McEnroe joins the list and proposes to revolutionize tennis

The defeat of Novak Djokovic in his debut at the US Open 2026 has sparked widespread opinions, and one of the most controversial has been from John McEnroe. After the Serbian tennis player's physical issues, the former number 1 in the U.S. has proposed a revolution in tennis, changing the scoring system and making matches shorter and less physically demanding.

This is not the first time someone has suggested something similar. In fact, Djokovic himself said a few weeks ago that this would be the right thing to do, although there are other players like Joao Fonseca who countered that he said that because he is older. This time, McEnroe has joined the Serbian tennis player's side on ESPN, where he expressed a view that is becoming increasingly common in the tennis world, as a minority believes that we need to do something to generate more attention for the king of racket sports. 

"We should change the scoring format. Matches should not be played to six games per set, but rather to four, possibly without advantage. Best of five sets, keeping matches within a two-hour timeframe. It's the best for everyone," McEnroe stated. His reason for this change is that "people's attention span is shorter than ever."

Physicality, key to understanding Djokovic's crisis

In fact, McEnroe believes that Djokovic's physical decline is the only reason the Serbian player is no longer winning major tournaments, and why he used to win them. "Novak has won so much precisely because he could outlast everyone else. He was in better physical shape than anyone and won matches that lasted five hours or more. He was much harder to beat in best-of-five matches than in best-of-three matches," he concluded.

As of today, his physique barely lasts three sets in many cases, although John's revolution is not only aimed at the Serbian player. In the world we live in, people want everything fast and rushed, which is why besides sets to four games, the American believes that there shouldn't be a fifth set in Grand Slams. "In Grand Slams, I would recommend a tiebreak when the score is tied at two sets, instead of a full fifth set.",  he finished.

For now, these proposals seem to be falling on deaf ears, as the majority opinion remains to keep tennis in its classic format and avoid innovation. With this dynamic, stadiums continue to be filled and the sport continues to reach a lot of people, so in the short term, the formula that has brought so much success throughout history will continue to be relied upon.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, McEnroe se suma a la lista y propone revolucionar el tenis