People keep asking me about the future of the game we all love and what I would change about it if I could. Here are my thoughts. Some of them may surprise you,” wrote Billie Jean King on X.
Under the short introduction, she posted a video clip in which she talks about the changes she believes are desirable . She summarized them in three main points.
Iga Świątek’s semi-final opponent had four match points. She lost after 221 minutes of play.
Billie Jean King’s Future of Tennis: Can It Work? A Revolutionary Vision
– First of all, I don’t like the scoring system because it makes it harder to attract new people to tennis, especially young people – said the American. According to her vision, the scoring system based on 15-30-40 should be abandoned . What’s changed? Similar to other sports – 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.
– Secondly, each player’s jersey, like in team sports, must have their name and surname and number on the back – suggests the winner of 39 Grand Slam tournaments. Why? This is to result in better promotion of the players themselves. Not all faces playing for points in the world rankings are widely recognizable.
Third, I want everyone to play three-set matches in the Grand Slam tournaments . Men and women should compete at the same distance – says Billie Jean King. She explains that broadcast revenue is related to the length of matches, which is something that women currently lose out on.
What do the main stakeholders have to say about this? No one has yet managed to comment on the revolutionary scenario. Iga Świątek will probably be asked about it at the next opportunity .
The world ranking leader will not be on the court next week, as was expected. She has just announced her withdrawal from the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing . She was supposed to defend her title from a year ago in the Chinese capital.
“Due to personal issues, I have to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing. I am very sorry as I had a great time playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to coming back . I know the fans will be there to experience some great tennis and I am sorry that I will not be a part of it this time,” Świątek wrote in an official statement.
