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John McEnroe has proposed a format change for Grand Slam tennis to enhance entertainment value, suggesting that women should also play best-of-five matches. This debate continues as the French Open approaches.
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The French Open is just around the corner, and players from both the ATP and WTA Tours are gearing up for the second Grand Slam of the season.
As Paris prepares to host another clay-court spectacle, one familiar debate continues to circulate â whether or not women should also play best-of-five matches at Grand Slams.
Traditionally, menâs matches in majors have been played over five sets while women compete over three. However, there remains a section of fans who feel thereâs no need to change that format for women.
John McEnroe has recently joined that conversation, weighing in alongside former WTA star Maria Sharapova.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup
Speaking on Rushmore, Sharapova was asked: âWhy have they not changed, at least for the finals in the majors, women to be five sets?â
She answered: âWhy would they? Would you want to watch that? You would want to watch from the first point to the last, womenâs three-out-of-five? No chance. I donât believe it.â
McEnroe followed up by saying: âThey did do that for a few years in the womenâs in Madison Square Garden, where they used to have the final eight top players for a couple years, two or three years.
âLike [Martina] Navratilova, I think [Monica] Seles, played best of five, and it wasnât a total disaster. Not necessarily more competitive. But thereâs a lot of times where a two-hour movie is better than a three-and-a-half-hour movie.â
The debate continued with Sharapova asking: âDonât you think the quality will go down, like from the first set to the fifth set?â
âThe endurance of men goes down also. A lot of times in the fifth set, guys are both tired,â McEnroe responded.
He added: âI believe that there should be best-of-five, where at two sets all thereâs a 10-point breaker. Thatâs sort of a compromise.â
The American legendâs idea is an interesting one and could help solve one aspect of tennisâ ongoing format debates. However, significant changes like this are rarely implemented quickly.
The focus for many players right now is less about format and more about the ongoing prize money dispute, with talk of a potential boycott gaining traction.
Elena Rybakina, currently ranked second on the WTA Tour, has shown support for a boycott, echoing similar sentiments previously raised by Aryna Sabalenka.
Many players inside the top 10 across both tours feel the current revenue split at major tournaments isnât fair, but so far their push for change hasnât led to any action.
Sam Querrey has suggested that any meaningful boycott would need broad support beyond just the top players if itâs going to have an impact.
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John McEnroe suggested that women should also play best-of-five matches at Grand Slam tournaments.
The debate centers around whether women should compete in best-of-five matches like men, with opinions divided among fans and players.
The French Open is scheduled to take place soon, marking the second Grand Slam of the tennis season.

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