Andy Murray finds arguments against the best-of-five format
Andy Murray would not be averse to a change to the best-of-three format even in Grand Slam tournaments, as the Briton explained in a chat with Gael Monfils.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Nov 23, 2020, 09:24 am
It is quite possible that Gael Monfils got in the mood for a future career as a game show host last week. On his Twitch channel, the Frenchman, wearing a fine thread and a tie, analyzed the ATP Finals with Andy Murray, but also commented on urgent questions about tennis in general. Rather, he let his prominent guest do this. And one of the questions that world number one Novak Djokovic has brought back to the table in London is whether one should keep the best-of-five format in Grand Slam tournaments.
# IMG2
Opinions among the top players are divided in this regard: Rafael Nadal , Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev vehemently defended the status quo in the majors, while London champion Daniil Medvedev believes that he could live well with the best-of-three. Medvedev argued, however, honestly selfish: he simply expects better chances in matches on two sets of wins.
Marathon between Isner and Anderson
Andy Murray has conjured up some classics in the majors on the sand, the grass or the hard courts in Melbourne and New York. And yet he discovered during his injury break as a co-commentator on the BBC that a five-set match demands a lot from the tennis fan as such. In 2018 it took John Isner and Kevin Anderson 6:36 hours to determine the second finalist alongside Novak Djokovic.
A hit for Ben Rothenberg, a journalist at the New York Times who has been running a, well, Twitter campaign against the classic format for some time. And just for this from Brad Gilbert, also on Twitter, received the virtual red card.
So it's no wonder that Rothenberg celebrated Murray's latest statement as part of his appearances at Gael Monfils. The three-time major champion said, "Sometimes people mistake a great tennis match for a game that just took a very, very long time." Especially since the level is rarely high over the entire period of a five-set match.
Murray saves strength
Murray noted that sometimes after a two-set match that was over in an hour, you feel like you have come up short as a fan. But: "You often get a brilliant three-set match because both players know that they can give everything at every point." On the other hand, he has also had matches with majors in which he was 0: 4 in one set was behind. And hadn't shown his maximum commitment for a few minutes to save energy for the final sprint. On the other hand, Sir Andrew himself has already put down some classics that serve as evidence that the status quo should be maintained with the majors - such as in Australia in 2012.