• Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are on opposite ends of the proposed format changes in tennis that would reduce the length of singles matches.

Djokovic agrees that tennis should consider changes, including the proposed format change suggested by WTA CEO Steve Simon that would reduce the length of matches, including potentially using no-ad scoring and super tie breaks for singles, similar to what is used in doubles matches. The 12-time Grand Slam winner said that matches with more predictable timing and length would help the sport attract more viewers on television.

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"I would partly agree with that, because one thing that is difficult ... you never know how long the match is going to go and when it's going to be played," Djokovic, reports TENNIS.com.

"I think, in terms of finding some kind of frames where we can at least know approximately when we are playing, [that] would be much better to place the product in [the] market. So in terms of that business perspective, I would agree."

Nadal, on the other hand, completely disagrees with the proposed alteration in tennis' format. Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam winner, insisted that changing the length of tennis games goes against the "values of the sport" and would rob fans of emotionally getting involved in matches.

"The kind of matches that stay on in the memory and on the history of our sport are a bit long matches and dramatic matches that become emotional. If you want to change the values of the sport, maybe yes. Tennis has values that we need to follow in my opinion", Nadal said, reports First Post.

Nadal has been involved in some of tennis' most intense matches, particularly in an epic four-set match against Djokovic in the US Open finals three years ago. Nadal and Djokovic also recorded the longest duration in a Grand Slam final event, when they battled for five hours and 53 minutes in the final round of the Australian Open back in 2012.

"All the sports need to improve and adapt to the new things. But I am not sure if that's the way to make matches quicker. You need to put everything together to create a great show, to create a show so that the people emotionally feel involved in the match. But I am just a player," Nadal added.



Video courtesy: YouTube/Linh Hoang