BJK - men should not play 5 sets at Grand Slams anymore.

[WhiskeyEE]

The slow courts/long matches complaint is widespread even if you haven't heard of it. Wasting time between points increases as the matches get longer.

Given how much of a tennis fanatic I am, I would know if, as you say, nearly everyone thinks matches take too long. That is an uncommon complaint that is generally limited to isolated and infrequent matches and, really, particular players.

 

[Badabing888]

I do agree with speeding up the surfaces would help. AO is medium fast atm, keep RG slow as it is clay, but speed up both Wimbledon and US to medium fast. But Also the type of ball makes a difference and whether it fluffs up sooner. Makes a hell of a lot of difference to the variety of Tennis and length of rallies and matches. That would answer the whole quality over quantity argument BJK is using.

 

[qindarka]

I suspect that if at the start of competitive tennis, if the courts were as slow as they are now and players already had modern racquets, best of five would not have a thing.

 

[WhiskeyEE]

I suspect that if at the start of competitive tennis, if the courts were as slow as they were now, best of five would not have a thing.

Clay has gotten slower?

 

[MichaelNadal]

I love you Billie, but have several seats.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

Almost everyone thinks that men's matches are taking too long, even if they want them to stay at BO5, so her opinion is not that 'out there'.

I got the TV broadcasters and BJK for "almost everyone".

Who else?

 

[Bartelby]

Clay has gotten easier to play compared to when the surface was invented and hence games on clay have become longer.

There are multiple factors increasing the length of the game, but surface is important. Clay shows that equipment and various other factors are also significant.

Clay has gotten slower?

 

[Bartelby]

I don't have my list with me, but you can publish your list for further discussion.

I got the TV broadcasters and BJK for "almost everyone".

Who else?

 

[Aussie Darcy]

It’s interesting when you look back at the last tournament all these injured guys played before their time off.

Federer in 2016 - last tournament was Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Wawrinka in 2017 - last tournament was Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Murray in 2017 - last tournament was a Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Nadal in 2018 - last tournament was the Australian Open and has been out for over a month and will miss Indian Wells and Miami and perhaps more. (Also blamed tour organisers for the heavy workload)
Goffin in 2017 - injured at the French Open and was out for 2 months and missed Wimbledon. (Was a freak accident but still something to note)
Djokovic in 2017 - injured and retired during Wimbledon and didn’t return for several months until this year.

All were slams and B05.

During the Wimbledon mass retirements last year (which saw a rule change on money), an article was posted saying:

It is a particular problem on the men’s side. Since Wimbledon in 2007, there have been 237 aborted matches in the men’s singles draws at Grand Slam tournaments, accounting for 4.58 percent of matches. There have been only 85 in women’s matches, or 1.64 percent.
After two rounds at Wimbledon, the men have had eight or more retirements for the 11th time at a Grand Slam event in the past decade. The women have never had more than six in that span of 41 tournaments.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/...od-in.html?ad-keywords=ampmobile&partner=gamp

Now, as the oh so lovely people on this thread have been whinging about, men and women are paid the same yet play different amount of sets. Funnily enough, the men’s side has seen almost 3x the retirements compared to the women. Wonder why...? Perhaps BJK isn’t actually that wrong and may be onto something.

I don’t actually want B05 removed but when you look at the amount of players getting injured now and retiring, you gotta ask the question instead of just posting nonsense and criticising a woman for talking.

 

[SQA333]

She’s gotten what she wanted, she should keep her mouth shut regarding the men’s game

 

[Krish872007]

I wouldn't go that far. I have great respect for what she brought to tennis, women's tennis in particular. That being said, we can all disagree with her view about men's matches in Grand Slams. If any change is to be made, make women's semi finals and finals best of 5 in Grand Slams.

I like this idea. Always like Billie Jean, she's been the one of the big figureheads of tennis for a while now. It's true that there seem to be more injuries and retirements in the men's game nowadays, but the onus should be one the younger players to change their style and find a way to win without constantly getting injured. Best of 5 is the ultimate tennis challenge, and the ultimate experience - it would be a real shame to remove that.
I would like to see the women play at least a Best of 5 Slam Final - there's no scheduling excuse there, it's a workable idea.

 

[SQA333]

What are her views on that issue?

