Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, number one in the world, expressed her support on Tuesday (3) for the proposal that women’s matches be played in the best of five sets in the final stages of Grand Slam tournaments.
In an interview in Indian Wells, in the California desert, where the WTA 1000 tournament begins this Wednesday, Sabalenka said she believed that extending the matches to five sets would benefit her game.
“Yes, let’s do it,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said when asked about the idea, which was floated by future USTA (United States Tennis Association) president Craig Tiley during the Australian Open earlier this year.
“I feel like I probably would have won more Grand Slams,” Sabalenka added. “Physically, I’m very strong and I’m sure my body can handle it. So let’s do it.”
Tiley, a former Australian Open director who was named the new USTA president last week, said in an interview with The New York Times last month that the move to five sets should be discussed starting with the women’s Grand Slam quarterfinals.
“All the polls show that interest increases as the match goes on,” Tiley said. “As a sport, we need to evolve.”
But while Sabalenka supported the move, other players were more cautious.
Opposing voices
“I mean, I would probably benefit, because physically I’m at the same level as the best, but I probably wouldn’t want it to happen,” defending Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff told reporters.
“And if it happened, I would prefer it to be for the entire tournament, not just from the quarterfinals onwards. I think changing the format in the middle of the tournament harms the level playing field,” he added.
Meanwhile, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, number two in the world rankings, vehemently opposed the idea and questioned the suggestion that it would increase viewership.
“Honestly, I think it’s a strange approach in a world where everything is getting faster,” she said. “So, honestly, I don’t know if the public would like that.”
“Besides, I don’t know if we could maintain this level for five sets. It’s a fact that men are physically stronger and can handle it better,” Swiatek added.
The Polish tennis player warned that physical demands would also force players to adjust their calendars, which could result in fewer tournaments.
“We never trained in a way that prepared us for that, so we would have to change, I think, our whole calendar because the Grand Slams would be so difficult that, honestly, I don’t think we would have time to prepare for other tournaments,” he said.
“I think it would change a lot of things. And not for the better, I think.”
In turn, the fifth placed in the world rankings, the American Jessica Pegula, agreed with Swiatek’s words and stated that, although five sets are within the physical capabilities of women, a change could be counterproductive.
“I think we have incredible female athletes, and honestly, I think we could do it,” said the American.
“I don’t think we can’t. I just don’t think we should,” Pegula explained.
“In that sense, I don’t even know how the tournaments would be organized. We would have to add weeks. We can’t even meet the current calendar. So, I’m not sure how that would work for the fan experience,” he concluded.
