Now that we’ve made our way through the American March, we’ve had to put up with more talk of a ‘fifth Slam’ for another year.
For another year, people seek more grandeur and ‘top tennis’ while the sport they love continues to suffer unbeknownst to many.
It’s getting on my nerves to hear talk of people pushing for one of the two American Masters tournaments, Indian Wells and Miami, to be given ‘Grand Slam’ status.
It seems to me like there are far more pressing issues in the tennis world to be discussing, namely the topic that will never go away from the game, court homogenisation.
But lets put that aside just for a moment.
The problem is that the world never seems content to let traditions carry on. People seem to forget that the more you have of something, the less value it will acquire.
The Australian Open is the baby brother of the four Grand Slam siblings at a meagre 108 years old.
There are very few things left in the world, especially in the world of sport, that can claim such a pattern of consistency and lack of change. It would be nice if we could respect that.
If you make another Grand Slam tournament, it slowly takes the shine off all of the other ones year by year.
A new Slam would certainly try to assert its dominance through superior prize money, facilities and promotion at the cost of the others. No thanks.
Last time I checked, didn’t the respective ATP and WTA schedules seem crammed and condensed enough as it was?
I think the last thing they could use is a more strenuous tournament. The sports faithful may forget that those are human beings on the tennis court.
Let’s put the ‘fifth Slam’ talk to rest, for good.
One of the more pressing issues happening in tennis is the desire for organisers to create tournaments with surfaces promoting ‘entertaining’ tennis. Entertaining is the super-secret code-word for slow, I’ve discovered.
This year’s Australian Open fourth round match between Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka would have been won comfortably by the latter on a more traditional hard court surface that didn’t continually hold the ball for Djokovic to scramble to.
While the match itself was a very high quality affair for the most part, there would be very few opportunities for a man playing a hard-hitting game like Wawrinka to put opponents away due to the court.
Grass was supposed to be the surface that the ball skidded off, not kicked off. Today, Wimbledon is green clay disguised as grass and to deny such an accusation is pointless. I doubt a peak-form Pete Sampras would make a final today.
The Australian Open is now arguably the slowest of the four majors. The French would have died laughing if you told them that 20 years ago.
In further support to the claims of players that the tour is too grueling and long, did they ever consider the toil and strain slower courts put on their bodies? There’s only so much they can be expected to do. But there’s a fix waiting right around the corner.
Of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments, six are on hard courts and three are on clay.
I ask a simple question: for the sake of variety, the game itself and players of all builds and sizes, why do we not have a Masters grass court tournament? I’m talking Halle grass, not Wimbledon. The speedy stuff.
Perhaps upgrade one of Wimbledon’s lead up tournaments to a 1000 level? There’s hardly any space on the calendar, as I’ve already said, to simply create one.
It’s either upgrade or pull the plug on a current tournament and replace it.
This era of tennis has drawn in a ton of new tennis followers who have only witnessed the game styles of the top four players and don’t have the time for the more make-or-break players who can’t get lucky on the current surfaces.
Sport itself is built on variety. Players with different style, height, characteristics, attitudes and aggression.
Tennis court variety has always helped bring this to the fore. But our insatiable hunger for longer and more ‘exciting’ matches push it away.
Take a look at the world’s top ten players and note how many of them are defensive baseline players. In five years time you’ll be hard pressed to find any that aren’t. This is plain wrong.
Aggressive tennis is dying right before our eyes, yet we sit back and do nothing about it. How about changes for the sake of the sport and not for the spectacle?
Stop the talk of more big tournaments and put your minds to work at fixing the calendar and the courts. It’s common sense.
Mark Anderson
Guest
Yes it was so nice to watch Sampras and Courier hit the ball at most three times over the net. That was so exciting.
Johnno
Guest
lorry I agree , with a lot of what you say. A very good suggestion with the Indoor carpet concept. It's a legitimate "individual challenge" and specialist surface in it's own right. Much like clay,grass,hardcore. -Boris Becker would love to play in a era with indoor carpet being a grand slam , unbeatable.. But for me that to me from what i have read on the issue would be the only legitimate means for a 5th grand slam. Like I have said above at the start of this article, put of the allure, of 4 grand slams for mine, is the chance that someone may have a chance of winning the grand slam,. Coz once you win the OZ open, there is that faint hope for the top 5 players in the world to achieve the grand slam. -Steffi Graff in 1988 the last to archive the Grand Slam.
