Gerard Pique has often found himself at the center of heated debates in the tennis community. The ex-Barcelona soccer star, via his company Kosmos, was behind a heavily scrutinized revamp of the traditional Davis Cup format. His role in altering the competition format from a traditional home-and-away knockout structure to a single-venue event, along with reducing matches to a best-of-three-sets format, faced significant pushback from both players and fans.

This backlash resulted in empty stadiums and ultimately led to the dissolution of the partnership with the International Tennis Federation. Needless to say, the whole saga has solidified Pique’s position as a contentious figure in the sport. A reputation that paved the way for the latest round of criticism after a particularly divisive tennis take.

“Cancel the two serve attempts in tennis and make it one, and cancel deuce and make it a golden point. People don’t want to watch the player bouncing the ball and playing repeated serves,” said Pique in a recent podcast appearance on former national teammate Iker Casillas’ podcast.

The soccer icon elaborated on his view, arguing the current rules don’t make for an entertaining end product for fans. “Why do you get two serves in tennis? That’s 30 more seconds of someone bouncing the ball. People don’t want to see that; they want to see the point. They also don’t want to watch a five-minute game with deuce-advantage-deuce-advantage. There should be a golden point at 40-40,” Pique said.

He presented these suggested modifications as essential for tennis to evolve alongside new generations and to remain competitive against quicker-paced sports such as padel and pickleball.

He also argued that these alternatives are gaining traction due to their greater accessibility and enjoyment, even among players with varying skill levels. However, the response from the tennis community and its supporters was immediate and largely against him.

The tennis community was having none of it

The social media post garnered significant attention, and the tennis community expressed its discontent with Gerard Pique.

One fan wrote that tennis as a sport isn’t about instant gratification: “Tennis isn’t just about winning more points. It’s about winning the important ones, and having the skill and mental strength to achieve that, first by gaining the advantage and then, the game. Without that, is leaving it to chance.”

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Another fan bluntly expressed their disapproval by stating, “Horrible take.” Additional prominent figures in tennis also entered the discussion.

Tennis icon Boris Becker delivered a pointed public rebuttal, directly questioning Pique’s credibility regarding his earlier remarks. “A very good footballer shouldn’t be discussing the future of tennis, with all respect,” Becker stated on X. Renowned coach Brad Gilbert shared a similar sentiment, writing that changes to the sport’s rules were unwarranted.

Given the background of Pique’s attempts to alter the core rules of tennis, one fan wrote, “I feel like this hombre has probably done enough damage to tennis already.”

A different fan expressed their thoughts on the Barcelona legend, saying, “Pique should stick to football, tennis traditions are iconic for a reason!” A fan stated the essence of tennis, noting, “That’s the whole beauty of the sport.” suggesting that its pace, while slower than its rivals, adds to its charm.

Pique’s idea, though unique, was seen as nothing but an effort to undermine the elements that give the sport character.