Miami 2007 was the last Masters 1000 to have a best-of-five-set final. From that moment on, they began to compete in the best of three, although that could change in the not too distant future. In the last few hours, Andrea Gaudenzi, president of the ATP, assured that he would particularly like to see longer decisive matches again, like in the old days..
Are the Masters 1000 finals returning to the best of five sets?
«I was talking about it with Federer at the Laver Cup; The best matches in our sport have been played in the best of five sets. Is there a chance to return to best-of-five sets for the Masters 1000 finals? Yes, it would be our decision. Not immediately, but we cannot have a sport in which, in 30 years, no one remembers the most important matches,” explained Gaudenzi, in statements reported by Lorenzo Ercoli.
«Tennis has a billion viewers, but only monetizes 1.3% in the media. The demand is there, but the sales capacity to improve it is lacking. But the game of tennis and its duration are fine as they are,” concluded the leader and former professional tennis player.
The Miami 2007 final, the last precedent
Although the format changed at the end of 2006, The last Masters 1000 that had a five-set final was Miami in 2007. The champion of the competition was Roger Federerwho defeated in a tight match Ivan Ljubicic by 7-6(5), 7-6(4) and 7-6(6).
