I will never understand why so many female tennis players don't get in shape?

[wilsoneads]

This is compliments of the "Holy Cow" thread: http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/photo?s...-getty-81096384mw266_the_champions&prov=getty

And then there was the British girl who played Venus in the first round. I've seen it with Seles, Davenport, Capriati, Serena. It's like, "you're a professional freaking tennis player. your job is to be in shape." Why are they so fat????

 

[sureshs]

There are hormonal issues and psychological ones. If it was easy, you would not have a multi-billion dollar industry which specializes in weight loss for women.

Billie Jean King has a commercial for Nutrasystem in which she claims she lost 35 lbs. She is older and retired, so it is probably different, but she was a top player once.

 

[wilsoneads]

I'll buy into that if we're talking about normal people. But we're talking about women who are supposed to be the best athletes in the world. If you're going to compete on that stage, you should put in the work off the court to get in shape. Hormones schmormones.

 

[jgn1013]

lisa raymond plays doubles.. she does not need to be fit.

 

[karlsson]

I have been wondering about that myself. Could it be that being a little heavier gives them more power which gives them more of an edge than if they were thinner and faster? Not many professional athletes have a belly that some of the tennis players do. Why is that? Because they are running and working out all the time and should be in good shape. I guess Ivanovic and Sharapova are in great shape, and they are also in top 5.

 

[WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis]

I think you're exaggerating about the majority of female tennis players out there. And yes, whether they are professional tennis players or not, women still have certain hormones that play a factor in their weight, and well as a natural propensity for certain kinds of weight and difficulty in losing it after gained. Maybe you're too young to realize that, or haven't read?

Sue Mott was talking about the size of the British female players especially Cavaday I think the name was, and just said outright they needed to lose weight, and she didn't know why they had stayed in that state. However, she also said, the girl played well 1st set, and she did. And weight didn't stop her from doing it.

I don't think these women are abnormal or unnormal because some do carry extra weight and are competing at a certain level in tennis. Easy to judge and say what people should do from this side of the computer though, yes?

 

[random guy]

I'll buy into that if we're talking about normal people. But we're talking about women who are supposed to be the best athletes in the world. If you're going to compete on that stage, you should put in the work off the court to get in shape. Hormones schmormones.

Mmmm, I don't know but it has to be other reason besides just fitness... look at some hockey women players... they look the same and it's a very demanding sport.

 

[sureshs]

I will not totally disagree with you. Olympic female athletes, WNBA players, gymnasts, female soccer players don't seem to get fat. I think tennis unlike some other sports requires a little bulking up. I remember watching a segment on Gisela Dulko and her trainer monitors her weight every day to make sure she does not get thinner. If you are very skinny, you will not be able to hit hard groundies or serves. This maybe gives women tennis players some "license to eat."

 

[bluetrain4]

I'd agree for some women (Cavaday, Bartoli, for example), but would make a couple of points:

(1) It's their body. I know this is a simple argument. But, seriously, the only ones to suffer in terms of diminished prospects on tour or long-term health are the women themselves.

(2) There are a lot of truly bigger women playing - Davenport, Serena, Kanepi, for example. Even when these women are in shape, they are still "big", they are never going to be model-thin. So, i sometimes think the furor over women not being in shape is really just a jab at their physical appearance. That said, I realize that some of the criticisms are warranted. But, some women don't have the body type to look like a lithe, buff athlete and still have the strength to compete well.

(3) It happens to men too, even if in seemingly less numbers. Nalbandian, obviously, is a great current example. Even Agassi right before his "fitness fantatic" renaissance, when he plummeted in the rankings, was quite out of shape. He didn't necessarily look that bad, but his fitness level was appalling for someone who was a top tennis player.

 

[sureshs]

I think you're exaggerating about the majority of female tennis players out there. And yes, whether they are professional tennis players or not, women still have certain hormones that play a factor in their weight, and well as a natural propensity for certain kinds of weight and difficulty in losing it after gained. Maybe you're too young to realize that, or haven't read?

He must be. To be quite frank, my wife always has a struggle with weight. (But then so do I but let us leave that out for this thread ). It is not an easy thing. Just "diet and exercise" doesn't seem to do it for many women. It is interesting that in traditional cultures, a plumper shape was considered a sign of better fertility in women and their childbearing capacity. The weight gain around the hips is Nature's way of accomodating children in the womb. Recently, I read in an article that the thinner profile of women in industrialized nations (I guess that doesn't include the US ) is correlated with a very slight but statistically detectable increase in female/male ratio of newborns. Whatever it is, a large part of the female weight gain is evolutionarily programmed and considering we humans have been here barely for a 150,000 years or so, we haven't biologically caught up with the expectations of the TV and Internet age which prefers slim women.

