Amid the soaring heat, the Australian Open 2026 ended on an incredibly high note. From record-breaking attendance to high-quality tennis and edge-of-the-seat thrillers, the Happy Slam delivered. Spurred by the success of the tournament, Craig Tiley increased the heat further by voicing some controversial ideas for the women’s game, and Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys were quick to voice their opinions.

Tiley opened up to the AAP after the tournament, stating that he wanted to bring the best of five sets format for women at the Australian Open, starting from 2027 for the quarters, semis, and finals.

Pegula and Keys were summing up the Australian Open on the Player’s Box Podcast on YouTube alongside Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk when Keys opened the discussion on Tiley’s idea, and Pegula was the first to share her broadly negative views.

“I mean, would I want to? No,” said Pegula, before Keys added, “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.”

Pegula, too, demanded similar changes. “If we’re gonna go three out of five, I think it needs to be switched to the men to make it the same, and then I would also feel like maybe prize money would have to,” continued Pegula, pumping her thumb up while Krawczyk added, “more sets, more money.”

“I mean, if they are gonna make a drastic decision like that, well then there has to be something to balance that,” added Pegula.

Tiley claimed they would only proceed with the plan after a thorough discussion with the professionals. The bold idea has clearly sparked mixed reactions from the broader tennis world, as figures like Patrick Mouratoglou voiced their enthusiasm, counterbalancing the criticism.

While the idea of introducing a three-out-of-five format at the women’s Grand Slams is not entirely new, it is not popular either. The legendary Steffi Graf was vocal in the Australian Open, shelving the same idea in 1994. Not many concrete attempts were made after that, but the topic always stayed relevant.

Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon Champion, in an interview with the RG Media, declared in 2025 that women were capable of playing five-setters. Iva Jovic, the 18-year-old American starlet who broke through at the Australian Open, was happy to accept the three-out-of-five challenge when speaking to the Tennis Channel.

Pegula, who beat Keys at the Round of 16 in Australia recently, added that women will be up for the challenge but raised the question of why only the women’s format was subject to changes. While the pair did not rule the option out entirely, they did suggest what could make Tiley’s proposal work. Perhaps this was what Tiley wanted to know through his deep discussions with the pros.

Will Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys’ counterproposal work?

As Tiley was proposing changes to the women’s format, Jessica Pegula and Keys hit him with a counterproposal. The new format that Pegula and Keys propose will see men play a two-out-of-three format until the quarterfinals as well, noting how the three-out-of-five format gives an advantage to the seeded men’s players.

“If you look at the men’s draw, the amount of time the top seeds would have ‘lost’ because they went down 2-0 and 2-1, and that would’ve been over. You would’ve had way more upsets and things like that. So if you want to do that, I think it should be equal opportunity on both sides,” Keys said.

Pegula shared a similar sentiment on how a five-set format favors the seeds: “I just think three out of five is easier in that sense, because you have more time to come back, like the top players for sure. So I think they should make it the same.”

Do the numbers really back their proposal? If we take a look at the five-set matches at the recently concluded Australian Open, you can only find two five-setters in the last three rounds, including the finals. The final itself was a four-set affair.

Tiley got the inspiration for his idea after two of the best semifinals in modern history, as both games (Alcaraz vs. Zverev & Djokovic vs. Sinner) went to the last set. There were zero five-setters in the quarters and only one in the fourth round.

However, even if you trace the path back to the first round, none of the top seeds were pushed to five sets before the semis. So the three out of five format might give an unfair advantage to seeds, but they don’t necessarily go all the way in the initial rounds anyway.

But when a player like Alcaraz does go down in the earlier rounds, he usually comes out on top. He has a 14-1 record in games that go to five sets until July 2025. Eight of those victories were in the early stages of various Grand Slams.

So if and when they trail the underdog in the opening rounds, the chance of the favorite edging them out is way higher in a three-out-of-five format. This is where the advantage factor mentioned by Pegula and Keys comes into play.

Not taking the advantage factor into account, since the Open Era began in April 1968, men have always played best of five sets at the Grand Slams. The ATP Tours and Olympics started the same way, but they have gradually changed to the best-of-three format.

The intense scheduling and the increasing injuries might also add voice to Pegula and Keys’ proposal, as playing best of three in the initial rounds will help players manage the load better.

In Tiley’s words, there are no official rules to not change the number of sets at the Grand Slams. So if Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys can get their idea across and if it does get accepted, could we see a new era in tennis where men and women both play a best-of-three format until the last eight?