Novak Djokovic eked out a tense yet definitive win in the first round of Wimbledon against Wu Yibing. Despite appearing to be under pressure after his opponent leveled the match by clinching the second set, the World No. 8 maintained his composure to record a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory. However, rather than exalting his performance, Djokovic’s post-match thoughts pertained to a growing issue in tennis and called for a major rule change.

The veteran Serb has urged the tennis chiefs to reevaluate the tournament structures and called for shorter matches. His reasoning, instead of preventing a decline in sporting performance, focused on retaining viewers’ attention.

“Young people may watch the Grand Slams, but they are not going to sit four or five hours every day in front of a match,” he said during his post-match press conference. “The attention span has changed, and we must understand how the current market works. In my opinion, tournaments on the circuit should experiment with more dynamic formats, shorter matches, and more attractive proposals for the viewer. The Grand Slams are another story, but outside of them we must dare to innovate.”

The Serb’s remark isn’t without evidence. According to a study by Leigh Walderman Hilton from Attest this year, only 61% percent of viewers aged 18-21 intended to watch Wimbledon. The results become even more concerning, with just 26% of the same demographic expecting to consume as much tennis as they can, preferring to delve into highlights instead. As for those over 55, almost 70% looked forward to relishing the tournament on a full scale — painting a stark contrast that aligns with Djokovic’s concern. Yet this isn’t his first or only foray into seeking an overhaul in tennis.

Djokovic’s suggestion was part of his larger argument against the sport’s structure. The Serbian, renowned for being outspoken, demanded a “large-scale reset,” citing the commercial expansion of the sport as a major culprit for player injuries and bemoaning the lack of unity among tennis’ governing bodies. To Djokovic’s credit, his criticisms haven’t come without effort to raise solutions. Alongside former player Vasek Pospisil, he founded the Professional Tennis Players Association in 2019; though he left the organization earlier this year due to personal disagreements regarding “transparency and governance.” Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped him from criticizing the sport’s conventions.

While Djokovic’s point about the younger audience may seem abrupt or divisive, his grievances with the tour’s grueling demands are undeniably factual. A total of 19 players have already pulled out of Wimbledon, and the majority of these withdrawals have come due to injury.

Carlos Alcaraz is undoubtedly the most notable player to withdraw from the Grand Slam, but Lorenzo Musetti, Emma Raducanu, and Jack Draper have also pulled out due to fitness problems. It won’t be wrong to say that the stress of constantly participating in tournaments takes a toll on players, leading to injuries. Though Djokovic has endorsed shortening the tour and its matches, he has a different point of view when it comes to the bigger stage.

“Grand Slams, that’s different. Playing best-of-five and so forth, I have my opinions on that. I think at least on the tours we can play around. We need to. It’s not happening. So, let’s see what happens there,” he further said.

Notably, the Grand Slams had adopted the best-of-five format for men’s matches all the way back in 1877. Wimbledon also held its first edition that year. The format would remain the same for almost a century before the US Open decided to experiment in the 1970s.

They decided to shorten the matches to the best-of-three format to prevent overly long encounters. However, after receiving backlash from viewers, the Grand Slam reverted to the best-of-five format near the end of the decade. Since then, none of the majors have made any changes to the format of men’s matches, and it is highly unlikely that any change will take place in the coming years.

While Djokovic doesn’t want to tinker with Grand Slams, it is safe to say that he isn’t a big fan of the format. He even urged the majors to consider changing it during his Wimbledon campaign two years ago.

Djokovic once urged the Grand Slams to shorten the length of early rounds

After defeating Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the SW19, Djokovic insisted that the Grand Slams could consider changing the format of the early rounds. He felt that the first few matches shouldn’t be overly exhausting for any player.

“I think they should stay best-of-five. The only thing that I’m maybe thinking it could be good to consider is the opening rounds that could go best-of-three,” he said in 2024. “Then you move into the hybrid of best-of-fives from the fourth rounds or quarters. That’s just me, my thinking.”

Though Djokovic may have gotten used to the Grand Slam format — thanks to scaling back his playing schedule — he certainly doesn’t want to be exhausted after long, arduous contests in the opening rounds. His latest encounter against Yibing proved to be a challenge, as the Chinese player waged a strong fight. The match lasted three hours and 12 minutes, leaving both players visibly tired at the end.

It remains to be seen if Djokovic will be in his best shape against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round on Wednesday. The 39-year-old has dominated the matchup over the years and boasts a commanding 12-2 lead in head-to-head. This will be their first encounter since the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Djokovic triumphed 6-3, 7-6.