How different would the men’s final have been if Novak Djokovic finished his match on Friday and Kevin Anderson didn’t play for more than six-and-a-half hours?
The answer to that question is one nobody will know. Not to say that the outcome would have been any different at The All England Club. One of the most unique things about the tournament is their proud traditions. Including making players wear white based on the Victorian era when the public believed white clothing was the best way to hide sweat marks. But what happens when the traditions draws criticism?
Going into the later stages of the men’s tournament, many questioned the current structure of the matches. In the fifth set, there is no tiebreak. Consequently resulting in a rare occurrence at The All England club with two marathon semi-final matches. Kevin Anderson outlasted John Isner 26-24 after more than six hours on the court. Meanwhile, Djokovic needed more than five hours to see off Rafael Nadal.
“I just hope the slams can also at least look at it and have an open conversation about it.” Anderson said following the men’s final.
“I think it’s at least a conversation worth having both just protecting players’ health when you have these very long matches. But, I honestly don’t know where it exactly will go from that.
“I guess my hope is just to have a conversation about it.”
Eight years ago the same debate erupted. That was triggered by John Isner’s gut-busting three-day win over Nicolas Mahut, which he prevailed 70-68 in the decider. Making it the longest match of all time. Interestingly, the debate surrounding the use of a decisive tiebreaker wasn’t so intense. In fact, when Isner was asked if he supported the motion, he replied ‘No, I think you should play it out.’
Isner’s response back in 2010 was a sharp contrast to Friday. Where he openly endorsed the motion.
“I personally think a sensible option would be 12-all,” he said. “If one person can’t finish the other off before 12-all, then do a tiebreaker there. I think it’s long overdue.”
The two comments seemed like nothing to begin with, until you look at it in detail. Tennis players are some of the fittest athletes in the world, but they are also human. It is inevitable that the older they get, the quicker they would want matches to end. Roger Federer has previously admitted that it takes him longer to recover from matches.
This is why one of Wimbledon’s best-known traditions needs to be looked at. It doesn’t take into the reality of the tour. In the modern game, more players are playing later into their career. Highlighted by the fact there are 37 players in the top 100 over the age of 30.
“I think if I asked most players, they wouldn’t be opposed to incorporating a fifth-set breaker.” States Anderson, who is a member of the ATP player council.
“ I’m sure there’s a few people that embrace the history, that you do play long sets. It is a unique point. I definitely agree with that.
“But I think just as tennis continues to evolve and just sports in general, I think the incredibly long matches maybe has had its place and time.”
There has been few discussions about if the latest series of marathon matches will have any impact on a future rule change. The current position of The All England Club goes along the line of ‘it will be discussed’ during one of their meetings. Quoting member Tim Henman, who spoke about the subject whilst commentating for the BBC.
Trying to find the right balance in a tournament built on history and tradition is never easy. Wimbledon chief Richard Lewis recently said that it was ‘likely’ that shot clocks will be implemented in the future. A sign the tournament is reluctantly trying to keep up with the times whilst trying to please traditionalists.
There may be uproar about how fifth sets are played at SW19, but this doesn’t mean that the rules will be changed anytime soon. After all, a 665-minute match had little impact back in 2010. The only change will be if more players speak out. Until then, expect five-set marathons to stay.
