As part of our research series, we're showcasing some of the research projects produced by both UCFB students and staff members.
For his third-year research project, BA (Hons) Multimedia Sports Journalism graduate Samuel Cross explored the following hypothesis' to determine whether the men’s match format should be shortened at Grand Slam level:
- The primary hypothesis is that participants think that the match format should be shortened at Grand Slams.
- The secondary hypothesis is that younger participants would prefer a shorter format whereas older participants may prefer the more traditional and current format.
The project's conclusion is as follows:
- Over two-thirds of participants (68%) thought that the match format should remain the best-of-five sets.
- However, 32% thought that the format should be shortened, 14% to a final set ten-point match tiebreak –suggesting that there are viable options to shorten the match format.
- Trialling this format at one of the Grand Slams and comparing it to the current format would produce interesting results with the views of fans and industry experts.
