Former Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué remains a polarizing figure in the tennis world. A few years ago, he entered the sport through Kosmos Group, taking over the organization of the Davis Cup and implementing sweeping changes. His reforms sparked widespread controversy, and although Kosmos had signed a 25-year deal to manage the prestigious team competition, the partnership was abruptly terminated by the ITF in early 2023 through an official statement. The project quickly ran into trouble, and beyond financial disagreements, the new format introduced by Kosmos never won over players or tennis fans.
Gerard Pique: A Divisive Figure in Tennis
Despite the backlash, Piqué remains undeterred, once again igniting debate by pushing for further modifications to the game. As a guest on the first episode of Bajo los Palos, a podcast hosted by his former teammate Iker Casillas, Piqué shared his perspective on tennis—a sport he believes must evolve to stay relevant.
Radical Rule Changes: No Second Serve and a Golden Point
“We tried to change certain things, but it was impossible. The ITF refuses to change anything,” Piqué revealed. He then challenged some of the sport’s long-standing traditions: “Why serve twice?” he asked. “It just adds an extra 30 seconds of a player bouncing the ball. People don’t want to see that. Nor do they want to watch a game that drags on with deuce-advantage-deuce-advantage. We should implement a golden point at 40-40.”
Padel and Pickleball: The Biggest Threats to Tennis?
Piqué was equally critical of tennis when comparing it to padel and pickleball, sports he believes will eventually surpass it in popularity:
“All statistics show that fewer and fewer people are playing tennis, while padel and pickleball are on the rise. Why? For many reasons. In clubs, you can fit two padel courts in the space of one tennis court. Padel is more enjoyable, even when there’s a skill gap between players, whereas in tennis, that can be a major issue. If you don’t find a way to reignite enthusiasm, you’ll gradually lose spectators”.
What Piqué says is not entirely accurate, though. According to a report released a few days ago by the USTA, tennis participation in the United States has grown to 25.7 million. This marks the fifth consecutive year of growth, with an increase of nearly two million players compared to the previous year (+8%). Nevertheless, Piqué argues, “The solution isn’t to cling to the rules but to adapt them to the pace at which everything else is evolving. I’m not talking about revolutions, just small adjustments necessary to keep up.”
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