 

[bluetrain4]

I will not totally disagree with you. Olympic female athletes, WNBA players, gymnasts, female soccer players don't seem to get fat. I think tennis unlike some other sports requires a little bulking up. I remember watching a segment on Gisela Dulko and her trainer monitors her weight every day to make sure she does not get thinner. If you are very skinny, you will not be able to hit hard groundies or serves. This maybe gives women tennis players some "license to eat."

Henin was an exception, and she was a terror in the gym. "Big Babe" tennis, as Mary Carillo likes to say, wasn't just a coincidence. A lot of women (though not all) need that extra weight behind the ball to play big. There are plenty of "wiry" guys who can still hit big though relatively thin. Much less so with women.

I'm really not trying to defend women who are blatantly out of shape. I just think the scope of attack against allegedly out of shape women is cast too broadly and includes some players who shouldn't be attacked.

 

[ohlori]

Dementieva in an interview a few months ago:

Do you think that there is a weight problem among the players?

I think that the players have a very particular relationship with stress and they have a tendency to manage this with sugary things. But it is also because of this that i like tennis, it is less important if you are delicate or sturdy, small or big you have the chance to win.

 

[wilsoneads]

Yes, Taylor Dent was another example for the men. And I feel the same way no matter who the athlete - but I notice it happens more on the women's side. I'm all about "it's your body - you can do what you want with it" when we're talking about everyday life. But the second you put yourself in the professional realm, you embarrass yourself and the sport when you show up 15-20 pounds overweight.

 

[Moose Malloy]

was just watching the '86 & '95 W finals recently(Navratilova & Mandlikova, Graf & Sanchez) Those women were in incredible shape, not sure anyone on tour today is at their level. And incredibly fast(I think in terms of footspeed, the current WTA top 10 may be the slowest group of top 10 players since the early 80s)

Here's my theory as to why WTA players of today can be out of shape & still win:

racquet technology. Today's WTA game is all about power, not movement. You don't need to be fit or fast when you are just either hitting winners or unforced errors on every other shot. And women hit with less spin than the men, so their running game is not necessary.

Since racquets had far less power in the 80s, the game was based more on movement. That is why Mandlikova, Sabatini, Sukova, Sanchez etc were all in incredible shape.

In 10 years time, I doubt you will see much of an improvement in fitness because it will still be all about power. I think racquet technology has hurt the womens game more than the mens.

 

[zagor]

I wonder what Krajicek's opinion is on this matter ?

 

[sureshs]

Henin was an exception, and she was a terror in the gym. "Big Babe" tennis, as Mary Carillo likes to say, wasn't just a coincidence. A lot of women (though not all) need that extra weight behind the ball to play big. There are plenty of "wiry" guys who can still hit big though relatively thin. Much less so with women.

I'm really not trying to defend women who are blatantly out of shape. I just think the scope of attack against allegedly out of shape women is cast too broadly and includes some players who shouldn't be attacked.

Good point about wiry men. They don't seem to have a problem hitting hard, but their upper body strength and stroke timing compared to women will still be better. Look at what those skinny welterweight boxers can do. Even then, I would imagine Rafa's bulkier muscles plays an important role in the power of his topspins compared to Federer, for example.

 

[sureshs]

Dementieva in an interview a few months ago:

Do you think that there is a weight problem among the players?

I think that the players have a very particular relationship with stress and they have a tendency to manage this with sugary things. But it is also because of this that i like tennis, it is less important if you are delicate or sturdy, small or big you have the chance to win.

See how Groenefeld gained weight after fighting with her male coach. I bet the coach did not gain weight in the same way.

 

[Atherton2003]

women are built different than men and carry more body fat....some lucky women remain thin, others don't - either due to thyroid issues, hormonal issues, etc....I think most of the female tennis players look like they are in fairly good shape. The men all seem to be physically fit...but it's amazing how it all averages out when men get to be middle-aged and have the huge stomachs....

