John McEnroe caused quite a stir when he proposed a Grand Slam rule change.
"My suggestion, which I've been making for 30, 40 years, even though nobody listens to me, is to play best of five sets, and at two sets all, play a 10-point tiebreak. That's one possibility," said McEnroe while appearing as a guest on ' El Larguero '.
Sitting alongside McEnroe , former Grand Slam finalist Alex Corretja suggested a different rule change that he believes would encourage more upsets at major tournaments.
"I like the epic nature of five sets. I think that's what totally differentiates it from regular events. I could even consider that the first three matches – that is, the first week of the Grand Slam – perhaps to create a bit more dynamism and give players lower in the rankings a chance to upset those at the top, maybe up to the round of 16," said Corretja .
"Then, from the round of 16 onwards, five sets. The super tiebreak or not in the fifth set would be another measure. But in the end, if the early rounds are played four sets and then the super tiebreak, those matches can still last four and a half hours.
"So, perhaps what should be shortened is the earlier rounds, to make them more attractive. In three sets, players can pull off an upset, when in five sets, it's almost impossible for the favourites to lose."
Corretja wants Grand Slam to use the best-of-three set format in the first three rounds, before reverting to best-of-five for the second week. The Spaniard believes such a change would increase the number of upsets in the earlier rounds. But is he right?
If Corretja's proposal had been in place at the four Grand Slams this year, two of our major champions wouldn't have lifted the trophy. Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev would remain victorious in Melbourne and Paris, winning their opening three matches regardless of the format, but the same cannot be said for our Wimbledon and US Open champions.
Jannik Sinner won Wimbledon this year, defeating Zverev in the final. However, if the best-of-three format was in place for the first three rounds, the Italian would have lost his opening match against Miomir Kecmanovic.
With Sinner out of the picture, perhaps Zverev would have taken the title, or maybe Novak Djokovic could have taken advantage… We'll never know.
Then at the US Open, Zverev would have lost his opening match against Lorenzo Sonego in the three-set format. Maybe Ben Shelton could have ended the American men's Grand Slam drought if he hadn't played the German in the final.
Would still win the Australian Open with Alex Corretja's proposal
Would still win the French Open with Alex Corretja's proposal
Wouldn't win Wimbledon with Alex Corretja's proposal
New result – 1R [LOSS] vs Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7
Original result – 1R [WIN] vs Miomir Kecmanovic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3
Wouldn't win US Open with Alex Corretja's proposal
New result – 1R [LOSS] vs Lorenzo Sonego, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7
Original result – 1R [WIN] vs Lorenzo Sonego, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
It remains to be seen whether the powers that be decide to change the format, but it's certainly interesting to think about. If Corretja had his way, we could be reflecting on a very different Grand Slam season right now.
