The ATP, the main governing body of men’s tennis, has recently been urged by Rafael Nadal not to go through with changing a major rule regarding the format of men’s Grand Slam tennis matches. The rule, stipulating that men’s Grand Slam matches are to be the best of five sets, has recently come under much fire.
Former world number one and Wimbledon champion Billie Jean King called for an end to the five-set rule, with numerous critics supporting this notion.
The main justification for calling for an end to this rule is due to the physical strain that it puts on players. Recent years have seen an increase in injuries on tour, with the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal all suffering injuries during Grand Slams that have forced them to retire from the tournament.
Rafael Nadal has disapproved of this notion, stating that he would like to stick to tradition and that taking this rule away would have a negative effect on the sport.
“You should look at it for what makes tennis more interesting from a fan’s point of view,” Nadal explained
“I think the Sunday match [against Medvedev in the US Open final] was a very attractive one, and it was a long one. But we were playing for a Grand Slam.
I am the first in testing things, but in a Grand Slam, it’s important that the tradition is still there. It makes the matches being remembered.”
