The debate over Grand Slam match formats has sparked passionate responses from tennis legends, with Andy Roddick firmly rejecting proposals to introduce best-of-five set matches for women. His stance, delivered with characteristic directness on his podcast, touches on competitive fairness and biological realities that many overlook in this heated discussion.
Why Does Roddick Believe Best-Of-Five Would Damage Women’s Tennis?
In the latest edition of his popular podcast, “Served,” the American weighed in on the debate surrounding the introduction of best-of-five set matches for women from the quarterfinal stage of Grand Slam tournaments.
“I don’t like starting a tournament one way and then changing the entire dynamic of the tournament at a panic,” underlined the former World No. 1, adding that he did not like it when the finals of men’s ATP 1000 events were played in the best-of-five format.
Roddick said, “I didn’t like it in the Masters 1000s on the men’s side where you get to the final, and they go ‘Oh, well, I know you’ve had a long week, but f*#k it, let’s play seven hours before we go to a Grand Slam.'”
Up until 2007, most Masters 1000 finals were contested as best-of-five-set matches. However, from 2008 onward, all events were decided in best-of-three-set matches.
The former US Open champion further pointed out that these arguments did not take women’s periods into account.
“There are things that women go through, and most likely a lot of them are going through at some point over the course of a two-week event, that men don’t have to go through,” he explained. “And rolling the dice on when that happens is insane.”
Roddick continued, “That doesn’t define the best players, and it completely changes the dynamic of what has already been accomplished in that slam up until that point.”
While women’s matches are consistently best-of-three at all Grand Slam tournaments, there have been historical instances of women playing best-of-five, notably in the WTA Tour Finals and the early US Open. The current standard, however, remains best-of-three. Men, however, play best-of-five at Grand Slam tournaments.
Serena Williams’ Husband Has Suggested That Men Should Also Play Best-Of-Three Set Matches in Grand Slams
Some, on the other hand, have advocated for turning men’s matches in Grand Slam tournaments into three-setters. Multi-millionaire investor Alexis Ohanian, married to tennis legend Serena Williams, triggered a fiery debate by suggesting that men should also play best-of-three sets in Grand Slams. Ohanian’s suggestion came at the end of the Roland-Garros final featuring Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Ohanian wrote, “As someone who discovered tennis through the women’s game, I fell in love with the drama of every point mattering. When I finally watched a men’s match, I was confused. Five sets? It made the early games feel like warm-up acts instead of high-stakes battle. The tension was diluted, not heightened.”
As someone who discovered tennis through the women’s game, I fell in love with the drama of every point mattering. When I finally watched a men’s match, I was confused. Five sets? It made the early games feel like warm-up acts instead of high-stakes battle. The tension was… pic.twitter.com/9r50a2OT8b
— Alexis Ohanian 🗽 (@alexisohanian) June 9, 2025
The comment opened the doors for an intense debate on social media. Ohanian, who is the co-founder of the social media platform Reddit, is known for championing equal pay and investing in women’s sport.
