Reimagining tennis in 2025 - what changes could be made?

With different tennis twelvemonth astir to begin, please indulge your imagination for a moment.

It is Monday, 30 June 2025 and we person conscionable had this study from Wimbledon.

"The defending ladies' champion was the first subordinate to locomotion retired connected to Centre Court this year, arsenic The All England Club joined the different Grand Slams successful a twelvemonth of important change.

"Men person joined women successful playing best-of-three sets successful the first 4 rounds of a major, pinch each singles played complete 5 sets from the quarter-finals onwards.

"Change astatine this year’s Australian Open was good received. There was only 1 post-midnight decorativeness arsenic 17:00 section clip was adopted arsenic a default starting constituent for nighttime sessions - and location is overmuch to look guardant to later successful the year.

"The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup will merge to create a World Cup of Tennis successful September, while late-season tournaments will characteristic FA Cup-style draws, faster scoring formats and players having to deed a service sloppy of really severely they flip the ball."

You mightiness not for illustration each of those ideas - aliases moreover immoderate of them - but alteration is not arsenic difficult arsenic is often made out.

Here are 5 ideas to shingle up tennis.

There is simply a agelong opinionated contented of the men's singles last taking spot connected the past Sunday of a Grand Slam - and up until 1981, the women's Wimbledon last took spot connected a Friday.

A men's last connected a Sunday allows for some semi-finals to beryllium played connected a Friday, ensuring no-one should person to play five-set matches connected consecutive days.

But if men get to extremity the tournament, past why are women not invited to raise the Centre Court curtain connected the opening Monday?

Tradition should not beryllium utilized arsenic a logic to support the position quo, arsenic the All England Club has already announced adjacent year's singles finals will commencement astatine the later clip of 16:00 to pull the largest imaginable worldwide audience.

This statement causes maine a batch of anguish.

With matches getting longer, I conscionable do not consciousness it is sustainable for either players aliases TV audiences if early-round matches regularly agelong to 4 aliases 5 hours.

Playing the first 4 rounds of the men's singles complete 3 sets alternatively than 5 would, I know, deprive america of the overseas Grand Slam classic.

There would possibly beryllium a fewer much upsets, but the apical players are much than tin of bringing that strength from crippled one. As the Olympics and various circuit finals person shown, three-set matches tin beryllium utterly compelling.

I would propose reverting to 5 sets from the quarter-finals onwards, and offering women the aforesaid opportunity.

Changing the format halfway done does not look an rumor to me. Footballers sometimes request to play half-an-hour of other time, cricketers move betwixt T20 matches and five-day Tests, and you request 10 frames to triumph a first-round World Snooker Championships lucifer - but 18 to triumph the final.

Players person been talking astir the physical and intelligence impact of precocious finishes for years.

The ATP and WTA Tour person jointly brought successful a caller norm which intends nary matches should commencement aft 11pm - but location are loopholes, and that does not use to the 4 majors.

Daniil Medvedev and Emil Ruusuvuori played until 3.40am astatine this year’s Australian Open, contempt Tennis Australia starting the tourney a time earlier to "deliver a solution to minimise precocious finishes".

This year's US Open saw a record latest finish for a women's lucifer successful the event's history, and a men's lucifer which finished moreover later., external

If these 2 Slams want to proceed to shape some a women's and a men's lucifer successful the nighttime session, pinch the anticipation of 8 sets of tennis, past they cannot commencement astatine 7pm.

A 5pm commencement whitethorn origin issues pinch the TV evening news bulletin, and immoderate inconvenience for those who unrecorded adjacent and are hoping to do a afloat day's activity beforehand, but it would dramatically trim the number of post-midnight finishes.

A mixed squad World Cup should beryllium created truthful that apical players attack it the aforesaid measurement they do a Grand Slam, and retreat only arsenic a past resort.

The timing of this is truthful important. The finals of squad competitions should nary longer beryllium successful November, erstwhile players' bodies consciousness surgery and they cognize they person hardly a period earlier a caller play begins.

Late September would beryllium perfect, moreover if events for illustration the Laver Cup person to move backmost successful the calendar.

The Davis and Billie Jean King Cups person a proud history, pinch the men's arena making love backmost to 1900, but a mixed finals involving 16 teams would beryllium an important measurement towards maintaining the prestige of the competitions.

An October decorativeness would beryllium welcomed by many, but location would still beryllium a chance to research erstwhile the Grand Slam play is done.

Why should virtually each ATP and WTA arena travel the aforesaid format?

Holding indoor events successful Europe pinch smaller fields later successful the play presents an opportunity to research and pull attraction that could different move elsewhere.

Seedings are a measurement of protecting the apical players - and a tourney director’s finance successful them - but why not effort a random FA Cup-style tie earlier each round?

Or, why not play the first to 4 games, arsenic featured astatine the Next Gen ATP Finals? Scrap lets and watch a subordinate scramble to scope a nett affected serve? Or request a subordinate deed their ain service moreover if the shot flip goes awry?

What's the harm successful trying?