Is Mens Tennis So much Better Than The Ladies?

[RJD11]

I have heard so many fans put down Womens tennis

as so inferior to mens tennis ( Fiero ). That the ladies weren't

worth watching. Gulbis just said essentially that the women

should stay home and take care of the babies. That women

don't play 5 sets so they shouldn't be paid equally.

Well Now This:


PARIS (AP) - Leading two sets to one but already down a break in the fourth, Gael Monfils decided he needed to catch his breath.

So he tanked the set. Lost it 6-0. Didn't even try.

And his strategy worked perfectly.

The 23rd-seeded Frenchman advanced to the fourth round at the French Open by beating Fabio Fognini 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 in a match that had a combined 137 unforced errors and one penalty point.

''He (broke) me straight away. Somehow I was starting to struggle a little bit, not cramping, but I feel really tired,'' Monfils said of his fourth-set tactics. ''And then I tried to break back. Couldn't break back.

''It's, like, I want to serve first in the fifth. So, I mean, the only option I had is to take 6-love. Why should I make any effort?''

In the fifth set, Monfils jumped out to a 3-0 lead, earning the last point for free when Fognini was penalized for throwing his racket in frustration following a forehand that went wide. The racket landed near a ball boy.

Still sulking after the penalty point was ordered, it was Fognini's turn to slow things down.

The Italian called for a medical timeout to have his left thigh massaged and taped, drawing boos from the French crowd.



.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20140531/gael-monfils-fabio-fognini-french-open.ap/#ixzz33MU48iyt


Tanking, not playing your best at all times, gamesmanship in

strategy. Is this the message Professional tennis is trying to send.


The ladies don't play 3 of 5 sets. So they have to play their best

every set. This is not the first time that the Men players have admitted

to tanking sets as a strategy in a match that can go 5. It seems to

be a routine part of the game......................Uhmmmm

 

[Front242]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

It's called common sense. The best of 5 format is there for ATP matches in slams so while many wouldn't necessarily outright tank a set, they're quite right to not go full force at their opponent if already trailing badly. If you're already tired and want to have any chance of winning why would you exert a ton of energy to get back on level terms if you have no chance in the set in question?

If the opponent who's ahead struggles to hold serve and there's a chance to get back a break then by all means go for it, but if you're already physically struggling and it's 40-0 there's no point killing yourself either and the women do this too..

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I must say I find the Ladies game more interesting, more tennis, less serve!
More volatile too!

 

[RJD11]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

It's called common sense. The best of 5 format is there for ATP matches in slams so while many wouldn't necessarily outright tank a set, they're quite right to not go full force at their opponent if already trailing badly. If you're already tired and want to have any chance of winning why would you exert a ton of energy to get back on level terms if you have no chance in the set in question?

If the opponent who's ahead struggles to hold serve and there's a chance to get back a break then by all means go for it, but if you're already physically struggling and it's 40-0 there's no point killing yourself either and the women do this too..

No! Common sense is not the word....cheating....gamesmanship

dishonesty ...and a few other words no one wants to hear.

I understand the reasons they do it Front, but that doesn't make it right.

.....Fans deserve an honest match. If they are not fit enough to

play 5 then lobbey to do away with it , or man up and take the loss

or fight to come back

And these guys etal have the nerve to say women don't go 5 sets

so they don't deserve equal pay.

 

[Front242]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

Well how many guys win in straight sets not 'cos their opponents tanked but because they're superior players? In that instance I can't see how it's fair to pay them the same for an extra set. I'm all for equality in earnings most of the time but in the case of tennis it doesn't make sense I'm afraid. Slams are no different than non slam matches for the women. Would you expect to be paid the same for 4 hours at work as someone who does 1.5 hours work? Think of it that way.

 

[RJD11]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

Well how many guys win in straight sets not 'cos their opponents tanked but because they're superior players? In that instance I can't see how it's fair to pay them the same for an extra set. I'm all for equality in earnings most of the time but in the case of tennis it doesn't make sense I'm afraid. Slams are no different than non slam matches for the women. Would you expect to be paid the same for 4 hours at work as someone who does 1.5 hours work? Think of it that way.

