Tennis Improvement Memo 503: Questioning the Merits of 'Potential Behind-Closed-Doors Matches at the Japan Open'

▶ Professional sports exist because of the fans

The Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships 2025 (Japan/Tokyo, Hard, ATP500) faces the possibility of matches being held behind closed doors after 9:00 PM.

This news is reminiscent of the pandemic.

However, as I mentioned here, professional sports, including tennis, are a business, so the principle of 'Sanpo-yoshi' (three-way satisfaction) is fundamental.

'Professional baseball exists because of the fans', the words of Shigeo Nagashima, who put this into practice, carry even more weight now.

▶ Not being limited by time is the foundation of tennis rules

Unlike rugby, basketball, or soccer, the rules of tennis are not limited by time, so the organizer's plan to 'schedule matches so they can finish' is completely incompatible with the competitive nature of tennis.

Tennis is a sport where, as long as you have the ability to maintain focus, you can pull off a major comeback even when your chances are hanging by a thread.

Some players even factor this into their game plan, especially if they are slow starters.

For a concrete example of how you can turn a match around in a 3-set match even from 0-6, 0-5, provided you have the 'staying power' of focus, look here.

https://youtu.be/VzvfAI1y9pU

The recent 2025 French Open men's singles final was indeed a 5-set match, which is a difference.

Carlos Alcaraz's comeback of the century, and the heartbreak Jannik Sinner felt when he looked back and said he 'spent a sleepless night', was it not precisely because it lasted a grueling 5 hours and 29 minutes that we wanted to keep watching forever? (Related article: 'Tennis is a sport with no 'time limit'')

▶ The history of tennis would surely have been different

As I mentioned here, the audience also enters the 'zone,' and that energy envelops the entire venue. And then it

becomes a 'match that goes down in history' and is passed on.

Of course, even if the plan in question doesn't mean 'time's up, match over!', a 'match' is something created together with the audience, so it could end up fundamentally denying the essential competitive nature of tennis.

What if, in that French Open final, everyone had started shuffling out from the 5th set, turning it into a match behind closed doors?

History would surely have been different.

Not just the outcome, but the memories, the records, and the miracles.

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