'Waste of time': Barcelona legend Gerard Pique suggests radical changes in how tennis is played
Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique wants the second serve to be eradicated.
Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has suggested that tennis should remove the rule of the second serve. He backed his argument by claiming that tennis players take a lot of time in preparing to serve for the second time.
Piqué also stated that people don’t want to watch players getting prepared to serve; on the contrary, the sport should be made faster and quicker.
Furthermore, he suggested that the sport should introduce ‘golden point’ while cancelling the whole concept of deuce. Piqué believes that would make the game more interesting.
He said during a recent interview (via @Djoko_UTD on X), “Cancel the two serve attempts in tennis and make it one and cancel Deuce and make it a golden point. People don’t want to watch the player bouncing the ball and playing repeated serves.”
He further added, “Why do you get two serves in tennis? That’s 30 more seconds of someone bouncing the ball. People don’t want to see that; they want to see the point. They also don’t want to watch a five-minute game with deuce-advantage-deuce-advantage. There should be a golden point at 40-40.”
The former Barcelona defender has not been a favourite of the tennis community. In 2018, his company, Kosmos, signed a deal with the ITF to revamp the Davis Cup.
The promises were to help the tournament gain more attention while safeguarding its history, in addition to providing an extra $25 million a year for the global development of the sport.
However, the deal ended prematurely in 2023 after Kosmos sought to renegotiate the deal with ITF. During the time, the event reportedly suffered major losses as fans were not fond of the changed format of the Davis Cup. Kosmos later filed a lawsuit at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the ITF.
The legal dispute was resolved earlier this year. The ITF issued a statement about the same, claiming, “Kosmos and the ITF have reached an amicable resolution regarding their previous contractual disagreements related to the organisation of the Davis Cup. Both organisations wish each other success in their future projects.”
Despite the 25-year-old deal getting disbanded early, the Davis Cup still follows the same format and rules that the former Spanish defender introduced with a vision to popularise the game.
What change does Gerard Pique want in tennis serves?
He has suggested eliminating the second serve, so players would only have one serve attempt per point.
What is Gerard Pique’s idea regarding deuce games?
He proposes replacing the deuce system with a “golden point” at 40-40 to make games faster and more exciting.
Why does Gerard Pique want these changes?
He believes fans don’t enjoy watching players prepare repeated serves or long deuce games and want faster, more engaging points
Has Gerard Pique been involved in tennis before?
Yes, his company Kosmos signed a deal with the ITF in 2018 to revamp the Davis Cup, aiming to modernize the tournament and increase global interest.
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