Surely, Many will Agree with this Question.

kenshireen

Professional
In my opinion, what sets the 4 slams apart from all the other tournaments isn't that they are played in Australia, France, USA or England...but rather that all the mens matches are best of 5 sets. This means that potentially they have to play 66% longer each match to get to the next level. This extra effort and grit is in my opinion a primary factor that makes thie GS so exciting and important to the fans and players alike. Conditioning becomes a critical dimension as well as mental toughness.

Now, having said that... Here comes my question... In all other sports were men and women compete, (independently) the length of time that they are on the field is equal....
e.g. marathons, soccer, etc


QUESTION:
Why is it that the women should not play best of 5 in the GS. Afterall, they are getting the same $ and the 5 setter is definately one of the prime factors that sets the GS apart from the other tourneys?
 

klementine

Hall of Fame
^ If you've ever played tennis with a woman on a hot summer day, you would know the answer to your question.

I don't want to seem sexist-- but I have never played 4-5hours of tennis (not practice or rallying-- but live sets) with a woman-- sorry.... 2-3hours tops with many breaks for water and so on.
 

Sumo

Semi-Pro
In my opinion, what sets the 4 slams apart from all the other tournaments isn't that they are played in Australia, France, USA or England...but rather that all the mens matches are best of 5 sets. This means that potentially they have to play 66% longer each match to get to the next level. This extra effort and grit is in my opinion a primary factor that makes thie GS so exciting and important to the fans and players alike. Conditioning becomes a critical dimension as well as mental toughness.

Now, having said that... Here comes my question... In all other sports were men and women compete, (independently) the length of time that they are on the field is equal....
e.g. marathons, soccer, etc


QUESTION:
Why is it that the women should not play best of 5 in the GS. Afterall, they are getting the same $ and the 5 setter is definately one of the prime factors that sets the GS apart from the other tourneys?

Are they special because they play best of 5, or do they play best of 5 because they are special?

I know the length of competition changes in cycling. Don't know if it is the longest, but Le Tour is longer than most.
 

Ripper014

Hall of Fame
They did try it once... but it didn't work out... the tennis was less than spectacular... they could not sustain compelling tennis over 5 sets. I believe it was a year ending tournament in New York.
 
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raiden031

Legend
Its not just the 5-setters, but also the 128-player draw, and the prize money.

I don't want women to play best-of-5, because they already take up too much TV coverage as it is.
 

Nadal_Power

Semi-Pro
They did try it once... but it didn't work out... the tennis was less than spectacular... they could not sustain compelling tennis over 5 sets. I believe it was a year ending tournament in New York.

True.. and it lasted 11 years

I would love to see bloody jelena jankovic playing in 5 :twisted:
 

kishnabe

Talk Tennis Guru
For some people 3 sets of beautiful women is better than 5 sets of insane tennis by men. So why can't they have equal money?
 

Sentinel

Bionic Poster
I think most of the MEN are not able to sustain 5 sets. I see a slump even in guys like Murray after about 2 or 2.5 sets (unless they are easy sets).

I am not sure how well Nole can perform in 5 setter either. Rafa nd Federer don't seem to have a problem - Rafa due to his conditioning, and Federer probably due to keeping points short, not too sure about his conditioning.

So there's no reason women should be pushed to 5. I'd rather men have best of 5 only from the QF;s onwards, or maybe the round of 32/16.
 
Why doesn't everyone play best of 7? They're overpaid as it is.

You think tennis players are OVERpaid? If anything, they're underpaid. The average pro tennis player makes much less than say, someone in the NFL or NBA. Tennis players have to work for every penny (excluding the very top players who get huge endorsements, but then again, that applies for just about any sport), while in other sports like the NFL, a player might get a huge contract, get injured, and then not even play, while still getting paid! Or a player might get a huge salary, say in baseball, and then have a crappy season. They still get paid their salary. In tennis, you lose, you don't get paid.

And to make a comfortable living as a tennis pro, you'd have to be at least the top 100 in the world! That's incredibly tough.
 

raiden031

Legend
I think most of the MEN are not able to sustain 5 sets. I see a slump even in guys like Murray after about 2 or 2.5 sets (unless they are easy sets).

I am not sure how well Nole can perform in 5 setter either. Rafa nd Federer don't seem to have a problem - Rafa due to his conditioning, and Federer probably due to keeping points short, not too sure about his conditioning.

So there's no reason women should be pushed to 5. I'd rather men have best of 5 only from the QF;s onwards, or maybe the round of 32/16.

I think for some guys, 5 sets is definitely too much.

I wouldn't be against the idea of playing best-of-3 to 8 at slams, but never seen anything like that before.
 

equinox

Hall of Fame
just make the womens semifinals and onwards best of 5 sets. Make the best earn there equal pay. or force them all to play in bikinis.
 

