French Open 2020 - Alex Corretja: Scrap five-set matches in first week of Grand Slams

ByBen Snowball

Published 01/10/2020 at 17:08 GMT

Alex Corretja wants to see five-set matches scrapped in the first week of Grand Slams to avoid the procession of big names reaching the later stages with ease. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have reached the French Open third round for the loss of just 24 games between them.

Eurosport expert Alex Corretja believes that men’s matches should be made shorter in the first week of Grand Slams to avoid dull whitewashes.

The men’s draw sees a best-of-five format at all four majors, but comfortable outings for the top seeds at the French Open have reignited the debate around match length.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, the top three seeds at Roland Garros, have all cruised into the third round without dropping a set.

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Corretja’s solution would be to scrap the best-of-five format until the second week of a Slam, giving the underdogs a better chance of staging an upset.

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'It would put pressure on the favourites' - Corretja wants three-set matches for men at Slams

"In my opinion, to avoid these kinds of situations [top players winning easily] I think we should consider making the first week of the Slams in the men’s side best of three sets. Maybe until the fourth round," Corretja said during Eurosport’s coverage of the French Open.

"Why? Because when you go on court knowing you have to play best of five against Novak, Roger, Rafa, you already play badly from the beginning because you know you’re not going to be consistent for five sets, while they can be.

"If they [the matches] go best of three, you put a lot of pressure on the favourites and at the same time the underdogs think they can do it.

"I think it would create a little bit of feeling that they [top seeds] can lose earlier in the tournament. Now, until they reach the quarters, semis, and they play against each other, I don’t see any chance that they will lose."

The last time any of the Big Three were eliminated before the fourth round at a Slam was Djokovic’s second-round exit at the Australian Open in 2017.

Nadal’s last first-week exit came at the 2016 French Open, where he pulled out before the third round, while Roger Federer’s was in the third round of the 2015 Australian Open – although the Swiss has been more selective in which Slams he enters.

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