In a recent post on her X account, the tennis icon Billie Jean King shared her thoughts on the future of tennis, focusing specifically on the idea of best-of-5-set matches, a format typically reserved for men’s singles matches in Grand Slam tournaments. Could this potentially controversial change be the key to attracting younger fans to the sport?
The outspoken American legend didn’t hold back as she delved into various aspects of the Tour that she believes could be altered to make tennis more appealing to a wider audience. One of the key points she raised was the format of matches themselves.
“People always ask me about the future of the game we all love and what I would change if I could. Here are my thoughts, some of which may surprise you,” she wrote, before laying out her proposed changes in a detailed list.
One particularly unconventional suggestion involved revamping the traditional scoring system used in tennis matches. King argued that the current system, with its confusing combinations of numbers like 15-40 and 30-15, could be off-putting to newer fans, especially young ones.
“I think that new fans who are approaching this sport, especially the younger ones, don’t really understand what 15-40 or 30-15 means. What I would do is a simpler score: 1, 2, 3 and 4. At that point it doesn’t matter what you have to do to win the match with a possible 2-2, whether or not a gap of two is necessary, what is clear to me is that I would put aside forever 30-30 and all those names,” she explained.
King also touched on the idea of personalizing players’ shirts with their names, a concept that could add an extra level of excitement and connection for fans watching the matches unfold.
With her bold ideas and forward-thinking approach, Billie Jean King continues to be a prominent voice in the world of tennis, advocating for changes that could shape the future of the sport we all know and love. Will her vision for the game ultimately come to fruition? Only time will tell.