The tournament director of the French Open has said she would welcome a potential change for women to play best-of-five matches during the later stages of the tournament if it added value.
Amelie Mauresmo, who is a former world No.1 player on the WTA Tour, told The Telegraph that she would ‘love’ women to play a longer final in the future. As it currently stands, all women’s matches at Grand Slam tournaments are best-of-three sets and the men are best-of-five.
Although this could change in the future should Mauresmo get the relevant backing. The best-of-five format was previously used at the WTA Finals between 1984-1998 in the title match. Other past examples include the US Championships between 1891-1901 and Billie Jean King’s Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs in 1973.
“What I’ve always thought, and this was also as a player, I would love to play a grand-slam final best-of-five or how it was at the year-end WTA championships,” Mauresmo told The Telegraph. “That is something that I would have really loved, and it’s definitely something that I would really think about, if that would add something to women’s tennis.”
Although such a change at Roland Garros would take ‘several years’ for it to be incorporated into the tournament. Furthermore, best-of-five matches for women would only be applied to the later stages of the tournament due to the scheduling.
“Maybe quarters, or maybe semis. The thing is, you cannot change it just like that. Because it asks a different preparation from the players. It would go through a different process of several years, maybe you start with the final.” She said.
During the 2021 Miami Open Stefanos Tsitsipas suggested that women should play a longer format as there is equal pay in the sport. Speaking to reporters, the Greek said that he was ‘’told that women have better endurance than men’ so ‘maybe they can also play best-of-five’.
However, that proposal was shot down at the time by Naomi Osaka who argued that such a change would have big implications on the WTA Tour.
“I feel like that would change the structure of tennis. Like people will start doing things differently in the gym and stuff like that,” Osaka said.
“It will probably also take a very long time to be implemented.”
Notable figures such as the Williams sisters, Angelique Kerber, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova have all previously spoken in favour of women playing the format.
This year is the 127th edition of the French Open which has had equal prize money since 2007.
