Rennae Stubbs, the coach of Serena Williams, has called for Grand Slam matches to be changed to a best-of-four-set format after Novak Djokovic's gruelling five-hour 15-minute quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon. Stubbs argued that the marathon match left Djokovic exhausted for his semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner, who went on to win the tournament.
Djokovic's epic quarter-final
Djokovic, 39, defeated Auger-Aliassime 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in a match that lasted five hours and 15 minutes. The Serbian great, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, saved multiple break points and fought through a gruelling fifth-set tiebreak to secure victory. However, Stubbs believes the physical toll of the match severely impacted Djokovic's performance in the semi-finals.
Stubbs' proposal for a four-set format
Speaking on her podcast, Stubbs said: 'I think a balance of that could be best of four, if it goes two sets all, we play a 10-point tiebreak. If we are talking about women’s tennis – and no offence to the women or the men – the women are going to be playing longer matches.'
She added: 'I just feel like they will play longer matches because they don’t have the big serves. You saw the men’s, they are playing long rallies now as well, but they do have huge serves and win a lot of points on their serve particularly on grass. But you are not going to see that quick of a point all of the time, certainly not on clay, where they are playing 40-ball rallies.'
Stubbs also addressed potential criticism of a 10-point tiebreak deciding a Grand Slam match: 'So I just think if we are going to do it for both, let’s do it for both, and do it two sets all and end it in a 10-point tiebreak. What’s the difference? When someone says hold on a second we don’t want to finish a match with a 10-point tiebreak? We do! If it gets to 6-6 in the fifth set at every major we play a 10-point tiebreak. So what is the difference?'
Impact on Djokovic's semi-final
Stubbs directly linked Djokovic's quarter-final marathon to his semi-final loss to Sinner, who defeated him 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. She said: 'Arguably that f***ed Novak for the next match against Sinner. He was dead. Jannik played the most perfect match against Novak in the semi-final. I watched it in person and Novak was just a step slower on everything.'
She continued: 'Is that because he’s 39? Probably. Is Jannik the best player in the world when he’s on? Probably. But if he doesn’t go five and a half hours and goes four hours instead, does he have a little bit extra in his tank? Probably.'
Sinner's triumph
Sinner, 24, went on to win his second Wimbledon title and fifth Grand Slam overall, defeating Alexander Zverev 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final. The Italian had also won Wimbledon the previous year, cementing his status as the world's best player on grass.
Context and reaction
The proposal to reduce Grand Slam men's matches to best of four sets has been debated for years, with proponents citing player welfare and tournament scheduling. Opponents argue that the five-set format is a tradition that tests endurance and mental fortitude. Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, has previously expressed support for keeping five-set matches, though he acknowledged the physical demands after his quarter-final.
