After coming off a different, shortened format at the Laver Cup, questions have resurfaced across tennis about whether the Grand Slams themselves should follow suit, trimming best-of-five matches down to best-of-three to make the majors more engaging and more manageable for broadcasters and fans alike. Team Europe’s own top performer at that event, Carlos Alcaraz, made his point explicit this week.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Alcaraz rejected any suggestion that the majors should shorten their format. 

“All the Grand Slams are playing the best of five,” he said. “If we take away that and playing the best of three, I think we’re just killing the legacy of the Grand Slams and killing the Grand Slams, I would say. We’ve been playing the best of five in the Grand Slams since the very beginning. I think that’s what makes those tournaments different and special. I wouldn’t touch anything from that. For me, it’s okay to play the best of five.”

Few active players are as credible as Alcaraz on this topic. In his four-major career, he has played 17 five-set matches and holds an impressive 15-2 record, including his 2024 French Open final win over Alexander Zverev, his Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, and a historic win over Jannik Sinner in the 2025 French Open final. 

Those games have delivered some of his best moments, and his words highlight that he views endurance as an essential component of what makes a Grand Slam title more than just any other tournament title on the tour.

A long-running calendar complaint he refuses to let go of

What Alcaraz was not willing to defend in the same breath was the schedule surrounding those majors. 

“The second question is, I don’t know, I would say the calendar,” he said. “I’ve always said that it has to change. Playing a little bit less and not having that amount of tournaments in a row week after week. I would definitely change that.” 

This is something he continuously grumbled about for years. During the 2024 Laver Cup, he spoke of how the packed schedule would eventually “kill us in some way”, a comment that was met with criticism as he was also pointing to an already overcrowded schedule in the event itself. 

Recently, returning from a layoff of almost five months after a wrist injury, he told reporters at the US Open that he would take frequent breaks from the tour to avoid any such injuries in the future instead of playing all year round. 

Alcaraz is currently defending his Japan Open title in Tokyo, a tournament he won on debut last year by beating Taylor Fritz in the final, revenge for a loss to the American at that year’s Laver Cup. He’s back this week as the No. 1 seed in a stacked field, including Fritz, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Holger Rune.

His season then continues directly into the Shanghai Masters, a tournament where he has never won the title. His best appearance came in 2024, when he reached the quarterfinals and lost to Tomas Machac in straight sets. Last year, he skipped the event altogether due to an ankle injury he picked up during his Tokyo title run. 

With Paris Masters and the ATP Finals in Turin still to come at the end of the season, the remaining events give him a real opportunity to gain the ranking points he has lost in the time he was away. In addition, since he has yet to win the upcoming Masters or the ATP Finals, winning either will significantly improve his ranking.