Five-set tennis is under attack. Killing it would be a colossal unforced error | Andrew Lawrence
Five-set matches are physically punishing, occasionally absurd and increasingly under threat. They also produce much of what makes grand slam tennis great Tuesday night’s quarter-final match between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz had everything a US Open spectacle could ask for: huge stakes, knife-edge drama, top-shelf competition and an American hero who comes through in the end. The only fault…
Five-set matches in tennis have become physically demanding and occasionally absurd, and they may soon be facing extinction. The latest example of this trend was the quarter-final match between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open. The match featured all the elements that make grand slam tennis exciting: high stakes, nail-biting drama, exceptional competition, and a triumphant American hero who pulled through in the end.
Unfortunately, the only drawback was the excessive time it took. The first serve didn't occur until 11:05 PM, and Shelton's decisive ace didn't come until 3:33 AM, making it the latest-ending US Open match by 43 minutes. Naturally, the conversation among media and fans shifted from the USTA's scheduling mistakes to debates about whether the five-set format should be discontinued. Rest assured, eliminating this format would be a catastrophic blunder.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
