Nick Kyrgios has recommended Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams scrap the majority of five-set matches in a huge overhaul of tennis.
The former Grand Slam finalist believes making every match before the quarter-final stage of Grand Slams would ‘solve a lot of issues’.
In the current landscape, men’s Grand Slam matches are played as best-of-five sets while women’s are best-of-three.
The length of Grand Slam matches has been debated for decades, with many of the opinion that women should play the longer format.
Others believe the only change should see men’s matches – which can last five hours if they go to a fifth and final set – reduced.
The debate has resurfaced at Wimbledon after world number three Jessica Pegula said she believed best-of-five set tennis was too long and argued the shorter format should be adopted in the men’s game.
Kyrgios has a slightly different take, suggesting both men and women should play best-of-three until the quarter-finals, when it would go up to a potential five sets for both sets of players.
‘My idea to make everyone happy would be the first week of Grand Slams should be best-of-three sets and then from the quarter-finals onwards, it should be best-of-five sets,’ Kyrgios told talkSPORT.
‘It would solve a lot of issues early on, it would see a lot of different players making their way through to the quarter-finals.
‘These bigger players, once they lose the first set in some of these earlier matches, they’re already under the pump.
‘They know that they don’t have that wiggle room to make their way back into the match.
‘So I think the first week should be best-of-three and then the quarter-finals onwards should be best-of-five, so we get those kind of marathon matches with the best players in the world.
‘You look at the French Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, that was some of the best tennis that the sport’s ever seen.
‘I don’t think we should completely lose it altogether but I think from the quarter-finals onwards, it should be best-of-five sets.’
American tennis star Pegula was tipped for a productive run at Wimbledon but suffered a shock first-round defeat to Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Asked asked the loss if she was keen for women’s tennis to be played over five sets, Pegula said: ‘No. I would rather the men play two-out-of-three.
‘I don’t think we all need to start playing three-out-of-five. For me it’s too long. I personally lose interest watching the matches.
‘I personally will not watch a full five-hour match. People can’t even hold their attention long enough they say these days with phones.
‘How are they holding their attention for five hours? I don’t know. Just not my thing. I know some people love it.
‘I think it would be a lot easier for TV, for scheduling. TV’s always talking about making everything faster and quicker, all of that stuff.
‘But it’s been such a staple for the men. I find it hard to believe they’re ever going to change it. Maybe if they could play three-out-of-five from the quarters on. Something like that.
‘Maybe there’s something where they look at changing it for certain rounds. I think that might be interesting. But I think that’s very far away.’
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