Her views are Margaret Court should be stripped of all her titles

 

[qindarka]

I didn't watch the Next Gen finals last year but how did it work? A poster above has suggested that format could be a compromise, what do folks feel about it?

 

[Bartelby]

The people who run the Davis Cup want to turn it into a three set tournament, so Billie Jean Juice seems popular.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

I didn't watch the Next Gen finals last year but how did it work? A poster above has suggested that format could be a compromise, what do folks feel about it?

Hated it. But the ATP seem to really like these shortened formats.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Old people get injured. This is not about BO5. It is about the dearth of young players who can play.

 

[ibbi]

I mean there is something to the idea that given the massively physical nature of todays game it is maybe not ideal to play best of 5, but it happens 4 times a year! Hardly any of the guys that play 15+ five setters a year at the slams play Davis Cup, so that's not adding to it, they've long since gotten rid of 5 set finals everywhere else except the Olympics which is once every 4 years. LEAVE BEST OF 5 SET TENNIS ALONE! Roger Federer has played more bo5 than anybody else around right now and he's number 1 at thirty fncking six years old! It's the way people play tennis that needs to change, not the length of matches.

Seriously, what would make the grand slams at all grand if they took this away? Playing 2 extra matches? In their desire to balance the scales of mens and womens tennis are the people that make this argument happy to rob tennis of all the things that make it special?

Bringing them down to best of 3 sets might enable you to get another womens match on to the show courts. That's it. That's the only good argument, and even that has things working against it.

 

[West Coast Ace]

She thinks she’s being smart framing this as a solution for men getting injured, but anyone can see it’s just a sad attempt to justify the equal pay the WTA extorted from the cowards who run the majors.

If she wants to do something constructive she should teach the WTA how to hit an overhead out of the air.....

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

It’s interesting when you look back at the last tournament all these injured guys played before their time off.

Federer in 2016 - last tournament was Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Wawrinka in 2017 - last tournament was Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Murray in 2017 - last tournament was a Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Nadal in 2018 - last tournament was the Australian Open and has been out for over a month and will miss Indian Wells and Miami and perhaps more. (Also blamed tour organisers for the heavy workload)
Goffin in 2017 - injured at the French Open and was out for 2 months and missed Wimbledon. (Was a freak accident but still something to note)
Djokovic in 2017 - injured and retired during Wimbledon and didn’t return for several months until this year.

All were slams and B05.

Goffin's latest injury came from Rotterdam.
The list just shows that the top players care about the biggest tourneys and try their best at their worst. They were in bad shape before they played them.

 

[cknobman]

Women should play best of 5 sets like men.

Best of 5 is a big factor in making the grand slams special.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

It’s interesting when you look back at the last tournament all these injured guys played before their time off.

Federer in 2016 - last tournament was Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Wawrinka in 2017 - last tournament was Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Murray in 2017 - last tournament was a Wimbledon and was out for the rest of the year.
Nadal in 2018 - last tournament was the Australian Open and has been out for over a month and will miss Indian Wells and Miami and perhaps more. (Also blamed tour organisers for the heavy workload)
Goffin in 2017 - injured at the French Open and was out for 2 months and missed Wimbledon. (Was a freak accident but still something to note)
Djokovic in 2017 - injured and retired during Wimbledon and didn’t return for several months until this year.

All were slams and B05.

During the Wimbledon mass retirements last year (which saw a rule change on money), an article was posted saying:

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/...od-in.html?ad-keywords=ampmobile&partner=gamp

Now, as the oh so lovely people on this thread have been whinging about, men and women are paid the same yet play different amount of sets. Funnily enough, the men’s side has seen almost 3x the retirements compared to the women. Wonder why...? Perhaps BJK isn’t actually that wrong and may be onto something.

I don’t actually want B05 removed but when you look at the amount of players getting injured now and retiring, you gotta ask the question instead of just posting nonsense and criticising a woman for talking.

Lol

The level of analysis is mind-boggling.

 

[Druss]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/43337914

BJK arguing reducing men’s matches at slams to 3 sets. She is arguing women can play best of 5, but that best of 5 is taking it out too much of the men. Do you agree?

Margaret Court says that BJK is going to hell.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

I was referring to Goffin’s injury at the French Open not Rotterdam.

I know? I pointed out it wasn't his latest injury while you listed it among other players last injuries.

