Five-set rule divides players: Swiatek, Anisimova, Paolini and more weigh physical risks versus potential benefits

It has been less than two weeks since the end of the Australian Open, and debate has intensified over a potential rule change that would have female players compete in five-set matches. This was at least suggested by Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley during the final days of the event.

The men’s semifinals delivered epic encounters – two five-set matches in which Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev in over five hours, followed by Novak Djokovic overcoming Jannik Sinner – both coming back from two sets down in more than four hours. The excitement of such long matches is something seen only in men’s tennis, given that women play all their matches as best-of-three sets.

“We should look at the last few matches – the quarters and the semis and the finals – and make the women’s side three out of five,” Craig Tiley commented shortly before the men’s final. “So it’s something we should put on the agenda and start talking to the players about it because there are some matches in those last rounds which would have been fascinating had they been three out of five sets.”

Since then, several players have been consulted, generating debate among the women themselves. The 18-year-old Iva Jovic was one of those in favor of a potential rule change, as was Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen – noted for her ability to maintain level in long matches – who believes it could even be beneficial for her.

Recently, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek commented on the possibility of five-set matches. The world No. 2 has become accustomed to short, straightforward victories in her Grand Slam campaigns, sometimes playing final-round matches in under an hour. Such was the case at Wimbledon, where she conceded only two games in the semifinals against Belinda Bencic (6-2, 6-0) and then won the final against Amanda Anisimova with a double bagel (6-0, 6-0).

“I think with the world right now that is kind of, like, speeding up, I don’t really think it makes sense for us to play such long matches. Especially when I think it would be tough to keep the quality up throughout the whole match,” said the 24-year-old Polish star. “But if you ask specifically about my game, I consider myself one of the players that is kind of tough in coping with endurance and longer matches. I think maybe I would have some advantage.

“Honestly, I’ve never played such a long match, so I have no idea how my body would react. I think also the whole season would change, because we would need to plan everything differently and prepare for these long, long matches. There would, for sure, be many, many more questions about the scheduling then.”

On the other hand, Coco Gauff said she is not committed to any option but emphasized that tournaments must be consistent, playing five-set matches from the start if introduced. “I mean, could I play best-of-five sets? Probably, yes. Do I want to? I mean, it’s a lot of playing. I don’t know,” commented the two-time Grand Slam champion. “I feel like, from a spectator’s standpoint, it would be just too much for the men and women to play best-of-five.”

As the Qatar Open unfolds in Doha, defending champion Amanda Anisimova – who later retired after an injury in the first round – commented on the possibility of playing five sets and said she prefers to keep the current format. “I mean, we’ve always played best-of-three, so I feel like that would be a crazy change for us. Also very physical on a woman’s body. So, yeah, I prefer to obviously play three sets, for sure.”

Similarly, Italian Jasmine Paolini – a two-time Grand Slam runner-up – expressed disagreement with a potential change. “At the moment, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Honestly, to me, maybe it’s better to reduce the sets of the men maybe until the quarterfinals. I’m not sure. I think also some good matches are of course in the best-of-five, but it’s a tough tournament. We could see also in the men that the Australian Open was tough for them. Maybe from the quarterfinals on would be a nice idea.

“But to the women, I don’t think it’s a good idea, honestly, to me. I mean, we are built different physically. So if the men had a tricky tournament physically, for us, we are different physically, so it’s going to be, I mean, it’s tougher. It’s not a lie. We’re just built different.”

During the past Wimbledon, Sabalenka had already expressed opposition to five sets – although like Zheng recently, she noted that it could even be advantageous for her compared to some rivals. “I think probably physically I’m one of the strongest ones. Maybe it would benefit me. But I’m not ready to play five sets. I think it’s too much on the woman body. We are not ready for this amount of tennis. I think it would increase the amount of injuries. So this isn’t something I would consider.”