me, for instance. I am currently replying to you from the toilet.
 
M

mwym

Professional
Sexist pay gap? World turned kindergarten? 'Idiocy' at the door craving entertainment? More profit for cognitively inferior to fight DNA injustice? All of the above?

DNA cannot adapt to comfort. Comfort is death.
 
N

ND-13

Hall of Fame
Whether we like it or not , this is going to happen soon

tennis is coming now in US on peacock .In some years , it will be on ‘chicken poo’
 
Tennisbg

Tennisbg

Professional
When the BIG 3 retire they will do it, they won't do it now as it will break the slam race. Best of 3 slams will be considered less valuable in the GOAT race.
 
Rafa4LifeEver

Rafa4LifeEver

G.O.A.T.
Krish872007 said:
A number of future tennis "superstars", tennis pundits and the current World #1 / Heavyweight Champion have remarked in the past that it may be in the interests to switch men's Slam tournaments to Best of 3 at some point in the future to maintain public interest in tennis.

Djokovic has since reversed his stance:

www.essentiallysports.com

"Would Prefer Best Of 5 to Best Of 3": Djokovic Reverses His Opinion on Five-Setters in Majors Ahead of French Open

Novak Djokovic, who is one of the top contenders for the French Open this year, takes a u-turn on his opinion to have the best of 3 sets in majors.
www.essentiallysports.com

Djokovic reverses his stance in the Best of 5 versus Best of 3 debate
The Serb now feels that he would like to play the best of five sets against next-gen players instead of playing three sets.
“Playing the young guys, I would prefer best of 5 to best of 3. I feel I am fit, I have more experience. It doesn’t guarantee me the win, but I feel like I’m in a better position. The more it goes, the more I feel I am able to wear them down,” the Serb concluded.


I think the switch would undermine the very fabric of the game, but is it now more a question of "When" than "If"?
Click to expand...
Only so called woke people (actually the most radical ones) want this to happen, so that they can prove their point about WTA deserving equal price money.
If they make it BO3, I'm biding adios amigo to tennis, gentleman. I'm actually in the favour of BO5 masters finals (with necessary 1 week gap between consecutive M1000s) & BO5 SF-F at ATP finals.

Everything ATP & ITF tried in the last 15 years has only reduced Tennis' popularity & made it more boring. They need to revise their decisions and do what's needed to be done for real tennis fans, not something politically leftists want for political correctness's sake.
 
Rafa4LifeEver

Rafa4LifeEver

G.O.A.T.
cha cha said:
I watched a set of the semis on Friday, went to the pub, had five drinks and came back in time for the final two games.
I love tennis, but watching someone bounce the ball seven thousand times over the course of five hours is not my idea of a 21st century entertainment.
Click to expand...
Arak said:
Same here. Even for such important matches as the final and the Nadal-Djokovic SF, it’s impossible for me to bear 4.5 hours of tennis. About 2-3 hours max is my limit.
Click to expand...
You're free not to watch tennis, gentlemen.

The problem is, people like you are very vocal and make it seem that you are the majority and want BO3 at slams, but in reality more than 90% of the real tennis fans (most of which who are not as vocal) love and admire the classic tennis, they're the backbone of the sport, not you guys. Listening to millenial "ideas" will only kill the sport, not enhance it.

Sorry for being harsh. Inconvenience regretted.
 
C

cha cha

Professional
My friend, unlike most of you real fans here, I can actually play tennis. I am active in three different clubs and the community around me counts hundreds of people. We organise tournaments, play leagues, train children, force our own offsprings into falling in love wirh the sport.
So having explained that I love the sport, you will excuse me for not enjoying being bored to death.
 
roysid

roysid

Hall of Fame
Djokovic s stance reversed because he saw the advantage against next gen who can't maintain their play over 5 sets.

But its inevitable. Except Roger and to some extent Rafa i cannot watch others foe 5 sets
 
D

Deleted member 771911

Guest
Yeah but not because players and press want it. Because feedback will show the market would like it.
 
Bartelby

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
People watch cricket for five days. And marathons are two hours plus. Triathlons are popular. It's niche but the long game has its place.
 
NAS

NAS

Hall of Fame
If they ever do best of three in slam then remove tiebreaker , a player will win when he will have difference of two in each set
 
Service Ace

Service Ace

Hall of Fame
The change will occur once the Big 3 all retire and tennis ratings hit all time lows as we are left with a carousel of untalented, mentally weak bums that try their best to outchoke one another a la the WTA.
 
BGod

BGod

G.O.A.T.
Inevitably all sport gets watered down, whether it's by participation, talent pool, money, etc, etc, etc.

Obviously I think when they took down Bo5 from Masters finals it was a sign the Slams would eventually go in that direction. The ranking points right now are not as big of a gap as they should be. You need 21 sets to win a Slam and if you get a BYE in a Masters you're looking at needing 10. That makes sense for winners but due to draws the point totals for Slam QF make far less sense in comparing to Masters SF. That's 12 sets to 6 yet you get the same amount of points. It is because of these margins Bo3 will undoubtedly be RE-introduced to the USO for the first 3 rounds and eventually the other Slams. There is also the prospect of Fast Five in early rounds.