Front: That would be true if it were a blue collar job that

paid by the hour. But this is not the case. Tennis players

are not paid by the hour. 1.5 hrs of an honest match where

the players are trying to win....vs ....the match thats 4.0 hrs of

players strategically tanking is no hard choice for me.

As I said, I understand why they do it, and that it seems a routine

part of the game that has been accepted over the years. That still

does not make it right. In every sports competition I have ever

participated in the object of the game is to go out and win...fair

and square. This does not live up to that ideal to me.

And to those who come out and win in 3 sets because they are superior

players. Well thats that match. How do we know they haven't done

the tanking thing in the past when they had a tough one since it seems so

accepted by the tennis insiders. The practice makes all matches that go

over 3 suspect.

 

[Front242]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

It doesn't happen that often. Djokovic pretty much tanked the 3rd set of the Roland Garros semi last year 'cos he started it so poorly he wasn't likely to catch up but most of the time 4 hour matches between those 2 do not feature tanked sets. It's not the norm as much as you're making out. Hard to prove anyway. Take Kvitova, for example, in the WTA. Her matches usually have bizarre scorelines with her winning the first set 6-0, 6-1 or 6-2, losing the 2nd by the same scoreline and then storming back to win the 3rd by the exact same scoreline. To many viewers this is quite a wtf?! But it's not tanking, she's just totally inconsistent. Same with some ATP players...

 

[Rose]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I think the ATP should crack down on players that are obviously doing this and for players to come right out and admit it just makes it worse IMHO. That being said I'm a firm believer in equal pay for equal work so since it has been stated the women can't do 5 Setters then I don't think the men should have to either!

Think about Isner and Mahut at Wimbledon no one was tanking there and I have to admit I almost wanted someone to do just that because I felt the players were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Also Andy's Match with Phillip just recently no one was tanking there either. And yet the women players got the same amount of pay for a lot less work!

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I think the ATP should crack down on players that are obviously doing this and for players to come right out and admit it just makes it worse IMHO. That being said I'm a firm believer in equal pay for equal work so since it has been stated the women can't do 5 Setters then I don't think the men should have to either!

Think about Isner and Mahut at Wimbledon no one was tanking there and I have to admit I almost wanted someone to do just that because I felt the players were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Also Andy's Match with Phillip just recently no one was tanking there either. And yet the women players got the same amount of pay for a lot less work!

Honey, you must be very new to tennis! Tanking a set that gets away from a player has gone on for as long as I can remember! Sometimes if you legitimately get down a couple breaks, esp. on faster surfaces, it just isn't to the players advantage to kill themselves trying to get back into it only to lose it anyway! Legends like Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, & Kramer will tell you the exact same thing! :angel:

 

[Moxie]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I think the ATP should crack down on players that are obviously doing this and for players to come right out and admit it just makes it worse IMHO. That being said I'm a firm believer in equal pay for equal work so since it has been stated the women can't do 5 Setters then I don't think the men should have to either!

Think about Isner and Mahut at Wimbledon no one was tanking there and I have to admit I almost wanted someone to do just that because I felt the players were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Also Andy's Match with Phillip just recently no one was tanking there either. And yet the women players got the same amount of pay for a lot less work!

Honey, you must be very new to tennis! Tanking a set that gets away from a player has gone on for as long as I can remember! Sometimes if you legitimately get down a couple breaks, esp. on faster surfaces, it just isn't to the players advantage to kill themselves trying to get back into it only to lose it anyway! Legends like Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, & Kramer will tell you the exact same thing! :angel:

You are unwittingly playing right into RJD's argument, which is the most compelling one I've read for why women deserve equal pay. No one has ever made such a case for the notion that men regularly tank at least one game in a 3/5 match, and openly admit it. That means that they aren't fit enough, either. At least for the women, they are always in the rather more do-or-die situation of best 2/3. We know that 3/5 favors the top players. The women are always in the situation of a more likely upset. And we wonder why the women's game is more volatile.

Interesting points. Thanks for bring that up, RJD.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I think the ATP should crack down on players that are obviously doing this and for players to come right out and admit it just makes it worse IMHO. That being said I'm a firm believer in equal pay for equal work so since it has been stated the women can't do 5 Setters then I don't think the men should have to either!

