Tennis
Interview

Ex-Wimbledon Champ Explains Why Women Are Ready to Play Five Sets

Published: Jul 15, 2025, 7:27 PM
5 min read
Updated: Jul 23, 2025, 3:54 PM
Fact checked by:
Quinn Allen

Key Takeaways

  • Ex-Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes it's time for women to play five sets.
  • Bartoli told RG why she thinks women are ready for the challenge after the 2025 Wimbledon final, where Iga Swiatek dominated Amanda Anisimova.
  • The 2013 winner also explained why Anisimova was already at a disadvantage before she even took the court against Swiatek.
Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

LONDON – Grand Slam finals best-of-five in women’s tennis? A Wimbledon champion believes female players are physically ready for the challenge.

“Women are absolutely capable of playing best-of-five sets,” said Marion Bartoli in an interview with CLAY and RG Media in London.

The Frenchwoman, Wimbledon champion in 2013 and runner-up in 2007, weighed in on the debate after the 2025 final. Iga Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes.

“That final was special, so I don’t think you can take that one example and extrapolate it to say that women should play best-of-five. Usually we see longer finals, like the one at Roland Garros. It’s a discussion the players need to have with the WTA,” Bartoli said.

This is not a new idea in tennis. Women did play best-of-five finals for 15 years at the WTA Finals. Between 1984 and 1998, the title went to the player who won three sets.

Steffi Graf lifted the trophy five times during that period, twice winning in five sets (against Anke Huber in 1995 and Martina Hingis in 1996). The other five-set final came in 1990, when Monica Seles defeated Gabriela Sabatini. These remain the only matches in the Open Era to feature a deciding fifth set.

The Grand Slams have yet to explore that format.

 “Players from my generation could have taken on the challenge too. Absolutely,” said Bartoli, a former world No. 7 and winner of eight professional titles.

“Maybe not for the entire Grand Slam, but at least from the semifinals onwards. Both in my time and now, women are physically ready for it. We’ve played matches lasting over three, even three and a half hours, which is how long the men’s Wimbledon final lasted. Of course we could do it,” she commented.

“Taking that step would require today’s players to sit down and really consider whether it’s what’s best for women’s tennis or not. It’s not up to us, the former players, to make that decision.”

Bartoli on Anisimova: “She Was Exhausted”

Was it nerves? Fitness? The Frenchwoman believes several factors explain Amanda Anisimova’s underwhelming performance in the 2025 Wimbledon final, but she emphasises the North American’s physical condition.

“Amanda arrived tired, physically drained. In her press conference she even said that during her morning warm-up she had to sit down multiple times, that she was already low on energy. She had come through long, tough three-set matches against Aryna Sabalenka and also against Linda Nosková,” Bartoli told CLAY.

 “Being in that position for the first time surely left her physically exhausted going into the match. And on top of that, facing Iga, who was brilliant and gives you absolutely nothing… She was dominating on serve, on return, from the baseline. It was a very tough matchup for Amanda because she never found her rhythm. She couldn’t serve well, she couldn’t dictate from the baseline, and she lacked the clean ball-striking she’d shown earlier,” analysed the 40-year-old former player.

“All of that can be attributed to fatigue, and to the pressure and nerves of playing a Grand Slam final,” she added.

<p>Sebastián Varela Nahmías is a journalist specializing in tennis and Olympic sports. He began covering small events as a student, and after 13 years of experience, he is now a regular presence at all four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open — as well as the Olympic Games, having reported from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.</p><p>Varela Nahmías has also covered the British Open in golf, Formula 1, MotoGP, the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne and the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.</p><p>He is the co-founder of CLAY, a bilingual tennis media outlet in English and Spanish focused on in-depth interviews, analysis, opinion columns and feature stories.</p><p>He has conducted one-on-one interviews with top tennis players such as Andre Agassi, Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, João Fonseca and Mirra Andreeva, as well as golf professionals Ernie Els and Joaquín Niemann.</p><p>Varela Nahmías has written for La Tercera, Racquet, Il Tennis Italiano, Relevo, Infobae, El Mercurio and Cooperativa. He was also a tennis commentator for Zapping.</p><p>In addition, he has worked as a travel writer for Revista Domingo, a contributor to Chef &amp; Hotel, and formerly as editor of the cocktail and gastronomy magazine Jigger.</p><p>Based in: Santiago, Chile</p><p>Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese</p>
Interests:
FIFA
PGA
ATP
WTA
Travel
Food
Cocktail Culture
Tattoos
International Affairs
Track and Field

Latest Videos

More RG Exclusive Interviews

Tennis
Interview
Toni Nadal Makes Free Coaching Offer to Auger-Aliassime

Toni Nadal says he’s willing to help Felix Auger-Aliassime again—completely free of charge—if the Canadian returns to his academy.

7
08/05/2025
Sebastián Fest
Sebastián Fest
Toni Nadal Makes Free Coaching Offer to Auger-Aliassime
Golf
News Report
Persistence Pays Off: Breakthrough Wins For Young, Yamashita

Cameron Young finally breaks through with first PGA Tour win at Wyndham Championship while Miyu Yamashita captures the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl.

6
08/04/2025
Brendon R. Elliott
Brendon R. Elliott
Persistence Pays Off: Breakthrough Wins For Young, Yamashita
Football
Interview
Robert Nelson Jr. on Tom Brady, Shedeur, And Building Legacy

Robert Nelson Jr. reflects on facing Tom Brady, mentoring Shedeur Sanders, and building a lasting legacy with his brand, Oautica Wave.

16
08/02/2025
Landon Buford
Landon Buford
Robert Nelson Jr. on Tom Brady, Shedeur, And Building Legacy
Mixed Martial Arts
Interview
Chuck Liddell Reflects on UFC’s Rise And Today’s Top Fighters

UFC legend Chuck Liddell talks about the sport's growth, today’s elite fighters, and whether the UFC still needs a superstar like McGregor or Rousey.

7
08/01/2025
DJ Siddiqi
DJ Siddiqi
Chuck Liddell Reflects on UFC’s Rise And Today’s Top Fighters
Prev
...
Next
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Read our
Privacy Policy
.