Former Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué remains a controversial figure in the tennis world. A few years ago, he entered the sport through his company, Kosmos Group, taking over the organisation of the Davis Cup and making major changes. These reforms caused a lot of debate, and although Kosmos had signed a 25-year deal to manage the competition, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) ended the partnership abruptly in early 2023. The project faced problems from the start, and beyond financial issues, the new format introduced by Kosmos failed to gain support from players or tennis fans.
Gerard Piqué: A Divisive Figure in Tennis Despite the criticism, Piqué remains determined and has sparked further debate by pushing for more changes to the game. As a guest on the first episode of Bajo los Palos, a podcast hosted by his former football teammate Iker Casillas, Piqué shared his views on tennis—a sport he believes must evolve to remain relevant.
Radical Rule Changes: No Second Serve and a Golden Point “We tried to change certain things, but it was impossible. The ITF refuses to change anything,” Piqué said. He then questioned some of tennis’ long-standing rules: “Why serve twice?” he asked. “It just adds an extra 30 seconds of a player bouncing the ball. People don’t want to see that. Nor do they want to watch a game with deuce-advantage-deuce-advantage. We should introduce a golden point at 40-40.”
Padel and Pickleball: The Biggest Threats to Tennis? Piqué was also critical of tennis when comparing it to padel and pickleball, sports he believes will eventually overtake tennis in popularity: “All statistics show that fewer people are playing tennis, while padel and pickleball are growing. Why? For many reasons. In clubs, you can fit two padel courts in the space of one tennis court. Padel is more fun, even when there’s a skill gap between players, whereas in tennis, that can be a big problem. If you don’t find a way to bring back enthusiasm, you’ll slowly lose spectators.”
However, Piqué’s claims aren’t entirely accurate. A recent report from the USTA shows that tennis participation in the United States has grown to 25.7 million, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth, with nearly two million more players than the previous year (+8%). Despite this, Piqué argues, “The solution isn’t to stick to the old rules but to adapt them to keep up with how everything else is evolving. I’m not talking about big changes, just small adjustments to stay relevant.”
