The 2025 ATP Tour and WTA Tour seasons are now underway, with plenty of drama and controversy on the cards once more.

Fans and players will be keen to focus on the ATP and WTA action on the court, but the scheduling debate is likely to emerge once more.

Iga Swiatek criticised the busy schedule last time out, with Carlos Alcaraz complaining about the calendar during his hectic season.

Both players still managed to clinch plenty of silverware despite their complaints, with Swiatek winning five titles and Alcaraz winning four.

Within those were three Grand Slam successes as they both won the French Open and the Spaniard won Wimbledon.

Tennis urged to change scoring system to benefit players and fans

It remains to be seen what, if anything, will be done about the schedule, with Jason Goodall sharing his verdict on a much-needed change elsewhere, but one that links to the aforementioned criticism.

“It’s the scoring system in tennis which I think needs a major overhaul,” the former British number two said on Tennis Channel.

“I love tennis, we could watch it all day, whether we are here [on television] or not. But matches that last three or four hours over three sets at 250 or 500 level are no good to anyone.

“Nobody needs to be putting their bodies through a match that lasts that long, like Beatriz Haddad Maia in the United Cup the other day.

“Both cramping at the tail at the end of the third set. It’s not a good product, the fans don’t enjoy that, the players don’t enjoy putting their bodies through that.

“There is less longevity as far as their career is concerned. And it’s not like we don’t have a scoring system that already is in place that is successful in the Laver Cup. Two sets and a deciding tiebreak. So you play the first two sets out and the drama starts to build.

“It doesn’t matter who wins the first set, even if you have lost it, the finish line is still very much within sight.

“The tail end of the second set you know the match will be finished there or you are going to a deciding tiebreak so the drama will build.

“Each and every match will never last any longer than two hours, so as far as scheduling is concerned it becomes a lot easier to package the product.

“As a fan, if my favourite player is playing the third match of the day after 10, I know I can come back at 2 o’clock and have a good chance of watching my favourite player, because at the moment that doesn’t happen because the match could last an hour or three and three-quarter hours. I just don’t understand why we don’t make that change.”

Two 2025 WTA matches suggest a change is needed

Goodall noted that the suggested change would start with 250s and 500s before expanding out to Masters events.

And it certainly does seem like a viable option going forward, with certain players having expressed frustration about late finishes in recent times.

Novak Djokovic called for a ‘more decent’ finishing time at the 2024 US Open, although he did acknowledge that both he and fans like night matches.

Lengthy matches have already taken place just days into the new season, with Daria Kasatkina joining Haddad Maia in that regard.

The latter played out the longest WTA Singles match in United Cup history last week when she lost to China’s Gao Xinyu in three hours and 22 minutes.

And the former followed suit at the Brisbane International not long after, with Kasatkina battling Peyton Stearns for three hours and 21 minutes.

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