Tennis: FA Cup-style draws, better scheduling and best-of-three in a Slam first week – what changes could the sport make?

With another tennis year about to begin, please indulge your imagination for a moment.

It is Monday, 30 June 2025 and we have just had this report from Wimbledon.

“The defending ladies’ champion was the first player to walk out on to Centre Court this year, as The All England Club joined the other Grand Slams in a year of significant change.

“Men have joined women in playing best-of-three sets in the first four rounds of a major, with all singles played over five sets from the quarter-finals onwards.

“Change at this year’s Australian Open was well received. There was only one post-midnight finish as 17:00 local time was adopted as a default starting point for night sessions – and there is much to look forward to later in the year.

“The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup will merge to create a World Cup of Tennis in September, while late-season tournaments will feature FA Cup-style draws, faster scoring formats and players having to hit a serve regardless of how badly they toss the ball.”

You might not like all of those ideas – or even any of them – but change is not as hard as is often made out.

Here are five ideas to shake up tennis.