Andrew Abdo's comments missed the mark, but that doesn't mean he isn't onto something
As a new CEO, the number-one rule to avoid disrupting the 'apple cart' is to listen and learn before making major changes.
Since officially taking on the Tennis Australia CEO role from Craig Tiley last month, The First Serve understands that Andrew Abdo has already met with past players and experienced people in Australian tennis circles to understand the work required.
Abdo, 49, listened carefully to the advice and feedback provided. And for someone with absolutely no tennis background, that's a wise move.
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But the eye-opening comments made earlier in the week weren't so wise.
"Maybe in the future, Slams at different rounds or at different lengths of duration, maybe we're not playing best-of-five all the way through; maybe the point-scoring system changes," Abdo said on Monday at SportNXT.
"Maybe there are different permutations to how we engage and entertain audiences without losing the fabric and what really makes the sport special.
"I think those are the questions that we need to explore and discover, and I think there's a place for evolving that.
"If you listen to the purists, they'll say, 'don't touch that'.
"But actually... if you look at sports around the world, if you're not thinking about that product in a way that's contemporary, in a way that's going to connect with young people, then I think you're going to be left behind."
As expected, those tennis "purists" were left up in arms over Abdo's suggestion to change the current format. Most fans are traditionalists who believe that scrapping an element as unique as best-of-five sets will make it harder to compare generations and records.
To pour cold water on the uproar online, the Australian Open rushed to confirm that five-set tennis is here to stay.
Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEST in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly tennis program on commercial radio running through till the end of November. Change is a tough concept for fans of any sport. Nostalgia is completely normal.
Abdo's public comments missed the mark, but does tennis need to evolve into something more modern?
"[Best-of-five sets] is our link to the history of the sport. It's how we compare generations of players; how did they do in this type of format," former world No.1 Jim Courier told Tennis Channel.
"But it doesn't mean that it's going to be forever. I don't know if it's going to happen in Australia. I find it interesting that Craig Tiley, who was getting ready to leave the Australian Open, one of his parting shots... he said there's such an appetite for the sport that the women should play best-of-five from the quarter-finals on, so two different ideas."
For former NRL boss Abdo, a new CEO coming in has to have new ideas. It's about how those ideas are delivered in a way that truly benefit tennis for the greater good as opposed to making changes for the sake of it to stamp authority and leave a mark.
The recent US Open quarter-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton broke an unwanted record for the latest finish in tournament history at 3:33am, creating a massive discussion about the sport's direction.
On one hand, there were two epic five-setters that day, providing pure drama and entertainment. It was thrilling from start to finish.
On the other hand, the Alcaraz-Shelton match didn't commence until after 11pm local time, causing a headache for the tournament, because what was originally scheduled for primetime viewing, became a matter of waking up early the next day to watch highlights and check the score for most Americans.
All three matches prior went to a deciding set, with Aryna Sabalenka's quarter-final starting just after 11:30am.
Andre Agassi once said: "The great part about tennis is that you can't run out the clock." But the worst part is that the unique scoring system dishes up scenarios from time to time where matches drag on in the early hours of the morning.
Abdo said it himself. He believes tennis needs to "connect with young people" and attract a new generation with less attention spans.
Ripping up the five-set format probably isn't the way to go, but there are other solutions to make the matches shorter. No ads at deuce. Eliminate lets. Fifth set tiebreak instead of a regular set.
And it's not as if tennis is immune to change. Automatic line calling has replaced lines judges, technology has replaced the ability for players to challenge calls, a 25-second serve clock is now implemented. Fans still continue to watch the sport and embrace it.
That was the idea that Abdo was trying to get across, and no doubt he would want his time again to deliver those ideas in a way which resonates with the tennis "purists".
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