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Franz
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Real Name: Li Guangli
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Do you love the tennis?

Post by Franz »

Hellow everyone, I wrote an open letter to the President of IFT. Here is it. What do you think about? I would be happy to know your opinion.

An Open Letter to the Honorable President of ITF

Subject: Three propositions to reform the best-of-five set format.

Mr. President,

The best-of-five set format, employed in the men’s single matches of the four major tournaments, is a subject of occasional dispute. We would like to propose here three alternative formats as following:

A. Three propositions.

1. The fourth round to the final match employ the best-of-five set format; the first, the second, and the third round employ instead the best-of-three set format.
2. The fourth round to the final match employ the best-of-five set format; the first three rounds employ the best-of-three set format, if a player wins the first two sets (2-0); but in the scenario of 1-1 the match is switched to the best-of-five set format.
3. The fourth round to the final match employ the best-of-five set format; the first three rounds employ the best-of-three set format if a player wins the first two sets (2-0), and with the scores as following:
a) 6-2 or with major margin (i.e., 6-1, 6-0) if serving first; 6-3 or with major margin if serving second;
b) if the score of a set is 6-3 (serving first) or 6-4 (serving second), that of the other set must be 6-1 or 6-0 if serving first, 6-2 or with major margin if serving second;
c) in all other cases, for example, 6-0, 7-5, or 6-4, 6-4, the match will switch to the best-of-five set format.

Among these three propositions the third one is our favourite, because it would preserve a losing player the chance (the “right” might be a better word here) to continue to play or to win the match (or even to qualify in the final and win the title of the tournament), even if he has lost, in any match of the first three rounds, the first two sets, but with very honorable scores as, for example, 6-7, 6-7. Certainly, if this third proposition is acceptable, the margin of the scores can be discussed and differently decided.

B. Advantages of our propositions.

We think that any one of these three propositions presents more than one advantage for the organizers of the Majors and especially for the players.

a) It could permit the winning players to preserve their precious energy in the first three rounds (why must a player, much more stronger than his opponent, play the third set, after having demonstrated convincingly his superiority in the first two sets in 6-1, 6-0?). They would bring out better performances in the further rounds, making the matches more spectacular.
b) It could shorten the time of some matches in the first three rounds. Therefore, there would be more flexibility for the organizers to manage the timetable. This is an important matter especially when the meteo conditions are hostile to the matches, or when some matches last too long.
c) It could encourage the players to do their best in every point and every game. With the best-of-five set format, a player, winning or losing, might decide to give up strategically a game or a set; instead, with the best-of-three set format, a losing player must fight to win as more games as possible, in order to extend the match into the best-of-five set format, on the other side, the winning player would do exactly the same in order to finish the match as quickly as possible. Therefore, the matches of the first three rounds would become much more intense.
d) The longer is the match time, the higher is the risk of injury. Our propositions could better protect the athletes and avoid sorry scenarios. For example, in a match of the first round, a very strong player, a candidate for the title, after having won the first two sets in 6-1,6-0, will, with the current format, have to withdraw because of injury, even if he is posed to win the third set with a current score of 5-1. Our propositions could greatly reduce such risks (at least in the first three rounds).
e) In all of our three propositions the best-of-five set format is maintained for the matches from the fourth round to the final. The reason is obvious: we all wish to watch the greatest matches in the four major tournaments, and only with the best-of-five set format epic fightings can take place.

Mr. President, we have decided to exchange some of our ideas with you and with all other members of the ITF, with the wish to perfect, if still possible, the excellence of the four major tournaments. Your attention and consideration would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Sincerely.

Li Song-Yang

(P.S.: The present letter is published in my website: http://lisongyang.weebly.com/opinions-e ... sions.html)
"Mr. Morse, when you were told for the THIRD time that Abby and Andrew had been killed, why did you pronounce a "WHAT" to Mrs. Churchill? Why?"
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