Tennis Reform Ideas: Women First on Centre Court, Best-of-Three in Early Grand Slam Rounds

Barbora Krejcikova secured her second Grand Slam singles title at this year’s Wimbledon. As another tennis year is set to commence, an exploration of potential changes to the sport is presented through a hypothetical report from Wimbledon, dated Monday, 30 June 2025, which envisions a future where significant reforms have been implemented. This imagined report states: “The defending ladies’ champion was the first player to walk out on to Centre Court this year, as The All England Club joined the other Grand Slams in a year of significant change.” It continues: “Men have joined women in playing best-of-three sets in the first four rounds of a major, with all singles played over five sets from the quarter-finals onwards.” The report further notes: “Change at this year’s Australian Open was well received. There was only one post-midnight finish as 17:00 local time was adopted as a default starting point for night sessions – and there is much to look forward to later in the year.” Additionally, it mentions: “The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup will merge to create a World Cup of Tennis in September, while late-season tournaments will feature FA Cup-style draws, faster scoring formats and players having to hit a serve regardless of how badly they toss the ball.” While not all proposed changes may be universally favored, the implementation of reforms is often less challenging than perceived. The following outlines five concepts aimed at transforming tennis. A long-standing tradition dictates that the men’s singles final occurs on the final Sunday of a Grand Slam, with the women’s Wimbledon final historically held on a Friday until 1981. This Sunday scheduling for the men’s final enables both semi-finals to be played on Friday, preventing players from engaging in five-set matches on successive days. However, a question arises regarding why women are not afforded the opportunity to open Centre Court on the initial Monday, given that men conclude the tournament. It is argued that tradition alone should not preserve the current arrangement, especially since The All England Club has already declared that next year’s singles finals will commence at the later time of 16:00 to draw the largest global audience. This issue is a source of considerable discussion. The increasing duration of matches raises concerns about sustainability for both players and television audiences, particularly when early-round contests frequently extend to four or five hours. A proposal suggests playing the first four rounds of men’s singles as best-of-three sets instead of five. While this might occasionally forgo a Grand Slam classic, it is noted that top players can maintain intensity from the outset, and three-set matches, as demonstrated in the Olympics and various tour finals, can be highly compelling. The suggestion is to revert to five sets from the quarter-finals onwards, with the same opportunity extended to women. Modifying the format mid-tournament is presented as a non-issue, citing examples from other sports: footballers sometimes play extra time, cricketers alternate between T20 matches and five-day Tests, and World Snooker Championships require 10 frames to win a first-round match but 18 for the final. Players have consistently voiced concerns regarding the physical and mental toll of late match finishes. Daniil Medvedev, for instance, expressed gratitude to fans who remained until nearly 4 am at the Australian Open, while noting he would have been asleep himself. Although the ATP and WTA Tour have jointly implemented a rule prohibiting matches from starting after 11 pm, this rule contains loopholes and does not apply to the four major tournaments. Daniil Medvedev and Emil Ruusuvuori competed until 3:40 am at this year’s Australian Open, despite Tennis Australia’s effort to “deliver a solution to minimise late finishes” by commencing the tournament a day earlier. This year’s US Open also recorded the latest finish for a women’s match in its history, alongside an even later finish for a men’s match. If these two Grand Slams intend to continue scheduling both a women’s and a men’s match in their night sessions, potentially involving eight sets of tennis, a 7 pm start time is deemed unfeasible. A 5 pm start, while potentially conflicting with TV evening news bulletins and inconveniencing nearby residents who wish to complete a full day’s work, would significantly decrease the occurrence of post-midnight finishes. The establishment of a mixed team World Cup is proposed to encourage top players to prioritize it akin to a Grand Slam, withdrawing only as a final option. The timing of such an event is considered crucial. It is suggested that team competition finals should no longer be held in November, a period when players often experience physical exhaustion with a new season approaching in barely a month. Late September is presented as an ideal timeframe, even if it necessitates rescheduling events like the Laver Cup. While the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup possess a rich history, with the men’s event originating in 1900, a mixed finals format involving 16 teams is seen as a vital measure to uphold the prestige of these competitions. Greater experimentation in tournament formats is advocated, particularly for late-season events once the Grand Slam season concludes. It is suggested that indoor events in Europe with smaller fields offer an opportunity to innovate and capture attention that might otherwise be diverted. While seedings serve to protect top players and tournament directors’ investments, proposals include implementing random, FA Cup-style draws without seeds for each round. Other ideas involve adopting faster scoring formats, such as playing “first to four games” as seen at the Next Gen ATP Finals, eliminating “lets” to observe players’ reactions to net-touched serves, or requiring players to hit their serve irrespective of a faulty ball toss. The underlying question is posed: what is the risk in attempting such changes?