"The on-court warm-up should be abolished immediately" - John McEnroe pitches radical tennis changes to combat 'short attention spans'

John McEnroe is not someone who is afraid to say exactly what he is thinking, no matter how controversial or contentious it is, making him the iconic tennis character many have loved and loathed over the years. He continues to pledge different radical ideas to the sport as he tries to make it better from his perspective.

A seven-time Grand Slam champion, McEnroe is on home soil in New York watching on as the US Open commences with the biggest names in the sport looking to get through the early stages unharmed.

The America won this title three times between 1979 and 1981, and again in 1984 before losing in the final against Ivan Lendl a year later, his last Grand Slam final.

Tennis has obviously changed a lot since McEnroe was in his pomp. From how they play to the technology to the fans with tennis continuing to get more and more in all the time. McEnroe stated to journalists at Flushing Meadows that tennis need to prolong its need for change if they are going to keep a younger audience involved with the sport.

“People’s attention spans are shorter than ever," he said, reported by De Telegraaf. "But Novak has won so much precisely because he was able to last longer than others. He was fitter than anyone had ever been and won matches that lasted five hours or more. He was much harder to beat in best-of-five-set matches than in best-of-three-set matches.”

This was commented before Novak Djokovic's collapse on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Mariano Navone in the first round of the US Open, the biggest upset in this competition so far.

McEnroe pitched two new ideas that would change the sport in favour of younger people whose attention span were shorter than an older generation of tennis fans. “I would recommend a match tiebreak at Grand Slams when it is 2-2 in sets, instead of playing a full fifth set."

He then went on to explain his thinking behind the warm-up, and how it was a waste of time. "The on-court warm-up should be abolished immediately. Players are already warmed up when they walk onto the court. The changes don’t have to be enormous, but there does need to be development. It is difficult for people to sit in front of the television for hours. There weren’t even tiebreaks in the past. Until then, for example, the opening set of a match could end 28-26.”

The 67-year-old was quizzed on a number of different topics. One of them was surrounding the American hopes for Grand Slam glory. On the ATP side, Andy Roddick was the last American to taste major glory all the way back in 2003 at the US Open. The likes of Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz will lead the charge with McEnroe optimistic about their chances.

“I expect a lot from it," he said. "The door is wide open for about 10 players. Among them are around five Americans. Taylor Fritz is the most consistent we have. He was already in the final two years ago, but he is certainly not the only dangerous American.”

McEnroe was one of the many Americans to triumph in New York in the past, collecting a helthy sum of money. Or at least at the time it was with prize money growing at a rapid rate. “When I won my first US Open, I received $39,000. Now that amount is more than $120,000 if you lose in the first round,” he stated.

Nevertheless, there are still grumbles from tennis players about the way the revenue is distributed with more prize money demanded from the four Grand Slams as they continue to debate this fragile topic. McEnroe firmly sided with the players, making his allegiances clear.

“The players should receive 20 percent of a Grand Slam’s total profit, but it is 16 percent: 8 for the women and 8 for the men. That doesn’t come across as a very fair distribution. If you win the tournament, you can add $5.5 million to your bank account. Don’t get me wrong: that is a fantastic amount, but the distribution needs to be fairer. The only way players will be paid more fairly is if there is a threat of a boycott and that boycott is actually carried out. It isn’t about the winner receiving $10 million, but the prize money across the board needs to increase.”

The current headlines at the US Open are mostly centring around a certain Carlos Alcaraz who has finally returned from his lengthy spell from the sidelines with a wrist injury. He got off to a winning start, taking down Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to move into the second round.

McEnroe could not hide his delight and praise for the 23-year-old Spaniard, looking ahead into the future as he predicted a long and prosperous career. “I hope Carlos has an incredible future ahead of him," he said.

"He is my favourite tennis player and he is the favourite of many tennis fans. He is incredible for our sport and has a fantastic personality. We all hope that he is okay and can continue to excel for at least another 10 years. Then he will be 33, six years younger than Novak is now."

He hoped that Alcaraz would not take the same route as a certain Swedish tennis player. “My great rival Björn Borg played his final match when he was 25. That is the last thing we want for Carlos. It would be terrible if he could no longer become the player he once was. If he is fit, he can win at least another 10 majors.”