 

[West Coast Ace]

The whole ‘avoid injury’ argument is a straw man (or straw person if you’re Justin Trudeau). The players complain about the schedule - but they practice way too much. Practices are probably tougher than matches - hit a lot more balls. Dimitrov admitted he only took 1 week off after the WTF. If the ITF made majors BO3 they’d probably head to the practice courts after their match.

 

[Cenarius]

What about making totally separate tours?

 

[Bartelby]

They already are totally separate tours. Joint tournaments are still totally separate events outside of slams.

Event organisers want joint tournaments so they're not going away.

What about making totally separate tours?

 

[Cenarius]

They already are totally separate tours. Joint tournaments are still totally separate events outside of slams.

Event organisers want joint tournaments so they're not going away.

I meant even slams.I think it could work.

 

[Cenarius]

They already are totally separate tours. Joint tournaments are still totally separate events outside of slams.

Event organisers want joint tournaments so they're not going away.

Take Dubai as example.Different weeks.

 

[Bartelby]

It doesn't matter if they are in the same weeks. They are still different events held conjointly.

Slams don't want what you're suggesting and most of the public don't want it, so you're out on a limb here.

I meant even slams.I think it could work.

Take Dubai as example.Different weeks.

 

[MatsPhilander]

The problem has been Davis Cup being five sets, not the slams. Five sets lets the stories be told.

 

[onehandbh]

who cares, in 5 years they'll all be playing fast-4 tennis anyways. #MillennialAttentionSpans

If the courts stay slow and most players stay at the baseline, then it's conceivable that something like this may actually happen. Attention spans and edits in TV and online media have been getting quicker/shorter.

 

[CosmosMpower]

Maybe the PGA tour should play 5,900 yard golf courses too like the LPGA

 

[Bluefan75]

The slow courts/long matches complaint is widespread even if you haven't heard of it. Wasting time between points increases as the matches get longer.

So there are structural things amiss, yet going to BO3 is the answer?

 

[Bluefan75]

It's so unusual to see people do this...........

The bigger problem(not that BJK talking isn't one) is the fact the media give her a platform. Does Margaret Court get coverage if she says this? Does Lindsay Davenport? Does nearly any other woman tennis player? Especially one who is 74?

It's like the woman in England who claimed to have had very good sex with a ghost. She's a nut job, but the knobs who put her on TV to tell this story aren't much better.

 

[r2473]

The bigger problem(not that BJK talking isn't one) is the fact the media give her a platform. Does Margaret Court get coverage if she says this? Does Lindsay Davenport? Does nearly any other woman tennis player? Especially one who is 74?

It's like the woman in England who claimed to have had very good sex with a ghost. She's a nut job, but the knobs who put her on TV to tell this story aren't much better.

You aren't allowed to have this opinion.

 

[van_Loederen]

potentially severe consequences such that players with poor stamina could make it through the early rounds only to bounce out as soon as it turns from Bo3 to Bo5. People like Alexander Zverev.

This isn't like the NBA in which each match is the same duration whether the playoff series is Bo5 or Bo7. Every match in a tennis tournament needs to be the same.

surviving 3 rounds of Bo3 in a Slam is not possible with poor stamina, and when we remove that exaggeration i don't see a problem anymore.
Bo3 puts less emphasis on stamina and more on skill.
(for the bigger differences in skill in the early rounds would the format change be less relevant, btw.)

 

[Bluefan75]

You aren't allowed to have this opinion.

I've already been contacted by the Ministry. Something about writing "I must not tell lies..."

 

[Bartelby]

She has earned her public profile whereas others have not.

The bigger problem(not that BJK talking isn't one) is the fact the media give her a platform. Does Margaret Court get coverage if she says this? Does Lindsay Davenport? Does nearly any other woman tennis player? Especially one who is 74?

It's like the woman in England who claimed to have had very good sex with a ghost. She's a nut job, but the knobs who put her on TV to tell this story aren't much better.

 

[clayqueen]

The women should, at least, play Bo5 in the SF and Final in slams.

 

[Keizer]

Longer matches and a packed schedule have been cited as a possible cause of the rise in serious injuries among some of the game's stars with Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka all suffering serious injuries in the past 12 months.

Hmm.... wonder why they have long matches these days. Of cooourse it can't be because every surface has been slowed down to unimaginable levels, and you have people playing more hours than they ever should because you can't even hit winners easily these days.