Australian Open confirm 'five-set tennis is here to stay' after Tennis Australia CEO suggestion inevitably backfired

The new Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo caused a stir in the tennis world after suggesting that five-set tennis could be a thing of the past at the Australian Open. It was commented during the ongoing US Open which has boasted its reasons for why the format should stick around. This has seen the Australian Open come out and confirm that the best-of-five set format will still be utilised Down Under while also teasing what more may come in 2027.

Best-of-five sets at Grand Slam level has become a staple in tennis in men's tennis and something that is hugely popular. Only used in four tournaments every year, it has conjured up some of the best tennis matches fans have witnessed.

However, as tennis looks to evolve and appeal to a more younger audience, the format was under threat of extinction. That was at least the case in Melbourne where the gruelling threat of it being abolished was pitched forward by Abdo in a chilling statement for many tennis fans.

"Sport is entertainment. And clearly there’s unbelievable athleticism involved with the sport at that level. But the rules and the format and the product has to evolve," Abdo said at the SportNXT conference in Melbourne earlier this week.

"And so a short-form version of that, who knows? Maybe in the future, Slams at the different rounds, or at different lengths of duration, maybe we’re not playing best-of-five all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes. Maybe there are different permutations to how we engage and entertain audiences without losing the fabric, and what really makes the sport special."

An influx of criticism has been directed his way with the iconic scoring system being defended. While tennis organisers are looking to get more young people into the sport, the best-of-five format would be something that could be on the chopping block due to the shortening attention span of this generation.

The purists far outweigh this group and despite Abdo also dismissing them when answering that question, it seems that the format is sticking around for the time being as the Australian Open social media account quickly makes it affiliations clear.

"While innovation is is part of the AO's DNA, five-set tennis is here to stay," it read, before adding: "We'll reveal more on what's coming to AO 2027 soon."

This teasing last message will intrigue many fans and possibly scare others too. The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of each tennis season and not afraid to test new things out. Some of them are a huge success, like the popular one-point slam which brought the tennis players together in a joyous occasion where an amateur became a millionaire.

If you go back through tennis and the greatest matches ever played, many of the men's ones will consist of five thrilling sets that engage the audience for as much as five hours as these incredible athletes push themselves to the limits on court.

That has occurred numerous occasions in this US Open tournament. The most notable and recent coming between reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and American No.1 Ben Shelton. Despite the match finishing at 3:33 in the morning, the Arthur Ashe Stadium was still relatively full of tennis fans who were very much enjoying this thrilling contest. They would get the last cheer with Shelton advancing, but that has not been the only one.

Earlier that same day, Frances Tiafoe completed a stunning comeback against fellow countryman Alex Michelsen after trailing two sets and a break in their quarter-final clash. Among other matches that have gone the distance in this latest US Open, these two have stood out as some of the matches of the tournament and there is the potential for more of these matchups to occur with the ATP semi-finals set to be played out on Friday.