LONDON — High-ranked Aryna Sabalenka would not need girls’s tennis to maneuver to best-of-five-set matches at Grand Slam tournaments — like the lads play — fearing larger harm dangers.
“Most likely bodily I am one of many strongest ones, so perhaps it will profit me. However I feel I am not able to play 5 units,” Sabalenka stated following her two-set first-round victory at Wimbledon on Monday.
“I feel it is an excessive amount of on the lady’s physique. I feel we’re not prepared for this quantity of tennis. I feel it will enhance the quantity of accidents. So I feel this isn’t one thing I might contemplate.”
Girls play best-of-three units in any respect tournaments. Males play the best-of-five format at Grand Slam tournaments, and better of three elsewhere.
There is no widespread motion for the change, nevertheless it’s an occasional speaking level — if girls’s tennis ought to transfer to greatest of 5 on the later phases of the main tournaments.
Sabalenka was requested concerning the French Open remaining through which Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in a five-setter that lasted 5½ hours.
“For somebody watching, it is wonderful to see 5 hours of nice tennis,” Sabalenka stated. “However I am not likely jealous to remain there for 5 hours as a participant. I do not know what number of days they wanted to get well after that loopy match.”
No. 2-ranked Coco Gauff expressed comparable sentiments about best-of-five units on Saturday.
“It might favor me simply from a physicality standpoint. However I do assume it will sort of be an enormous change for the tour. I feel it will be fantastic simply maintaining it like how it’s,” the American stated.
Sabalenka beat 194th-ranked Carson Branstine 6-1, 7-5 in 73 minutes on Monday.
