The possibility of women playing five-set matches at the 2027 Australian Open has ignited fresh debate after tournament director Craig Tiley proposed a best-of-five format from the quarterfinals onward. With the issue gaining momentum, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and several WTA stars at the Qatar Open stepped forward to share their candid reactions.

Before her match against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Coco Gauff spoke at the pre-tournament press conference. She was asked whether she would like women’s matches to move from best-of-three to best-of-five sets.

Gauff gave a balanced response. She said she could physically handle longer matches but was unsure if it was necessary. “I mean, could I play best-of-five sets? Probably, yes. Do I want to? I mean, it’s a lot of playing. I don’t know. I feel like, from a spectator’s standpoint, it would be just too much for the men and women to play best-of-five.”

At present, WTA players compete in best-of-three matches at Grand Slams. In contrast, men play best-of-five throughout the tournament.

Gauff also spoke about the length of matches. She believes that if any change is introduced, it should be applied consistently across the entire event. 

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“I guess my stance is whatever. Like, I feel like if you’re going to best-of-five, like the whole tournament should be best-of-five. It shouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, we’re going to start best-of-five in the quarters. I think for me that feels, I don’t want to say stupid, because that’s a big word.”

She further explained her personal preference. While she does not strongly oppose the idea, she is comfortable with the current format.

Gauff said the existing system fits well with players’ schedules and recovery time. “I like the way it is right now. Two-out-of-three feels right. I can be home at a good time. I feel like best-of-five we’re going to be out there until 5:00 a.m. like every day.”

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek was also asked about the topic ahead of her opening match against Janice Tjen. She shared concerns about the demands of longer matches.

Swiatek pointed to the fast pace of modern life and the challenge of maintaining quality for extended periods. “I think with the world right now that is kind of, like, speeding up, I don’t really think it makes sense for us to play such long matches. Especially when I think it would be tough to keep the quality up throughout the whole match.”

However, she admitted that longer matches could suit her playing style. She sees endurance as one of her strengths. “I consider myself one of the players that is like kind of tough in coping with endurance and longer matches. I think maybe I would have some advantage.”

At the same time, Swiatek noted that such a change would affect the entire tour. Players would need to adjust their training and planning. “I think also the whole season would change, because we would need to plan everything differently and prepare for these long, long matches. There would, for sure, be many, many more questions about the scheduling then.”

Amanda Anisimova also shared her concerns about the change. She said, “We’ve always played best-of-three, so I feel like that would be a crazy change for us. Also very physical on a woman’s body.”

Even before Gauff and Swiatek shared their views, other top players had reacted to the proposal. Jessica Pegula was clear in her opposition to the idea.

“Would I want to? No,” Pegula said, making her position direct and simple.

Madison Keys offered a more detailed perspective. She said players are physically capable of longer matches but questioned the need for additional workload. “I think we’re all capable of doing it, but I don’t think I would sign up to do more. I think that if we were to do that, I think you would change the men as well. They also only play 3 out of 5 quarterfinals on.”

With several leading players expressing concerns or hesitation, the debate has gained momentum. At the Qatar Open, more players have begun sharing their thoughts as the discussion around the best-of-five format continues to grow.

Jasmine Paolini shares her views on the five-set format

The last time women played a professional five-set match was nearly 28 years ago. The format was once used at the WTA Finals.

From 1984 to 1998, the WTA Finals championship match was played as best-of-five sets. The final match in this format featured Lindsay Davenport against Martina Hingis.

Since then, women’s tennis has followed the best-of-three format. Now, the discussion around five-set matches has returned across the tennis world.

And at Doha, with Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, Jasmine Paolini has joined the growing debate.

Before her match against Maria Sakkari, Paolini spoke about the proposal. She made it clear that she does not support the idea for women.

She said, “Honestly, to me, maybe it’s better to reduce the sets of the men, maybe until the quarterfinals. I’m not sure. I think also some good matches are of course in the best-of-five, but it’s a tough tournament.”

Paolini also pointed out the physical demands of long matches. She suggested that even men struggle during long Grand Slam events.

She added, “We could see also in the men that the Australian Open was tough for them. Maybe from the quarterfinals on would be a nice idea. But to the woman, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Paolini further explained that physical differences matter in this discussion. She said the women’s tour would face greater challenges with longer matches.

She admitted this openly and said, “We’re just built different.”

Even last year, Aryna Sabalenka spoke on the same topic after her first-round win at Wimbledon. 

She said, “I think probably physically I’m one of the strongest ones. Maybe it would benefit me. But I’m not ready to play 5 sets. I think it’s too much on the woman’s body. We are not ready for this amount of tennis. I think it would increase the number of injuries. So this isn’t something I would consider. I’ll leave this for the guys to handle.”

With more players now sharing concerns, the debate continues to grow. As the topic gains attention across tournaments, what do you think about women playing best-of-five matches?