“I’m not going to sit down and watch a match that lasts 4 or 5 hours” Andy Murray opines whether women should also play Best-of-5 sets as suggested by Stefanos Tsitsipas
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Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray joins many others in giving their opinions on the bizarre suggestion of Stefanos Tsitsipas that since women have equal prize money in Grand Slams, they should also play Best-of-5 like the men do in order to maintain equality.
Stef also pointed out that he and Alexander Zverev could both have won a major had men been playing Best-of-3 as both players lost their first major finals despite having taken a 2-0 set lead but could not win another set against Novak Djokovic (French Open 2021) and Dominic Thiem (2020 US Open) respectively.
Murray however did not entertain the thought much and gave quite a politically correct answer. He spoke from the perspective of both a player and a spectator. Having been part of many 5-set thrillers in Grand Slams over the years, he certainly enjoys the format but as a spectator, he had a different take.
“I think it’s good that all Grand Slams have the same rules. When you’re in a very stressful time, you don’t stop to think about the rules of each tournament. As for the debate on the 3 or 5 sets, it is difficult. As a player I always enjoyed the five sets, I think that was a good thing. Personally, I’m not going to sit down and watch a match that lasts 4 or 5 hours.
“Some people like that. I guess ultimately it comes down to what the fans prefer, as do the players,” said Murray in his press conference after exiting the 2022 Miami Masters in the second round after a straight-set defeat against Daniil Medvedev but nevertheless moving close to breaking inside the Top-80 of the ATP rankings.
Andy Murray to remain absent from the Tour for the next two months
As the Miami Masters draws the curtain to the hardcourt season and will see the Golden Swing of the ATP Tour begin for the months of April and May, the 3-time Grand Slam champion will not be featuring in any Clay event over the next 2 months. Given the slowness of the surface and the physically draining playing style on Clay, Murray has chosen to skip the Clay season in order to maintain his fitness.
It is well known that Murray has a metal hip and his ability to play at the highest level is astonishing. With the Grass season following the Clay season, the Brit has evaluated his chances of having any chance to win a silverware on Grass than any other surface and will be practising on the Lawn eyeing the months of June and July for his first title since 2019.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)