No Open women’s five-setter
No Open women’s five-setter 
By Leo Schlink
Former Australian Captain February 01, 2008
THE Australian Open has no plans to turn its women’s final into a best-of-five-sets affair.
Tournament director Craig Tiley on Thursday dismissed rumours the final would be stretched from best-of-three sets to five.
“There is no move to change to best-of-five,” Tiley said from Bangkok, where Australia is contesting the Fed Cup.
“There is no truth to this rumour.”
The final was last year the subject of speculation it would be expanded to a format rarely used in the women’s game.
Proponents of the idea argued that the Open’s equal prizemoney meant the sport’s leading females should play a best-of-five decider.
A review of last month’s Open will soon be carried out in preparation for next season.
A women’s night final and two extra sessions have already been mooted.
Tennis Australia’s annual tournament review will also consider the logistics of expanding the tournament to 15 days and 27 sessions.
And it almost certainly will formalise a women’s night final, breaking a 103-year tradition of daylight deciders to follow the lead of the men, who have played the final under lights since 2005.
The introduction of a Sunday start would increase the number of Melbourne Park sessions from 25 to 27 - one more than the US Open and more than double that at Wimbledon.
AUSTRALIA’S Rod Laver, widely considered as one of the game’s greats, says his greatest pleasure as a tennis spectator has come from watching world No.1 Roger Federer.
Although Federer is yet to win a French Open title, Laver said the Swiss player’s elegant positioning on court made him extra special.
“I certainly know from the tennis side of it just how much talent that Federer has got,” said Laver, the 69-year-old, who won 11 grand slam titles.
“His court coverage and anticipation are uncanny and make him different from anybody else out there.
“He’s never out of position and has a knack of knowing what he hits will determine what’s coming back, and he knows what’s coming back.
“And so it becomes a simple game for him. Plus, he’s got all the strokes anyway and his service has improved a lot from a year ago.”
- with Reuters
