“I know girls can play best of five”: Daria Kasatkina weighs in on the feasibility of extended women’s matches

Daria Kasatkina has offered a detailed perspective on the current landscape of professional tennis, reflecting on the differences between the men's and women's tours during major tournaments. Speaking in an interview with Tennis Australia, the former Top 10 player observed that recent Grand Slams have presented different entertainment dynamics between the two disciplines.

The 28-year-old recently changed her citizenship—less than a year ago—and is now moving from her Russian nationality to compete under the Australian flag. Her first incursions onto the Tour, back in 2015, were not played at the same level as currently, explained 'Dasha'. "I just remember that sometimes there were matches where I win doing pretty simple things. Now it's just not going to work. You have to... every match is like super tough battle."

Kasatkina explained that the modern game no longer allows for a distinct separation between "defensive" and "offensive" players. To survive in the current ranking landscape, athletes must possess a complete game. She noted that relying solely on defense is no longer a viable path to victory, as opponents now have the physical capability to return 200km/h serves and transition to the attack instantly, leaving "no margin for a bad shot" during rallies.

The world No. 37 even indicated that in recent major tournaments, women's matches have been—in general—more entertaining than men's. "I'll get a lot of criticism for this probably," the former Indian Wells runner-up said. "I think in the last few Grand Slams, the women's matches were more interesting than men's."

"But because men's play best of five in the finals. Only because of the last match, they remember that, for example, Sinner and Alcaraz, the final of Roland Garros was unbelievable. I mean, it was unbelievable. It was a great match. They played best of five. I mean, great match. But the tournament, the two weeks before were not as entertaining as the final match."

When asked about the possibility of women adopting the best-of-five set format, Kasatkina approached the subject from a logistical rather than a physical standpoint. She stated clearly that female players are physically capable of competing over five sets. "I mean, if we had best of five for the girls, what we have to... Like the tournaments are going to be one month?" commented the former world No. 8. "Girls can play best of five. But the thing is, audience, are they want to watch matches best of five sets? I mean, it's difficult, except for the final of a slam... People are getting tired of watching this... Is it worth it? I don't know."

"I mean, there have been a history, unbelievable matches being played best of five. But it's been a discussion for forever. You know, that's what we do with this format because it's great," she said. "But people are getting tired of watching this. And I mean, I'm not the right person to answer this question. I don't know. I know the girls can play best of five. And we would see great outcomes of these matches for sure. But is it worth it? I don't know. I mean, what's the calendar going to look like?"

Kasatkina has her first commitment of the year already scheduled at the Brisbane International, where she will join a difficult draw that includes Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova, and Elena Rybakina. 'Dasha' reached the quarterfinals in 2024, and fell to the eventual champion Sabalenka.