How can tennis be more attractive to fans worldwide? Well, like administrators of the sport, the former Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique is also looking for an answer. Remember how a few years ago, he stirred a bit of a controversy by taking over the organization of the 125-year-old tournament (Davis Cup) through his company, Kosmos Holding, and transforming the event? The revamped Davis Cup format faced a lot of backlash back then. The former Barcelona defender is in the headlines once again, advocating transformative changes in the rules of the sport now. What exactly is he saying, though?
Speaking about his love for tennis, Gerard Pique once revealed he was just 8 years old when his father first took him to Barcelona’s celebrated Real Club to watch the annual professional tournament. He said, “My father is a member of the Real Club; I’ve been going there since I was a kid. I used to watch Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Alberto Berasategui, Carlos Costa. I always loved football, but tennis has been my passion as well.” So, that’s how his love for tennis grew.
According to Pique, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, soccer is the biggest sport in his country, but tennis and basketball share the second position. Pique himself is often seen playing tennis with the members of the Kosmos staff. Perhaps, after fulfilling his dreams in soccer, he has unfinished business in the racket sport.
Recently, he appeared as a guest in the podcast (Bajo Los Palos) hosted by the former goalkeeper and fellow World Cup winner Iker Casillas, where he criticized several aspects of tennis. He even said that he made numerous attempts to change tennis rules. “We have tried to change certain things, but there’s no way. The ITF doesn’t want to change anything. Why serve twice in tennis? It 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 stretches out with deuce-advantage-deuce-advantage. We should implement a golden point at 40-40.“
Continuing further, he added, “Tennis needs to evolve to adapt to the current speed and attract those young people who are tempted to watch a lot of other things like HBO or Netflix.” Recently, pickleball, another sport similar to tennis, has witnessed massive growth in the US. Padel sport was mainly a sport for Spaniards and Argentinians earlier, but now it has become one of the fastest-growing sports in America.
Gerard Pique says the rules of tennis should be changed so each player only gets one serve:
“Why do you serve twice in tennis? It’s 30 extra seconds of a guy bouncing the ball. People don’t want to see that. Why all the deuce-advantage, deuce-advantage in a five-minute game?… pic.twitter.com/bnyouEXF2g
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 1, 2025
What does Gerard Pique have to say about this? “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,“ said the soccer star.
However, according to a recent report published by the USTA, tennis participation in America has grown to 25.7 million. Interestingly, this is the fifth consecutive year of growth! But Pique feels tennis shouldn’t cling to the rules and must adapt itself to the pace at which other sports are evolving.
Pique’s intentions to revamp tennis rules have often faced severe criticism from the tennis greats. Who all have opposed his idea?
When Gerard Pique’s Davis Cup idea irked tennis legend, Roger Federer
In 2018, the ITF signed a 25-year partnership with Gerard Piques’s company, Kosmos Holding. It promised to revitalize the most prestigious event in tennis – Davis Cup, making it more attractive for the fans and even for the players. Kosmos had then pledged to invest around $3 billion in tennis during the 25-year partnership. Speaking about this ambitious project, Pique once said, “I want Davis Cup to be a party around tennis, not just tennis.“
However, tennis legends like Boris Becker and Leyton Hewitt came up with strong reactions. Becker posted on X, “Lost for words,” while Hewitt said, “It is sad that a group of officials bury the tradition of the Davis Cup. The Davis Cup in its form we all know will never happen again, and 118 years are sacrificed for the greed of people who have no respect for history and tradition.“
Pique suggested that the Davis Cup finals be played in September after the US Open instead of November. But Roger Federer didn’t look too pleased as he said, “I haven’t spoken to Gerard Pique yet, but I admit that it’s a bit odd to see a footballer arrive and meddle in the tennis business. Be careful: the Davis Cup should not become the Piqué Cup.”
Pique responded, saying, “They have the Laver Cup and can see Davis as a competitor of their competition. I don’t know if one day Federer will play in Davis…” Later, in 2023, ITF ended its partnership with Kosmos.
What are your thoughts on Pique’s suggestions about changing the tennis rules?
The post Spanish Ex-Soccer Pro’s Outlandish Tennis Rule Proposal Sparks Debate as the Legend Pushes for a Radical Change appeared first on EssentiallySports.
