Zverev firmly rejects idea of shortening Grand Slam matches
German tennis star Alexander Zverev has strongly dismissed proposals to cut early-round Grand Slam matches to best-of-three sets, calling the current five-set format 'history.' The debate intensified after marathon matches at the US Open ran into the early hours of the morning.
A format under debate
A debate has recently gained momentum in tennis circles over whether the four Grand Slam tournaments should shorten men's early-round matches from best-of-five to best-of-three sets. According to France 24, the idea has been floated in recent weeks by several figures in the sport, including the chief executive of the organising body behind the Australian Open, who argue the change could help audiences — particularly younger viewers — stay engaged with matches that can otherwise stretch for several hours.
Zverev: 'It's history'
Speaking at the China Open in Beijing on Thursday, world No. 2 Alexander Zverev shot down the proposal, arguing that changing the format would erase part of the sport's heritage. "It's history," he said. "It's the toughest thing to win in our sport because we play best-of-five sets... it's physically one of the most extreme things that you can go through." Zverev, who won both the French Open and the US Open this year, said he does not know a single player who would want to switch to best-of-three — joking that perhaps Novak Djokovic might, given that he is "getting a bit older now." Zverev himself played two five-set matches en route to his US Open title, both of which finished well past midnight.
Alcaraz backs the format but wants schedule changes
According to Tennis365, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz has echoed a similar stance, telling Libertad that scrapping best-of-five sets "would be killing the Grand Slam legacy," since the format has made the majors special since their inception. Unlike Zverev, however, Alcaraz believes scheduling needs to change — he has proposed a roughly 11 p.m. curfew on matches, similar to the system already used at Wimbledon. The comments followed Alcaraz's own five-set quarter-final against Ben Shelton at the US Open, which finished after 3:30 a.m.; half of that tournament's men's quarter-finals went the distance.
Zverev chasing the world No. 1 ranking in Beijing
At the Beijing event, Zverev is aiming to move closer to the world No. 1 ranking in the coming weeks. He opened his campaign against British player Cameron Norrie, against whom he holds an 8-0 head-to-head record. According to Sports Betting Dime and Britwatch Sports, analysts widely predicted a Zverev win, while noting that Norrie has a history of forcing extended rallies and stealing individual sets against the German in past meetings.