Think about Isner and Mahut at Wimbledon no one was tanking there and I have to admit I almost wanted someone to do just that because I felt the players were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Also Andy's Match with Phillip just recently no one was tanking there either. And yet the women players got the same amount of pay for a lot less work!

Honey, you must be very new to tennis! Tanking a set that gets away from a player has gone on for as long as I can remember! Sometimes if you legitimately get down a couple breaks, esp. on faster surfaces, it just isn't to the players advantage to kill themselves trying to get back into it only to lose it anyway! Legends like Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, & Kramer will tell you the exact same thing! :angel:

You are unwittingly playing right into RJD's argument, which is the most compelling one I've read for why women deserve equal pay. No one has ever made such a case for the notion that men regularly tank at least one game in a 3/5 match, and openly admit it. That means that they aren't fit enough, either. At least for the women, they are always in the rather more do-or-die situation of best 2/3. We know that 3/5 favors the top players. The women are always in the situation of a more likely upset. And we wonder why the women's game is more volatile.

Interesting points. Thanks for bring that up, RJD.

So volatile, Serena comes and goes as she pleases on the tour and still has twice as many points and her next rival! :snigger :laydownlaughing :nono uzzled :huh:

 

[Moxie]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I think the ATP should crack down on players that are obviously doing this and for players to come right out and admit it just makes it worse IMHO. That being said I'm a firm believer in equal pay for equal work so since it has been stated the women can't do 5 Setters then I don't think the men should have to either!

Think about Isner and Mahut at Wimbledon no one was tanking there and I have to admit I almost wanted someone to do just that because I felt the players were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Also Andy's Match with Phillip just recently no one was tanking there either. And yet the women players got the same amount of pay for a lot less work!

Honey, you must be very new to tennis! Tanking a set that gets away from a player has gone on for as long as I can remember! Sometimes if you legitimately get down a couple breaks, esp. on faster surfaces, it just isn't to the players advantage to kill themselves trying to get back into it only to lose it anyway! Legends like Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, & Kramer will tell you the exact same thing! :angel:

You are unwittingly playing right into RJD's argument, which is the most compelling one I've read for why women deserve equal pay. No one has ever made such a case for the notion that men regularly tank at least one game in a 3/5 match, and openly admit it. That means that they aren't fit enough, either. At least for the women, they are always in the rather more do-or-die situation of best 2/3. We know that 3/5 favors the top players. The women are always in the situation of a more likely upset. And we wonder why the women's game is more volatile.

Interesting points. Thanks for bring that up, RJD.

So volatile, Serena comes and goes as she pleases on the tour and still has twice as many points and her next rival! :snigger :laydownlaughing :nono uzzled :huh:

Well, yes. That's exactly part of the point you missed. In a best 2 of 3, Serena has been able to still waltz in, whether as fit as others or not, and bully the field on power. (Less so, as she ages, and the field gets stronger, as we've just seen.) Don't you think Federer would still be winning Slams if they were best of 3? But the other point is guys who can't do best of 5, either, and coast thru a set, or "tank," if you like, or take a judiciously selected MTO. Does that demonstrate that they're so much more suited to a best of 5? Best of 5 favors the top players. Best of 3 is more do-or-die. In that sense, the women have it a little tougher, and that's one reason that the #1 changes hands more often in the WTA, IMO.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I think the ATP should crack down on players that are obviously doing this and for players to come right out and admit it just makes it worse IMHO. That being said I'm a firm believer in equal pay for equal work so since it has been stated the women can't do 5 Setters then I don't think the men should have to either!

Think about Isner and Mahut at Wimbledon no one was tanking there and I have to admit I almost wanted someone to do just that because I felt the players were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Also Andy's Match with Phillip just recently no one was tanking there either. And yet the women players got the same amount of pay for a lot less work!

