John McEnroe proposes radical new rule that would change tennis after Novak Djokovic idea
John McEnroe has urged tennis chiefs to make a key change to the men’s Grand Slam format as he made a telling claim about Novak Djokovic.
Former world No 1 McEnroe secured 77 singles titles (including seven majors) and 77 men’s doubles titles (including nine majors) during a glittering career.
The American tennis icon has worked as a commentator and analyst at the Grand Slams for much of his retirement, and he is at the 2026 US Open in his role with ESPN.
Djokovic suffered physically in a surprise five-set opening round US Open loss to Mariano Navone. The legendary Serb now holds a 42-13 record in five-set matches.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion recently called for the tennis scoring format to be radically altered.
Asked to share an opinion about tennis that could lead to him being “hated” by fans, Djokovic said: “We should change the format of the scoring.
“Not play up to six games in the set, play it up to four, possibly no advantage. Best-of-five sets, keep the matches within a two-hour window. It’s best for everyone.”
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Speaking to reporters at Flushing Meadows, McEnroe addressed Djokovic’s surprising idea.
“People’s attention spans are shorter than ever,” said McEnroe.
“But Novak has won so much precisely because he was able to last longer than others.
“He was fitter than anyone had ever been and won matches that lasted five hours or more.
“He was much harder to beat in best-of-five-set matches than in best-of-three-set matches.”
McEnroe went on to make a contentious proposal to change the best-of-five set format.
“For Grand Slams, I would recommend a match tie-break when the score is two sets all, rather than a full fifth set,” the 67-year-old added.
In addition, the four-time US Open winner has argued that the five-minute on-court warmup before matches should be “abolished immediately.”
John McEnroe gives his verdict on Grand Slam prize money
McEnroe also weighed in on the debate over top tennis stars pushing for more Grand Slam prize money.
“When I won my first US Open, I received $39,000. Nowadays, that figure is over $120,000 — even if you lose in the first round,” McEnroe said.
“Players ought to receive 20% of a Grand Slam’s total profits, but it’s 16%: 8% for the women and 8% for the men. That doesn’t strike me as a very fair distribution.
“If you win the tournament, you get to pocket $5.5 million. Don’t get me wrong: that’s a huge sum, but the distribution needs to be fairer.
“The only way players will get fairer pay is if a boycott is threatened — and actually carried out.
“It’s not about the winner getting $10 million; the prize money needs to increase across the board.”
