Boris Becker criticises 'ridiculous' tennis rule and proposes big changes at Grand Slams and key events

Becker, who now provides expert analysis for Eurosport, took issue with the 'let' rule which is rooted deep in the history of the sport.

The German said it is "ridiculous" that the point does not continue if a player hits the net cord with their serve, and the ball lands in.

Long-standing tennis rules stipulate that in this case, the serve is retaken. Becker feels this should not be the case.

"It’s a ridiculous rule," the former Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion said. "In a normal tennis rally, play continues, even if the ball touches the net.

"I am therefore a strong advocate of play continuing after a net serve. It does have something to do with luck and misfortune, but that’s how it is sometimes in sport and in life."

Hitting the net cord during points can be a point of contention among players. Tennis etiquette suggests players apologise when they win a point through such fortuitous circumstances.

But, as seen during the fierce exchange between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend at last year's US Open, that is not always the case.

Meanwhile, Becker also feels the rules surrounding medical timeouts, and players suffering with cramp, are ambiguous.

The rule was highlighted during a testing opening week at Roland-Garros, with temperatures soaring above 30 degrees.

Players are not allowed to call a medical timeout for cramp, a rule that adversely affects world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is prone to seizing up in the hot and humid temperatures.

Players are, of course, allowed a medical timeout for any other kind of injury, or in the case of Sinner during his second-round exit to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Paris, for illness.

However, Becker argued it is impossible to tell the difference between a player sporting a minor injury or suffering with cramp, leaving the rules hard to apply.

"The rules aren’t clearly defined in that regard," Becker said. "A player can take a break if they feel a slight strain in their thigh, but not if they have a cramp. Of course, a player will never admit to having a cramp."

Among Becker's proposed rule changes was also a change to the format of ATP 1000 Masters events. He feels they should be played as best-of-five sets, as opposed to the current three-set format.

"In my days, the finals at Masters tournaments were played over three winning sets - Rome, Monte Carlo or Paris-Bercy," he said.

"Today, it’s only over two, which I don’t think is good. A match like that can be over in an hour. In that case, the spectators don’t see enough tennis, and the players could handle one more set."

Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.

Stream every court from the 2026 French Open exclusively live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.