But the final nail in the coffin of history is when even for the title the match is decided by Bo3 with a 3rd set super tiebreak.....
 
Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Thinking about it now - and given the frequency of injuries even amongst the top athletes, maybe Bo3 really will make its way into Slams after the Big 3 era. There's so many arguments against it though, I really hope the ITF doesn't cave in

The more interesting debate is: would Bo3 Slams for men enhance or diminish viewership figures? Would it be more or less likely to attract casual observers?
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
It would kill the tennis majors like it's killed the Davis Cup if it ever happens.

They should go the other way. Bring back best of 5 sets in the finals of Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome and YEC, and bring back the 1981-2018 Davis Cup format (best of 5 sets in live rubbers, best of 3 sets in dead rubbers). I also think 16 seeds in the majors would be better than 32 seeds.
 
Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Mustard said:
It would kill the tennis majors like it's killed the Davis Cup if it ever happens.
Click to expand...

I wonder if anyone properly watches the Davis Cup any more. I stopped in 2017 or 2018

As to your point about Bo5 in Masters Finals - would love it but I suspect there is too much fragility on tour to handle it. And the game is particularly physical / baseline-oriented. It might encourage players to become more attacking and stop trying to out-grind each other but that will take years to make its way through the system again
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Arak said:
Same here. Even for such important matches as the final and the Nadal-Djokovic SF, it’s impossible for me to bear 4.5 hours of tennis. About 2-3 hours max is my limit.
Click to expand...
That's what makes the matches so epic and memorable.
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
If the majors do eventually go to BO3 then expect the Slam record to be crushed in the next 20 or so years. Players will have longer careers and there will be longer terms of dominance at the very top where the elite will just vulture majors for years and years against low level competition.
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Krish872007 said:
As to your point about Bo5 in Masters Finals - would love it but I suspect there is too much fragility on tour to handle it. And the game is particularly physical / baseline-oriented
Click to expand...
If there's a lot of different winners, so be it. They need the experience of old school Davis Cup and some best of 5 sets finals, perhaps some at 500 level too, to help them for the majors.
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Mike Sams said:
If the majors do eventually go to BO3 then expect the Slam record to be crushed in the next 20 or so years. Players will have longer careers and there will be longer terms of dominance at the very top where the elite will just vulture majors for years and years against low level competition.
Click to expand...
On paper, it would be easier to win majors if they are best of 3 sets in every round than it would be for masters events, as the majors would have more days rest.
 
Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Mustard said:
If there's a lot of different winners, so be it. They need the experience of old school Davis Cup and some best of 5 sets finals, perhaps some at 500 level too, to help them for the majors.
Click to expand...

I would go with the following switches to Bo5 as a starting point, were it up to me:
- YEC Final (given an undefeated champion gets 1,500 points surely this is a minimum requirement)
- Indian Wells and Miami finals (larger draws, 1 extra round - maybe increase the points on offer too)
- Davis Cup Finals
- Olympics Final (no way should this have been changed)

See how that pans out
 
D

Deleted member 629564

Guest
It's an early stage of the process.

BO5 -> BO3 -> BO1 -> BO3 -> back to BO5 -> BO7

Best Of 7 format is an ultimate destination.
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Mustard said:
On paper, it would be easier to win majors if they are best of 3 sets in every round than it would be for masters events, as the majors would have more days rest.
Click to expand...
Exactly. That's why top players would just vulture the Slams. It would be a complete joke and then the organizers would have to resort to changing other things to try to make things more level instead of 1 or 2 players winning everything for 25+ years and winning 40+Slams :-D :-D
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Krish872007 said:
I would go with the following switches to Bo5 as a starting point, were it up to me:
- YEC Final (given an undefeated champion gets 1,500 points surely this is a minimum requirement)
- Indian Wells and Miami finals (larger draws, 1 extra round - maybe increase the points on offer too)
- Davis Cup Finals
- Olympics Final (no way should this have been changed)

See how that pans out
Click to expand...
I'd do it for finals in Monte Carlo and Rome too. And some 500s.

I really don't understand why they keep reducing best of 5 sets matches. Are they trying to kill tennis off?
 
Krish872007

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Mustard said:
On paper, it would be easier to win majors if they are best of 3 sets in every round than it would be for masters events, as the majors would have more days rest.
Click to expand...

Mike Sams said:
Exactly. That's why top players would just vulture the Slams. It would be a complete joke and then the organizers would have to resort to changing other things to try to make things more level instead of 1 or 2 players winning everything for 25+ years and winning 40+Slams :-D :-D
Click to expand...

Devil's advocate here - would it not also increase the chances of an upset?
Servebots nabbing a couple of close tie-breaks could end things right up front. Or one crappy day at the office against a decent baseliner and suddenly it's all over

If you have someone who is clearly superior to the field then probably does lend itself to a more sustained period of dominance. Could actually see the odd CYGS
 
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