Novak Djokovic sparks controversial proposal as US Open champ wants rules to be ripped up

American tennis hero Pam Shriver has called for men's Grand Slam matches to be reduced from best-of-five sets to best-of-three. This plea comes after Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton suffered injuries at the US Open.

The current best-of-five format for men's Grand Slam tennis came into existence alongside Wimbledon in the late 1800s, and continues to be the standard at all four majors, as well as at the Davis Cup. Other events on the ATP Tour adopt a shorter best-of-three set design, and in an era where tournaments are coming thick and fast, the possibility of reducing the length of Grand Slam matches has been cause for debate. Now, with the US Open in full swing, Shriver, a five-time doubles winner at Flushing Meadows, has witnessed some of the Tour's finest in Djokovic and Shelton struggle and has called for change.

Home favourite Shelton took on French veteran Adrian Mannarino at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday evening. The 2023 semi-finalist won the first set, lost the second, and when chasing down a ball to win the third, appeared to injure his shoulder.

Shelton received treatment in the middle of the fourth set, but while he adjusted his game to account for the pain, he lost the set and again called for the physio. The match was then stopped in light of the shoulder injury, and Shelton left the court with tears in his eyes.

Later, in a clash that began early Saturday morning, four-time US Open men's singles champion Djokovic was in action against Brit Cam Norrie. The Serb took the first set 6-4 but looked to have hurt his back and took a medical timeout. He rallied past losing the second set to win by three sets to one, but received treatment for his back issue multiple times early in the tie.

Djokovic has long struggled with injury troubles. In January, a leg injury forced him to withdraw from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev. After an evening filled with ailments, Olympic gold medalist Shriver took to social media and called for the men's game to adopt a shorter format when Grand Slams roll around.

"I understand the tradition of men playing three of five sets in majors, but given the way tennis is played now, the demands of more travel, more extreme heat & the depth in the game making early rounds more demanding, we need to have a shorter format," Shriver posted to X. "I hope Ben & Novak are ok."

Djokovic, who will face German Jan-Lennard Struff in the round of 16 next, was asked on court after his win against Norrie about his back troubles, and replied: "Yeah, it's all right. You have some ups and downs...

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"You don't want to reveal too much to the rivals listening and watching this interview! I'm good. I'm as young as ever, as strong as ever. Yes. It's New York. Even if you're feeling something body-wise, the energy that you're feeling in this court just overrides it.

"Overall, it was probably the best serving performance of the tournament," Djokovic added, touching on the personal best 18 aces that were made during his latest victory. "Of course, I'm glad for that. It's probably one of the most, if not, the most important shot in the game. So I'm glad how I executed that shot."