 

[bluetrain4]

was just watching the '86 & '95 W finals recently(Navratilova & Mandlikova, Graf & Sanchez) Those women were in incredible shape, not sure anyone on tour today is at their level. And incredibly fast(I think in terms of footspeed, the current WTA top 10 may be the slowest group of top 10 players since the early 80s)

Here's my theory as to why WTA players of today can be out of shape & still win:

racquet technology. Today's WTA game is all about power, not movement. You don't need to be fit or fast when you are just either hitting winners or unforced errors on every other shot. And women hit with less spin than the men, so their running game is not necessary.

Since racquets had far less power in the 80s, the game was based more on movement. That is why Mandlikova, Sabatini, Sukova, Sanchez etc were all in incredible shape.

In 10 years time, I doubt you will see much of an improvement in fitness because it will still be all about power. I think racquet technology has hurt the womens game more than the mens.

You'd think that in time, that women would get used to the power and start having longer points. That, along with the generally slower conditions everwhere, would necessitate increased fitness in order to play out long points more often. But, so far, this really hasn't been the case. The '89 FO final between Graf and Sanchez is a momument to the prior fitness levels you speak of. Graf was hitting 15 shots before she hit a winner. Sanchez was running "everything" down. Really amazing. Sanchez would be a prime example of a player who didn't look like she was in amazing shape (she was stocky, big legs), but actually was.

 

[sureshs]

was just watching the '86 & '95 W finals recently(Navratilova & Mandlikova, Graf & Sanchez) Those women were in incredible shape, not sure anyone on tour today is at their level. And incredibly fast(I think in terms of footspeed, the current WTA top 10 may be the slowest group of top 10 players since the early 80s)

Here's my theory as to why WTA players of today can be out of shape & still win:

racquet technology. Today's WTA game is all about power, not movement. You don't need to be fit or fast when you are just either hitting winners or unforced errors on every other shot. And women hit with less spin than the men, so their running game is not necessary.

Since racquets had far less power in the 80s, the game was based more on movement. That is why Mandlikova, Sabatini, Sukova, Sanchez etc were all in incredible shape.

In 10 years time, I doubt you will see much of an improvement in fitness because it will still be all about power. I think racquet technology has hurt the womens game more than the mens.

Navratilova says she was once chubby and unfit, and had to start a very rigorous regimen to continue competing with Chrissie.

 

[1171]

Being big babes has not much to do with how you move.

There are plenty of big babe softbll players with thunder thighs who can move like gazelles.

I remember in one marathon, where super fit looking men/women were barfing up their stomach half way through, while those "big babes" with light footing were slided to finish line with ease.

Look is very deceiving.

Power and good footwork might belong to a big babe just as well as to a ballerina.

 

[wilsoneads]

He must be. To be quite frank, my wife always has a struggle with weight. (But then so do I but let us leave that out for this thread ). It is not an easy thing. Just "diet and exercise" doesn't seem to do it for many women. It is interesting that in traditional cultures, a plumper shape was considered a sign of better fertility in women and their childbearing capacity. The weight gain around the hips is Nature's way of accomodating children in the womb. Recently, I read in an article that the thinner profile of women in industrialized nations (I guess that doesn't include the US ) is correlated with a very slight but statistically detectable increase in female/male ratio of newborns. Whatever it is, a large part of the female weight gain is evolutionarily programmed and considering we humans have been here barely for a 150,000 years or so, we haven't biologically caught up with the expectations of the TV and Internet age which prefers slim women.

No no no. and I know this goes into a bigger issue, but this is just all wrong and unfortunately the result of living in this country. We think it's okay to be huge and our acceptance of what is "normal" is actually extremely fat everywhere else. I'm only about 5 pounds overweight (I'm 31 btw) and I remember walking through Paris for 2 hours and realizing that in those two hours there wasn't a single person bigger than me. At five pounds overweight I was the fattest person I saw in two hours! But in order for Americans to feel good about themselves, we've developed this new movement that says it's all okay to have fat on you. the reality is we're gluttons. We have all this money and we just eat eat eat eat eat and then look surprised when there are actually consequences to our actions. Instead of saying, "man, I should stop eating so much", our shrink-obsessed culture desperately looks for excuses and justifications (I had a tough childhood - I'm going through a rough stretch) but the truth is, if we started taking responsibility for our actions, we could eat better and exercise more. I know this because 98% of the other nations out there don't have this problem. Only we do.

 

[WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis]

Being big babes has not much to do with how you move.