lorry
Guest
Your point about making Halle or any other grass court lead up tournament a masters 1000 event is a great idea,& I also agree that a fifth grand slam is a bit silly unless they removed at least 3 250atp tournaments to make way for the envisaged fifth slam, but I would propose if it were the case that maybe they should have an indoor venue in a cold climate eg: carpet during a Swedish winter & borg & edberg or willander could be championship/tournament referee/director, but my question to you & whom ever else is interested is (if the state of tennis is or isn't broke should we fix it??) As for your comment regarding tennis in the Olympics,I think its a right you earn from dedicating your life to a competetive sport wether it be team or solo & if you are successful professionally & have qualified for the selection process & should be so lucky & privileged to be chosen to represent your country! Why is there even a need to question the validity of a sport be it frowned upon by those who snub they're noses at it, for all we know those very people are the ones who think curling is a sport or darts or fishing etc in saying so I digress.in this instance I don't think the process of adding or removing a sport from the Olympics should be subject to democracy as it were,I think as opposed to a select group of so called Olympic committee officials deciding the fate of admission or omission the process should be left to the world to pontificate on the pros & cons to what is now such a huge financial windfall for the global marketing groups involved of which I might add out of personal interest should donate much of the profit to the less fortunate/recognised sporting countries & islands.anyway that's going off on a tangent, but congratulations on getting me started.thx for the dialogue, lorry.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
It's not a new idea. From 1990 to 1999 the ITF held a tournament in Munich each year called The Grand Slam Cup, which was the the highest prize money of any tournament in tennis. It was unrecognised by the ATP, but the organisers were pushing to make it the indoors carpet Grand Slam. I don't think you have to worry about a fifth Grand Slam for the time being. The players are in favour of reducing the playing schedule not adding another major to it.
matt
Guest
China 1Bn people and massive growing economy. Australia 20m people and from a global perspective a drop in the ocean. It is inevitable that the Aus Open will move to China or else some other part of Asia at some point in the future. It's a simple matter of economics, money talks and the other stuff walks...
Ahmed
Guest
As Asia grows in the Tennis world their will be a growing push for the Australian Open to be moved to China. The Australian Open is already the Grand Slam for the Asian Pacific. A large chinese population following tennis might make the argument to keep the slam in Australia very very weak. A 5th Slam in China may be the way to ward off this threat.
Alexander Grant
Roar Pro
A cycle is a touch more bearable, but something I'd still rather avoid. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for tradition and history.
clipper
Guest
The talk of a fifth slam or of the AO being replaced as the fourth slam was strongest when the AO was at Kooyong and was quite weak, with players like Borg and Connors not even bothering to show up. Since those times it has gone from strength to strength and would be on equal terms with a couple of the other slams, especially with a few of the recent finals - so I don't think there would be much danger of another slam trying to match it with the other four now, especially since it's been that way for 108 years.
Alexander Grant
Roar Pro
Tennis is the very first thing I would kick out of the Olympics if I was given the power to remove whatever I'd like.
Alexander Grant
Roar Pro
Cheers for the feedback David, means a lot.
matt
Guest
Thanks for that Alexander. I believe we will never see a 5th slam. Wimbledon will always remain so, US Open will start rotating through various US cities on a 5 year cycle. RG will do same but cycle through Europe. AO will cycle through Asia. This may be 20 years away but something like this will certainly occur.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Tbh, I have always had a love/hate relationship with Spain and for the last decade it has been a fairly low low between them and me! So am very biased when it comes to Spain, maybe because these days they are doing so well in sports and have become overly confident in my book. So your suggestion does make sense really ;)
Alexander Grant
Roar Pro
I wouldn't say anyone of significance has openly talked about it, but simply Google it and check out the sheer volume of forums and and some news sites throwing the idea about. It's only an idea, but an idea is a powerful thing!
Epiquin
Guest
Also opposed to the 5th slam but if it happens, it will be Russian. I love the fact that Tennis is in the Olympics, but it should have more prestige. For example, what if the winner of the Olympics automatically took the number 1 ranking?
sheek
Roar Guru
Thanks Nick. It just seemed to me that Spain was the next port of call considering some of the outstanding tennis & golf players they have consistently thrown up. Musing over a 5th major was just another speculation I threw in there.
Matt F
Roar Guru
There's been talk for a while that China wants a grand slam. They'd have a strong case in terms of economics if there was ever one up for grabs. I can't see it happening for a long time though, if ever
matt
Guest
Nice article but besides you I am not aware of anyone of significance requesting a 5th slam. Care to enlighten me? The court speed argument is spot on but old news? AO made a big step forward when it moved away from rebound ace.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Sheek re Spain. They have had to cancel a few golf tournaments in the last couple of years as sponsors have just no money to invest in sport due to the crisis the country is facing. Tennis; it would probably mean another clay tournament as they are clay specialists and their minor tournaments are on clay. Redundant with Rolland Garros. Am happy to stick with the majors we have for now.
Johnno
Guest
Sheek. 5 slams I worry will devalue, the dream of winning a grand slam, in tennis and golf, which I believe are part of the allure especially tennis. 5 the challenge will be too great, I just worry 5 grand slams will devalue, the allure of winning a grand slam or , even winning just 1 grand slam title, less is more sometimes, more can be too much. If it's 5 you know you will have 5 cracks at the cherry every year, it won't be special enough i think. Don't mind tennis at the Olympics, golf i think it's totally stupid.
Kate Smart
Expert
Some really good points Alexander. I agree that a fifth Slam would be ridiculous. As for an argument that if there was to be a fifth it would be in the US, I think is unlikely. Surely Asia would be pushing for it and let's hope not at the expense of the Australian. It's a shame that the calendar is so jam packed and you're right about the court speeds. A bit more variety is necessary not just for the health of the players, but for the health of the fans.