The tennis Grand Slam season is in full swing, with players and spectators descending on the All England Club for Wimbledon. As the world watches one of the premier events in tennis, it is worth taking time to examine an issue that has plagued Grand Slams for over a century.
Since 2007, pay at Grand Slams has been equal for men and women. During these tournaments, however, women play best-of-three set matches, while men play best-of-five set matches. To resolve this imbalance, it seems logical that either women should play best-of-five sets or men should play best-of-three sets.
Outside of Grand Slams, matches are usually played best-of-three for both men and women. Grand Slams, however, are not regular tournaments, and winning one of them is arguably the most distinguished honor a player can achieve in tennis. Legacies are often evaluated based on a player’s record in Grand Slams. Matches in these tournaments should be played best-of-five, as this provides the true test of a champion.
Best-of-five set matches also allow for more dramatic showdowns. In the men’s singles final at this year’s French Open, for instance, Carlos Alcaraz rallied from two sets down to stun Jannik Sinner. His comeback would not have been possible in a three-set match, where players can at most be down one set rather than two.
One of the main arguments against adopting best-of-five set matches for women is that they can’t keep up with the additional games. There is no evidence, however, that this is the case. Women used to play best-of-five sets in the past. The WTA Tour Finals featured best-of-five set matches, for example, in the 1980s and 1990s. The format was supported by top players such as Chris Evert, who argued that it would allow for more exciting tennis.
At Grand Slams, women also used to play best-of-five sets. For instance, the U.S. National Championships, which preceded the U.S. Open, featured best-of-five set matches before the number of sets was reduced. No women were consulted in the decision, which was made by an all-male council that expressed concerns that women could not handle more grueling matches.
Tennis has long tended to embrace outdated ideas. As an example, the French Open only installed lights in 2020, even though electrical lighting has been around since the 1800s. Today, the French Open continues to reject advances in technology, refusing to incorporate electronic line calling like other Grand Slams have done in recent years.
The resistance to changing Grand Slams comes mainly from people who want to preserve old ways. Traditions that don’t make sense should be discarded rather than promoted, however. Saying that tennis matches in the twenty-first century should be called off at night because that is how things were done in the past isn’t noble or romantic. Rather, it is illogical and indicates a lack of willingness to accept progress in society.
Tennis is slowly but surely evolving. Coaching used to be prohibited during matches, for example, leading to controversies such as Serena Williams’ loss to Naomi Osaka in the finals of the U.S. Open. Since then, coaching has been incorporated into the game, despite complaints that this would ruin the tradition of tennis players being alone on the court.
It may take time to finally even out the set counts of Grand Slam matches, but this is a goal worth pursuing. When asked for his thoughts on the matter, Andy Murray said that he believed women would be both willing and capable of playing five-set matches if asked to do so. It is high time for the tennis Grand Slams to make that request.
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