Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo has revealed the sport could ditch five-set matches and change its scoring system in the future in a bombshell statement.
The Australian Open is widely considered one of the most iconic events on the calendar, with a record-breaking 1.36 million people attending the 2026 edition.
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But ex-NRL chief executive Abdo, who took over Tennis Australia’s top job from Craig Tilley last month, feels major alterations may still need to take place to retain the sport’s audience.
And in a startling admission, he discussed reducing five-set matches and switching up the scoring system — a move he is aware would anger die-hard tennis lovers.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, he said: “Maybe in the future slams at the different rounds or at different lengths of duration, you know, maybe we’re not playing best of 5 all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes.
“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.”
Abdo’s controversial remarks come amid a furore at the US Open.
Influencers have made headlines at the New York event by disrupting play with their content.
During Naomi Osaka’s first-round match last week, the chair umpire was forced to step in and tell influencers to take their seats.
The behaviour has led Wimbledon organisers to insist they leave their ring lights at home or risk them being confiscated at the next year’s tournament.
While the US Open offered accreditation to 100 content creators alongside media, it’s understood Wimbledon will not have any accreditation available for influencers at all.