DaMiBru

New User
In my opinion, what sets the 4 slams apart from all the other tournaments isn't that they are played in Australia, France, USA or England...but rather that all the mens matches are best of 5 sets. This means that potentially they have to play 66% longer each match to get to the next level. This extra effort and grit is in my opinion a primary factor that makes thie GS so exciting and important to the fans and players alike. Conditioning becomes a critical dimension as well as mental toughness.

Now, having said that... Here comes my question... In all other sports were men and women compete, (independently) the length of time that they are on the field is equal....
e.g. marathons, soccer, etc


QUESTION:
Why is it that the women should not play best of 5 in the GS. Afterall, they are getting the same $ and the 5 setter is definately one of the prime factors that sets the GS apart from the other tourneys?

Why is it that women don't work in construction? Why isn't there a female navy seal? Why don't women hit the ball as hard as men? They are physically less strong, generally.

Why is it that in soccer, the biggest sport in the world, there is almost no television coverage for women's soccer? No one watches it and no one will generally pay to watch it. This is different in women's tennis which is equally televised thus bringing in as much revenue, justifying equal pay!
Wake up and smell the coffee, equal pay for men and women has nothing to do with the amount of sets, it's all about the money!
You weren't so naive as to think tennis wasn't affected, or more like heavily influenced by the revenue it generates?
 

Ledigs

Legend
I don't think the quality would be there for 5 sets in women's tennis. Especially serving! And yes women do bring in tons of viewers, unlike in soccer. Partially because of the short skirts but partially because tennis just isn't that popular (male or female) so there really isn't a huge gap.

How do tournaments make money? Tickets and women bring in lots of spectators.
 

raiden031

Legend
I don't think the quality would be there for 5 sets in women's tennis. Especially serving! And yes women do bring in tons of viewers, unlike in soccer. Partially because of the short skirts but partially because tennis just isn't that popular (male or female) so there really isn't a huge gap.

How do tournaments make money? Tickets and women bring in lots of spectators.

Has any sport been effected by women's lib more than tennis? I think that the reason so many people watch women's tennis is because it has been forced upon us for many years with the tours joining up for slams, and comparable TV coverage. So people end up taking it up and getting to know the players.

I think its boring because they aren't as graceful as the men. If I had a choice between watching the best tennis player in the world (ATP), or some lesser quality tennis (WTA), I'm definitely going to pick the better tennis.
 

Chadwixx

Banned
This is the reason womens gs titles dont mean nearly as much. Its just another tournament only the players get alot more rest.

Very helpful if your fat like serena :)
 

West Coast Ace

G.O.A.T.
Partially because of the short skirts
Partially? How about 'in large parts'. I have a lot of sports fan friends who admit they will only watch tennis when hot chicks are playing - or the later rounds of men's majors.

...women...bring...tons of money...
Uh, let's hold the tournaments separately then. And may the better product win! I know who I'm betting on...

Has any sport been effected by women's lib more than tennis? I think that the reason so many people watch women's tennis is because it has been forced upon us for many years with the tours joining up for slams, and comparable TV coverage. So people end up taking it up and getting to know the players.

I think its boring because they aren't as graceful as the men. If I had a choice between watching the best tennis player in the world (ATP), or some lesser quality tennis (WTA), I'm definitely going to pick the better tennis.
Very true. I can't imagine the uproar here in the States if Billie Jean King got involved in Basketball... LOL!
 
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TheMusicLover

G.O.A.T.
How do tournaments make money? Tickets and women bring in lots of spectators.

WTA tournaments? No way. There's a good reason Eurosport shows that rubbish for free. Nobody would pay for watching it.
Also, some tournaments have been experimenting with becoming joint events lately. That's not because the men don't draw the fans, it's because of the WTA not doing so.
 

DaMiBru

New User
If I had a choice between watching the best tennis player in the world (ATP), or some lesser quality tennis (WTA), I'm definitely going to pick the better tennis.

I think women's tennis has come a long way. Tennis channel had the audacity to air a so called "classic" match between King and Evert. It was so boring due to the slow nature of the game I changed the channel after a few moments of anguish. While a Borg Connors match in that era would be highly entertaining.
Nowadays with the women slugging it out, at least the top women, it's great to watch but I hardly watch women's tennis outside the top players.
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
I back best of 5 sets in the women's singles matches at Grand Slam events. I think the female players would be willing to play best of 5 sets in slams, but I don't think many people in authority want to see it.

Saying that the women can't get the necessary fitness is ridiculous. Such attitudes once told people that women could never run a marathon. Playing standards would certainly have to rise, I agree, especially in regards to fitness, but we're talking about the best prizes in tennis here, the grand slams. People should really earn winning these tournaments.
 
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