Joao Fonseca and Kim Clijsters Critique Djokovic's Controversial 4-Game Tennis Rule Change

Novak Djokovic recently caused a stir in the tennis world by sharing a controversial proposal. When asked what one of his opinions about tennis that he will always defend, Djokovic said: "I think tennis needs a new scoring system."

It would be tough to find many who agree with the Serbian on this one. Joao Fonseca is the latest to weigh in on Djokovic's proposal of wanting to change the rules of tennis.

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Speaking at the Canadian Open, Fonseca took a subtle dig at Djokovic's 4-game proposal. Recalling his time playing in the NextGen Finals the Brazilian said, "I had a good time playing 4 games, 4-game sets in the Next Gen. So I can't complain about it."

Fonseca went on to suggest that the real reason why Djokovic has called for a changing of the rules and said, "I think he's saying that because of his physique, you know. He's getting older. Well, that's what I can say.

The 19-year-old player believes that the traditional six-game sets and best-of-five-set format at Grand Slams remain vital to preserving tennis' identity.

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"I don't say bad things or good things, but I know it's more about the classic tennis, the history of tennis, and the tennis being six games during the sets, it's important. I think it's classic tennis. It's the history of tennis," Fonseca said.

The Brazilian has never previously got past the first round of the Canadian Open. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets and is set to face Casper Ruud in the third round on Friday, August 7.

Earlier, Kim Clijsters also rejected Djokovic's proposal to shorten the tennis format. Speaking on the Love All Podcast, the four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she would struggle to accept such a significant change to one of the sport's defining traditions. Clijsters believes tennis should protect its greatest spectacles.

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She pointed to unforgettable battles involving the Big Three and argued that this is precisely what makes them so special.

"I think there's nothing greater than seeing a four or five hour match, and they don't happen every day right. But to have a few of them in a tournament, especially if you can have a Novak against Sinner, or Novak against Rafa, Rafa against Roger – like those moments I feel stand out so much in the history of our sport, and it would be a shame if we don't have that. I don't think I want to see that," said Clijsters.

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The former Major champion also went on to call herself "old school" when discussing the debate surrounding shorter encounters. Clijsters added, "But I think as a player… but I'm also kind of old school, I don't like to see a lot of changes to our sport… I like seeing those you know a couple of matches, a Slam where it's super intense and a battle, and that's what you don't have in any other sport. So, I absolutely love that we have that."

In her view, removing the possibility of such epic encounters would take away memories that remain part of tennis lore for decades.

What Did Novak Djokovic Propose About the Game Format?

A few weeks ago while speaking to podcaster Nick Koutrakos, the 24-time Grand Slam champion suggested, "Sets should not be played up to six games. I believe that a set should be played up to four games, with the possible abolition of the 'advantage' rule at 40:40. Matches would be played until someone wins three such shortened sets. That way, matches would not last longer than two hours, which, in my opinion, is best for everyone."

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In men's tennis, every match at the majors follows best-of-5 logic. So, the first to win three sets wins. If a set is tied at 6-6, there is a tiebreaker in place to decide the winner.

The change proposed by the Serbian would be a major one to a scoring system that is thought to date back over 500 years. However, there have been some tweaks to the scoring in recent years.

In the 1970s, tie-breaks were introduced into sets to stop them from being overly long. In 2022, a 10-point final set tie-breaker was also introduced.

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The longest tennis match in history was played between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. Isner eventually came out 70-68 fifth set winner over Mahut, with the match lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes. Recently at the Wimbledon quarter-final, Djokovic defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-setter after five hours and 15 minutes.

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