There are plenty of big babe softbll players with thunder thighs who can move like gazelles.

Look is very deceiving.

Power and good footwork might belong to a big babe just as well as to a ballerina.

I agree. Michael Berrer weights in over 100 kilos, but is heavy boned so looks different, distributed different than a body type like Nalbandian, so for example, he doesn't look so much like the type called "belly". A very strong body type can move with speed and grace also, it depends on the muscle strength behind it.

I agree with the racquet technology idea. More reliance on winning through power, than movement and fitness. There are a number of women you see on tour who could stand to lose some weight which might improve their games, but its an individual thing.

 

[Jon Rudy]

She's 34 years old, she's won 63 doubles titles, including the career grand slam. She's apparently won over $7 million in prize money.

Apparently her fitness is not an issue. Adding to that is the fact that she's 34and from the photos I've seen, she's looked to be in good shape almost her entire career.

 

[WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis]

No no no. and I know this goes into a bigger issue, but this is just all wrong and unfortunately the result of living in this country. We think it's okay to be huge and our acceptance of what is "normal" is actually extremely fat everywhere else. I'm only about 5 pounds overweight (I'm 31 btw) and I remember walking through Paris for 2 hours and realizing that in those two hours there wasn't a single person bigger than me. At five pounds overweight I was the fattest person I saw in two hours! But in order for Americans to feel good about themselves, we've developed this new movement that says it's all okay to have fat on you. the reality is we're gluttons. We have all this money and we just eat eat eat eat eat and then look surprised when there are actually consequences to our actions. Instead of saying, "man, I should stop eating so much", our shrink-obsessed culture desperately looks for excuses and justifications (I had a tough childhood - I'm going through a rough stretch) but the truth is, if we started taking responsibility for our actions, we could eat better and exercise more. I know this because 98% of the other nations out there don't have this problem. Only we do.

Not everyone who answers on this board is American or in America, so "results of living in this country" just doesn't apply. And those on the women's tour who are "overweight" aren't either.

In Germany, it's similar to what you see in Paris. There seem to be far fewer overweight women in general, but in Berlin for example, you see some larger sized or weight women but still in very good shape from walking so much. Some with "extra" weight on but it's perceived differently. I do think in America there is a greater propensity for some to be very critical of someone overweight, or conversely for others to make excuses for it.

Not just America has the problem at all. As more cultures around the world get those "fast food" restaurants and less time is spent in physical exertions, the weights in a number have increased on average.

 

[Moz]

I remember in one marathon, where super fit looking men/women were barfing up their stomach half way through, while those "big babes" with light footing were slided to finish line with ease.

Look is very deceiving.

You were obviously watching the race from the wrong direction. I cannot believe you are suggesting that excess weight is advantageous for running.

You're joking right?

 

[NoBadMojo]

I'll buy into that if we're talking about normal people. But we're talking about women who are supposed to be the best athletes in the world. If you're going to compete on that stage, you should put in the work off the court to get in shape. Hormones schmormones.

Who said these are among the elite athletes in the world? They are the best female tennis players in the world...big difference.

I dont think these women are out of shape...they';re just not very athletic and that is reflected in their body types.

You are looking at trained tennis players. They are trained to hit forehands and backhands. get their serves good enough <if they can> so they arent a liability and to have a respectible service return. They win by hitting the ball through the court and the opponent and being fit (in spite of how they look...they do work hard at tennis fitness)...this is seriosuly aided by the gear....they are certainly not amongst the best female athletes in the world (perhaps with an arguable exception or two)

 

[wilsoneads]

yes. all that makes sense. I understand. but if you're trying to tell me that getting in great shape isn't going to help your game, you're crazy. that's my point. you're one of the top players in the world. get in the weight room. run after practice. eat the right food. you have the rest of your life to be lazy. this is ten years of your life to get as much money/titles as possible. put the work in. that's all i'm saying. that picture of lisa raymond is pathetic. i don't care if she only plays doubles. if you're going to argue that she doens't need to be in shape to get the same results, that she's not slower, that bending isn't harder, that she can't run down drop shots as easily, I don't think it's possible for us to debate this.

 

[flyer]

its quite simple i think, the women can get away without needing to be in shape because none of them are in shape, eventually the womens game will advance as the mens did and being in shape will be a necessity as it is in the mens game except for the odd few who are unbelievable ball strikers like Bags, and Nalby, players like that will just underacheive