Pat Cash calls for women to play five-set finals at grand slams

DEATH, taxes and conversations around women playing five sets. They’re the certainties around grand slam time and Pat Cash says he’d love to see women competing in five-set matches in grand slam finals. DO YOU AGREE?

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — JANUARY 22: Pat Cash of Australia plays a forehand in his legend's match with Mark Woodforde of Australia against Fabrice Santoro of France and Mansour Bahrami of France on day eight of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

DEATH, taxes and conversations around women playing five sets.

They’re the certainties around grand slam time and 1988 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash says he’d love to see women competing in five-set matches in grand slam finals.

Cash, who coaches American world No. 10 CoCo Vandeweghe, said he isn’t sure why it hasn’t been introduced as yet.

ROGER FEDERER ROARS INTO AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEMI-FINAL

SERENA WILLIAMS GIVES TENNYS SANDGREN THE THUMBS DOWN

AO LIVE STAGE: COMPLETE GUIDE TO LIVE MUSIC SERIES

BUMPER GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON IN MELBOURNE THIS AUSTRALIA DAY

“Traditionally they’ve done it that way (three sets), I’m not sure why it hasn’t changed,” he said on Channel 9.

“I’m all for certainly a five-set final. That’s where it should absolutely start and I think the women are quite happy to do that.”

Former tennis star and Herald Sun columnist Jelena Dokic today backed the current system of three-set matches.

“I’m not sure whether that would work, if the girls played best of three the whole time and in all of the matches in a grand slam and then turning it into a best-of-five in the final,” she said on Fox Sports News.

“This has been a discussion for years already. It would be very tough to just play best-of-five in a final because they wouldn’t be used to it and you’d see injuries and retirements and girls not being able to handle four or five sets, because you’re only doing it as one-off — a lot of girls won’t even get to the final stage and have that chance to have a practice.

“It’s a tough one. The way that it’s been going, it’s been working out. The rules are there. It’s a very big subject to go from best of three to best of five. It’s a big difference. I’m not sure whether it will work.”