“Do you want Rafael Nadal to stop playing?” Billie Jean King vouches for ‘Best of three sets’ in Men’s tennis to increase the longevity of players
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Billie Jean King and Rafael Nadal
Tennis icon Billie Jean King has spoken about the length of matches at grand slams in Men’s tennis. Unlike the rest of the tour, all four grand slams have the ‘Best of five sets’ format that is traditionally followed since the sport started. But over the last few years, there have been talks to scrap it and have a ‘Best of three sets’ format like the rest of the tour.
While many argue that this new format will degrade the value of winning a major title, others believe that it will have a positive impact on the players in terms of increasing longevity. Most of the men’s matches at a major go over 3 hours on an average which accounts for almost 20 hours of intense match-time in a span of two weeks if he goes to the final. If it’d be a best of 3 set match, the playing time would reduce almost by an hour per match which will speed up the recovery process and in turn, increase longevity,
Billie Jean King strongly believes that men’s matches should be played in a best of three sets format. She argued that as players get older, she wants them to play and cited the example of French Open champion Rafael Nadal. She said that she doesn’t want Rafa to ever stop playing and playing Best of Five set matches would wear him down sooner.
“I’ve always said that you should only play the best of three sets. As players get older, I want them to be able to play. Nadal for example, do you want me to stop playing? I don’t want it to ever stop. They create a huge following in our sport,” she said.
‘I think we should play three sets, men and women’: Billie Jean King
She added that she prefers quality over quantity and even said that if people want the girls to play five sets, they would be happy too, and then pointed out that men usually run the tournament barring some exceptions. She ended by saying that both men and women should play three sets, and also said that they should be allowed to wear the same item of clothing, which should have their names on the back.
She said: “I want it to be possible for them to win. In a best-of-five game, they can lose to attrition. The older they get, the harder it is. I prefer quality to quantity. If you want the girls to play five sets, they will be happy to do so, but there would be too much to plan.”
“Usually, men are running the tournaments, although now there are some exceptions. I think we should play three sets, men and women. Also, you should be allowed to wear the same item of clothing, which should have your name on the back.”
Also Read: Wimbledon 2022 Prize Money: How much will each player earn?
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