Former British tennis star and BBC pundit Kyle Edmund has called for Wimbledon and other Grand Slams to eliminate the traditional five-minute on-court warm-up before matches, arguing it would enhance the spectator experience.
Edmund's proposal to speed up play
Speaking as part of the BBC's punditry team at Wimbledon, the 31-year-old former world number 14 suggested that players should begin play immediately after the coin toss. 'The one thing I would like to change in tennis is to take out the five-minute warm-ups on court,' Edmund said. 'I don't think it's going to happen but just from watching other sports, I think there's something to be said for the product of the spectacle.'
Edmund, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 2018 and retired from professional tennis 12 months ago, noted that the change has already been trialled at the Next Gen ATP Finals. 'I do know they trialled that at the NextGen Finals in the last two years. But I'd love to see that on the professional circuit, I think it would make such a difference,' he added.
Current Grand Slam rules on warm-ups
According to the Grand Slam Rule Book, players are currently allowed a five-minute warm-up on court after the coin toss, which determines who serves first and from which end they start. The Grand Slam Board introduced a series of changes in 2017 intended to 'enhance the speed and integrity of the game.' ESPN reported at the time: 'The lords of tennis are looking at all the ways to “speed up” the game for fans whose attention spans in this age of social media are only getting shorter.'
The 2017 reforms enforced a strict timetable: players must be ready for the pre-match meeting one minute after walking on court, the warm-up lasts five minutes, and the match starts 60 seconds later. Players face fines of up to $20,000 for ignoring the schedule.
Impact on the Wimbledon tournament
Wimbledon is nearly at its halfway point, with top contenders including Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, and Iga Swiatek. Edmund, who never advanced beyond the third round at the All England Club, believes removing warm-ups would improve the flow of matches and align tennis with other sports that begin play more swiftly.
While the proposal has not been adopted by the Grand Slams, Edmund's comments have sparked discussion about further modernising tennis to cater to shorter attention spans in the social media era. The Next Gen ATP Finals experiment suggests organisers are open to trialling changes, though widespread adoption remains uncertain.
