Serena Williams Insists The Women Are “Ready, Willing, And Able” To Play Best-Of-5

by Tom Gainey | August 31st, 2014, 11:09 am
  • 11 Comments

Following a tough 63, 63 win over lefty Varvara Lepchenko in the US Open third round yesterday, tournament top seed Serena Williams admitted that she’s more than open to having women play best-of-5 set matches at the Slams.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We don’t mind playing five sets,” Serena said. “We’ve offered to play five sets. The tournaments don’t want us to play five sets. We’re ready, willing, and able to play five sets.”

With TV and cultures dictating shorter entertainment events, it’s extremely unlikely women’s Grand Slam matches would ever play best-of-5 (some have argued the men move to best-of-3), so Serena could be just saying that knowing such a rule would never get passed.


All the upsets has left Serena as an even bigger favorite to win her third straight US Open. Tomorrow the 32-year-old will face Kaia Kanepi in search of her first Grand Slam quarterfinal of the season.

“I’ve been a casualty this whole year at Grand Slams,” Serena said of the upsets. “I’m just hoping to keep staying in there.”


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11 Comments for Serena Williams Insists The Women Are “Ready, Willing, And Able” To Play Best-Of-5

Polo Says:

Make women’s tennis best of five and Serena will end up winning all of them.

August 31st, 2014 at 11:38 am


Alexandra Says:

I don’t believe the women really want that. But that’s easy to say that, if you know it won’t happpen anyway. And playing potentially best-of-5 in every round? No, I don’t believe the women are ready for that. Maybe if you are sure you don’t lose sets, which is likely for Serena but not for a lot of the other women. They just want an argument for the same pricemoney as the men by saying, Look it’s not our fault, we want to play 5 sets. But I don’t buy that for one second.

August 31st, 2014 at 12:10 pm


Tennis Fan Says:

Fitness level not there for many of them … i include Serena in that group

August 31st, 2014 at 12:50 pm


jane Says:

i’d like to see this. at least in later rounds!

August 31st, 2014 at 1:43 pm


Hippy Chic Says:

IMO The semis should be,and most definetly the final….

August 31st, 2014 at 1:47 pm


Tennis Fan Says:

I don’t disagree … But if you are going to play 5 sets you really can’t start it at the end.

August 31st, 2014 at 9:02 pm


steve-o Says:

The Masters tournaments used to have best-of-five finals, but all the earlier rounds were best-of-three. It was the marathon Federer-Nadal final in Rome ’06, which forced both of them to withdraw from the Hamburg Masters the week afterward, that made the ATP change its mind.

I wouldn’t mind a best-of-five women’s final in the Grand Slams and also at the year-end championships. It would add spice. And it’s only five times a year.

August 31st, 2014 at 9:18 pm


Hippy Chic Says:

Steve O thats what i meant the GS and the WTFs for sure,i also think the mens WTFs should be best of five….

September 1st, 2014 at 3:21 am


Michael Says:

I do not think women can endure a five set match. It would be more taxing for their body and they just cannot take the effort that is needed to stay afloat for such a lengthy period of time on court fighting fit. It would be better that they are confined just to three set format and may be the mens tennis today should consider playing three setters in right earnest in Grand slams.

September 1st, 2014 at 5:29 am


addicted Says:

Serena is simply calling out all the anti-WTA equal pay people’s bluff.

The Grand Slams would LOVE to change the men’s matches into best of 3, for TV reasons. No way will they EVER wanna switch WTA matches to Best of 5, even if the players insist.

September 1st, 2014 at 10:06 am


John Says:

The best of three format for slams makes it theoretically easier to win a major than a Masters level event, because the former have a day off in between. I think shortening the format for men would be a mistake, and agree that at least in the later rounds, the women should play best of 5. Grand slams should be the pinnacle of achievement in tennis.

September 1st, 2014 at 2:43 pm

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