Carlos Alcaraz has strong opinion on whether best of five should be removed from Grand Slams

Carlos Alcaraz is preparing to defend his Japan Open title.

Around 12 months ago, Alcaraz defeated Taylor Fritz to win the Tokyo-based event at the first time of asking.

Ahead of the 2026 event, it seems Alcaraz has sufficiently recovered from his gargantuan five-set contest against Ben Shelton at the US Open; a match that concluded at 3:33am.

Alcaraz and Shelton’s contest has prompted some in the tennis community to call for an alteration to the Grand Slam format – changing the five-set format in order to reduce the amount of time on court.

It appears that Alcaraz does not share this opinion.

“We would be killing the Grand Slam legacy,” Alcaraz stated in his Japan Open pre-tournament press conference, as per Spanish outlet Liberta Digital.

“We have been playing best-of-five matches at the Grand Slams from the very beginning, and I think that is what makes those tournaments different and special,” the Spaniard concluded.

Alcaraz’s statement echoes that of Frances Tiafoe, who voiced his support for the current scoring format while competing at the US Open.

“I feel like your Slam doesn’t mean as much personally if you get it done in two out of three format,” the American star said after his five-set comeback victory against Alex Michelsen in the US Open quarter-finals.

Taylor Fritz also offered his support for the scoring format in July, saying the structure is ‘good at Slams.’

The three-set format has been used at Grand Slam events in the past. In the 1970s, three of the four major events dabbled with the alternative scoring format.

The Australian Open were the first to alter the format, introducing best-of-three set scoring for the first rounds of their 1973 and 1974 events.

Roland Garros followed suit from 1973 to 1975, using the format for the first two rounds.

In 1975 and 1976, the US Open implemented best-of-three set contest for the first three rounds. The tournament extended this format through to the fourth round in 1978.

The 1978 US Open remains the last major event to utilise best-of-three set matches. Jimmy Connors won the title that year, defeating Björn Borg in the final, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2.

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Returning to Alcaraz, the seven-time major champion also updated fans on the status of his wrist.

Alcaraz missed four months of the season due to a wrist injury and made his return to competitive play at the US Open earlier this month.

“I’ve recovered fully and have been able to train thoroughly,” Alcaraz told reporters in Tokyo. “I feel like I’m getting better every single day, so I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal contested the longest Grand Slam final in tennis history at the 2012 Australian Open.

Djokovic emerged victorious from the contest after five hours and 53 minutes, beating Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7, 7–5, inside Rod Laver Arena.

The match finished at 1:37am local time.

“Rafa is one of best players ever and one of the most respected guys on tour,” said Djokovic after the unrelenting battle.

“Unfortunately there couldn’t be two winners and I hope we have many more matches like this.”