Martina Navratilova, the nine-time Wimbledon champion, renewed her call for tennis to abolish the service let rule while commentating on the BBC's coverage of the women's singles quarter-final between Karolina Muchova and Naomi Osaka. The 69-year-old tennis legend described the rule as "useless" and urged officials to speed up the game.
Navratilova's Plea During Quarter-Final
During the match, Osaka benefited from a let call after her first serve hit the net cord and landed in the service box. Under current rules, the serve is replayed. Navratilova said on BBC One: "Do away with that let cord, you know I talk about it all the time. Nobody's moving forward on that; get rid of it, it's useless! No, play the let, play the ball, it's a live ball. Every once in a while, you get that dribbler that would be an ace, but that happens once every three matches, so just play. Most of the lets are just a little nick, keep playing, speed up the game."
Existing Exceptions in Junior Events
Wimbledon already does not enforce the service let rule in its boys' and girls' events, a change implemented across all Junior Grand Slam tournaments in 2018. The Next Gen ATP Finals also play lets. Navratilova has advocated for this change for over two decades.
Consistent Advocacy for Change
In October 2023, Navratilova responded to tennis commentator Steve Weissman's suggestion of "no more lets on serves" on the Tennis Channel, saying: "Been screaming that for about 20 years!!! NO MORE LETS!!!!" Weissman added: "It happens in every other part of the game other than the serve. No more lets."
During last year's US Open women's singles final, Navratilova told Sky Sports: "It's such a stupid rule. I am really fed up with it. I have been talking about it for decades, it feels like! Why? Somebody made that rule 150 years ago, and we have not changed it!"
McEnroe Also Supports Change
John McEnroe echoed the sentiment at last year's Wimbledon, telling BBC Radio 5 Live's 6-Love-6: "Play lets, I would play lets. I think that is more exciting, but the top players would not want it because it adds an element of uncertainty and luck. That is why I don't think you will see it, but I would like to see it."
