Novak Djokovic loves the best-of-five format at Grand Slam tournaments.
He grew up when this format was more common, and now it’s only used in the biggest events. Djokovic wants to keep it that way.
There have been talks about changing all ATP tournaments to best-of-three sets, but many players don’t agree with that idea.
Djokovic isn’t against new ideas in tennis. After a win at Wimbledon 2024, he said it’s good to think about changes, but there’s something special about keeping the top four events as best-of-five matches.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 38 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
> “I don’t think so. I think they should stay best-of-five. The only thing that I’m maybe thinking it could be good to consider is the opening rounds that could go best-of-three, then you move into the hybrid of best-of-fives from the fourth rounds or quarters. That’s just me, my thinking.”
Hybrid Format Proposal:
The 24-time major winner suggested a mix of formats like Wimbledon qualifying: early rounds as best-of-three and later ones as best-of-five. Whether this would work in main draws is uncertain, but for Djokovic, longer matches are simply more thrilling for everyone.
> “Five-set matches, nowadays you can only see them in Grand Slams, right? That’s what I guess excites both players and the crowd. Most people love to see it. We as players like to play it.”
Fans might find this news interesting because they usually enjoy longer matches too.
For Djokovic personally, five-set matches are key because beating him in this format is much harder than in shorter ones.
What do you think? Should tennis keep these long battles?
