No more best-of-five? Scoring system changes? Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo keen to 'evolve' format, make Australian Open the 'biggest' Grand Slam
Published 08/09/2026 at 14:33 GMT+1
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The Australian Open has been one of the most innovative Grand Slams in recent years, becoming the first to implement a tie-breaker at 6-6 in the final set, and launching the One Point Slam, which pits amateurs against pros for the chance to win $1 million AUD (£532,000).
Carlos Alcaraz (L) and Novak Djokovic at the 2026 Australian Open
Image credit: Getty Images
Could the Australian Open soon break new ground again with changes to the best-of-five set format and the scoring system?
Alterations to the best-of-five format in the men's singles event have been mooted for several years due to the increasing length of matches and the physical demands on the players.
There is also the challenge of competing with other sports for viewing time in crowded markets.
New Tennis Australia chief executive Andrew Abdo, who has replaced Craig Tiley in the role, has suggested change could be coming.
"Sport is entertainment. And clearly there’s unbelievable athleticism involved with the sport at that level. But the rules and the format and the product has to evolve," Abdo said at the SportNXT conference in Melbourne.
"And so a short-form version of that, who knows? Maybe in the future, Slams at the different rounds, or at different lengths of duration, maybe we’re not playing best-of-five all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes.
"Maybe there are different permutations to how we engage and entertain audiences without losing the fabric, and what really makes the sport special.
"I think those are the questions that we need to explore and discover, and I think there’s a place for evolving that.
"If you listen to the purists, they’ll say, 'don’t touch that'. But actually... if you look at sports around the world, if you’re not thinking about that product in a way that’s contemporary, in a way that’s going to connect with young people, then I think you’re going to be left behind."
The best-of-five format is only played at the four Grand Slams and only in the men's singles, with women playing best-of-three sets throughout.
It has been suggested in recent years that women could play best-of-five from the quarter-finals onwards, although the idea was met with a largely negative reaction by top female players.
Scoring changes have already been implemented at the Next Gen Finals, where each set is first to four games, there is no-ad scoring, and no lets on serves.
Abdo says his ambition is to make tennis the most popular sport in Australia and to make the Australian Open the biggest sporting event on the calendar.
"The vision we have to have is we want this to be not only the best Slam in the world, we want this to be one of the most iconic events in the world.
"And to do that, we have to listen and we have to stay connected to everything that is changing in the world — what consumers want, players want, what sponsors and corporates and broadcasters want.
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Highlights: Alcaraz beats Djokovic to complete career Grand Slam
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It’s moving really quickly. But tennis is something that is related. It’s global. It’s probably the most gender-balanced sport in the world in terms of pay at the elite level.
"I think in five years’ time, the AO will be the biggest, most successful Slam on the planet, and tennis will be the No. 1 played and most popular sport in this country.
"And work backwards from there. It’s up to us to find ways in which we can make that a reality. And that’s exciting."
World No. 10 Taylor Fritz has said he supports the idea of best-of-five set matches despite the physical demands on the players.
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"I think it’s good at Slams," said Fritz at Wimbledon. "I think the better player will typically win more often in a best-of-five match. So I like that for the Slams.
"I think it wouldn’t feel great at a Slam to just show up nervous, drop two sets and be done.
"I think some of the two-set-down comebacks is what makes Slams memorable and fun. Obviously I’d love to play less, but I think it’s good with best-of-five."
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