"I think it should be 1-2-3-4": Billie Jean King continues to advocate for tennis rules revamp for younger audience

WTA
Friday, 15 November 2024 at 13:48
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Former world number one Billie Jean King has once again advocated for some changes in tennis. The 80-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of women’s tennis. She finished her career after winning 12 Grand Slams in the singles category.
Because of her achievements on the tennis court, a competition has been named after her as well. The California-born legendary tennis star has recently advocated for a change in tennis rules. She believes that the points system should be simpler and players should have their names on the back of their shirts.
“I cannot stand the scoring,” she said back in September in a social media post. “I think it's hard to get new people into the sport, particularly young people. I think we should get rid of the 15, 30, 40 game. We should have 1, 2, 3, 4. If you have to win by two, then at three all do two points in a row or whatever but get rid of 15, 30, 40. Every player should have their name and a number on. Why? We need to promote our players like every other sport does.”
King has once again advocated the same in an interview with the BBC. The former world number one was of the opinion that she wants these rules to be changed to make it more interesting for the viewers. "I would like to see names and numbers on the back of the shirt in tennis," she said. "I want to make it easy for fans. I think it should be 1-2-3-4 not 15-love, 30-love. If you are a kid - I didn't come from tennis - what the heck does that mean? If we want to get eight, nine, 10, 11, 12-year-old children involved in our sport we have to make it accessible to them - not to a 60-year-old fan."

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