With 23-year-old Rafael Nadal unable to defend his hard-earned Wimbledon crown because of tendinitis in his knees, another culprit has entered the conversation: The best-of-five set format.
At least one tennis authority thinks the extended format for men in the four majors should be scrapped.
According to Billie Jean King, the sport she played mostly on forgiving grass with wooden rackets in the 1960s and 1970s was "pitty pat" compared to the physicality of today.
"It's not the same game," says King, the founder of the women's tour and a six-time Wimbledon singles champion. "We thought we were killing ourselves. But look at the torque on the body now. It's got to take a toll on the hips and the knees."
"From an injury perspective, obviously if you're out there less, you're less likely to get hurt, I guess," says No. 6 Andy Roddick, who advanced Tuesday with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3 victory vs. Jeremy Chardy of France.
Whether the best-of-five format is detrimental to players' bodies is debatable.
Most continue to blame the nearly 11-month calendar, souped-up racket technology and the increasing number of tournaments contested on cement.
Many, in fact, argue that the majors are less injurious than regular tour events since the seven matches over two weeks allows for a day of rest in between.
American Sam Querrey says reducing the required number of week-long Masters 1000 events from the current nine would have a bigger effect on health.
"I think that would be more beneficial than cutting down the three-out-of-five," says Querrey, 21, who makes his Centre Court debut today in the second round against No. 11 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia.
Others, such as Mardy Fish, say injuries are "a part of the sport, just like any other sport."
Fish is among those who say reducing matches to best-of-three sets would take away the fitness element in Slams, increase the chance for fluky upsets when a player gets hot and diminish what makes the majors stand apart.
"The uniqueness of the Slams is that they are three-out-of-five," says No. 28 seed Fish, who faces Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the second round.
What is rarely debated is the physicality of Nadal's style, which could be a factor in his ongoing struggle with aching knees.
"One of my biggest concerns for Rafa has always been how hard it is for him and his body to play at that level," says Paul Annacone, who was Pete Sampras' longtime coach. "Pete and Roger (Federer) can play at a very high level very easily. They kind of float around." Annacone says that it isn't the best-of-five format per se, but rather the combination of switching surfaces, constant globetrotting and the meager offseason that "take a toll."
Lleyton Hewett, another labor-intensive player who logged many matches as a teenager and became the youngest No. 1 at age 20, agrees. Playing five sets is not "a big deal," he says.
The 28-year-old Australian faults the squeezed tennis calendar and Nadal's grinding style for his injuries, though he acknowledges the two weeks separating the clay of Roland Garros and the grass of Wimbledon can be rough for any player who goes deep at the two majors.
"To be able to back it up a couple of weeks later, that's slightly a different story," says the 2002 Wimbledon champ, who had surgery on his left hip last year and missed the last third of the season.
King also says a truncated format would benefit fans, who often complain to her about matches that last longer than a baseball doubleheader.
"I hate hearing that our sport is too long or too boring," she says.
Although curbing matches — as both tours already have done in doubles with super tiebeakers instead of third sets — could provide more predictable time slots for broadcasters and advertisers, Roddick says something more valuable might be lost.
"There's nothing better than watching a fifth set in a Grand Slam," he says.
"Fans love fifth sets, with or without tiebreakers, and matches often rate higher the longer they go," confirms Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president of programming and acquisitions.
Annacone says it would be a shame from a traditionalist's point of view.
"I'm a purist," he says. "It sets majors apart and let's the drama unfold."
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