Former top-ranked Venus Williams said that she doesn’t have any issues with female tennis players playing five-set matches at Grand Slam events. This is in light of Andy Murray‘s comments that women should also be playing five set matches at Majors.
“Sure, not a problem,” the 33-year-old was quoted during the recently concluded Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she reached the semi-finals. “If we have to play best-of-three, we play best-of-three. If it’s best-of-five that’s fine too. Either way it’s not a problem.”
Tokyo finalist Angelique Kerber echoed the same sentiments saying, “I think we are fit and strong enough to play five sets.”
However, Tokyo winner Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic seemed unsure about the prospect.
“I don’t know if I’m prepared for best-of-five matches,” the 2011 Wimbledon champion said.
“The top 50 are getting so much better and that’s why matches are so close now,” she added. “I’d need to work more on stamina and do more running to be able to play best-of-five.”
In a recent interview at the New York Times, Murray said that in order to justify the equal prize money pay at Grand Slam events, male players should be reduced to playing three set matches or female players should contest five-set matches.
