Tennis is a sport that prides itself on tradition but Victoria Azarenka concedes that making adjustments to its format could open the doors for more investment.
The two-time Grand Slam champion spoke in favor of potential changes following her marathon first round win at Wimbledon where she edged out Yue Yuan 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Azarenka is playing in her 15th Wimbledon main draw and is one of five mothers in this year’s tournament. She is a two-time semi-finalist but the last time she reached that stage was in 2012.
Speaking to the media following her latest win, the Belarussian was asked what rule would she change in the sport if she could. Prompting her to speak out about the length of matches and their format.
“The important part is to grow our sport and be able to have a bit more predictability with the scheduling so that it’s easier for people to follow,” she said.
“If that takes maybe shortening the matches a little bit and having more people coming. I feel like that will bring a little bit more marketing opportunities and it will help grow our sport.”
There has been a long debate about the use of best-of-five matches in sport with traditionalists voicing fierce opposition to any suggestion of removing it. Furthermore, French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has previously spoken in favor of potentially using that format during the later stages of the women’s tournament. Although there are no guarantees that this will happen.
“It’s a debatable thing but from a business standpoint I feel like it could be a pretty good one,” Azarenka argues.
Wimbledon is renowned for its combination of tradition with modern-day life. This year is the first time they have relaxed their all-white rule to allow female players to wear darker underwear. The decision was taken due to players’ concerns about wearing white whilst menstruating. The all-white rule dates back to the Victorian era when it was perceived improper to sweat and wearing white hid it.
“I appreciate the nonfull-white rule for the girls. I think that was an important step. I think that’s very thoughtful,” she said.
“I think the traditions are good, but we do want to innovate sometimes, so I think with the rule of scheduling, there will be a couple of things that could be adjusted. For me, that would be that one.”