Honey, you must be very new to tennis! Tanking a set that gets away from a player has gone on for as long as I can remember! Sometimes if you legitimately get down a couple breaks, esp. on faster surfaces, it just isn't to the players advantage to kill themselves trying to get back into it only to lose it anyway! Legends like Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, & Kramer will tell you the exact same thing! :angel:

You are unwittingly playing right into RJD's argument, which is the most compelling one I've read for why women deserve equal pay. No one has ever made such a case for the notion that men regularly tank at least one game in a 3/5 match, and openly admit it. That means that they aren't fit enough, either. At least for the women, they are always in the rather more do-or-die situation of best 2/3. We know that 3/5 favors the top players. The women are always in the situation of a more likely upset. And we wonder why the women's game is more volatile.

Interesting points. Thanks for bring that up, RJD.

So volatile, Serena comes and goes as she pleases on the tour and still has twice as many points and her next rival! :snigger :laydownlaughing :nono uzzled :huh:

Well, yes. That's exactly part of the point you missed. In a best 2 of 3, Serena has been able to still waltz in, whether as fit as others or not, and bully the field on power. (Less so, as she ages, and the field gets stronger, as we've just seen.) Don't you think Federer would still be winning Slams if they were best of 3? But the other point is guys who can't do best of 5, either, and coast thru a set, or "tank," if you like, or take a judiciously selected MTO. Does that demonstrate that they're so much more suited to a best of 5? Best of 5 favors the top players. Best of 3 is more do-or-die. In that sense, the women have it a little tougher, and that's one reason that the #1 changes hands more often in the WTA, IMO.

I lived through that period of The WTA Championship final being best of 5! Like someone else stated, it was cruel and unusual punishment IMO as well! It was only done initially in '84 to keep Martina Navratilova on the court longer than an hour! During that era, she was just toying with her rivals, even annihilating Evert on her beloved clay taking love sets; losing only a game or 2! After Martina left, they went back to best of 3 after seeing Seles and Sabatini going for well over 3 hours and 5 sets! Martina's namesake had to endure a 5 setter against Graf and she was running on fumes being so young at the time!

 

[Rose]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

I guess it is better for me because I'm bored to death waiting for the men to play at RG! I didn't even watch either of today's women's matches.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

Quite frankly you can't compare Men's tennis to Women's tennis.

 

[Kieran]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

You can't use Gael Monfils as an argument against men's tennis, because we wouldn't use him as an argument for men's tennis. You can have him in the women's game and he'd be just as great an eejit there too...

 

[markus1]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

"Gulbis just said essentially that the women should stay home and take care of the babies."
... and then he says that he hopes to be coached by y Ivanovic or Sharapova.
lol

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

Quite frankly you can't compare Men's tennis to Women's tennis.

Well that is very true considering the humiliation some no-name player ranked #203 gave both the Williams sisters over 15 years ago at their heights! Karsten Braasch came out "hung over," smoking a cigarette and beat them handily losing only 3 games between them! That was the last of the "battle of the sexes" to date! lol! :lolz: :snigger :laydownlaughing

 

[RJD11]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

Well how many guys win in straight sets not 'cos their opponents tanked but because they're superior players? In that instance I can't see how it's fair to pay them the same for an extra set. I'm all for equality in earnings most of the time but in the case of tennis it doesn't make sense I'm afraid. Slams are no different than non slam matches for the women. Would you expect to be paid the same for 4 hours at work as someone who does 1.5 hours work? Think of it that way.

How many times must it be said. They don't get paid by the hour.

It's not a blue collar job. The point is the match being won

or lost, Not how long it takes. And in light of the recent

tanking issue, 5 set matches are very suspect. You want

to pay them more for gamesmanship.

 

[RJD11]

RE: Is Mens Tennis So much Better That The Ladies?

Quite frankly you can't compare Men's tennis to Women's tennis.

Well that is very true considering the humiliation some no-name player ranked #203 gave both the Williams sisters over 15 years ago at their heights! Karsten Braasch came out "hung over," smoking a cigarette and beat them handily losing only 3 games between them! That was the last of the "battle of the sexes" to date! lol! :lolz: :snigger :laydownlaughing

Thats somewhat true Fiero: But it also must be pointed out that Venus

and Serena were 16 & 17 yr old kids just starting out and not

at their heights. It also was 16 yrs ago, not 15. They were not

the accomplished champions they became. I suspect Mr Braasch

would have found a much more difficult time of it had it been a

few years later. I think the score could have been reversed since

Karsten was a smoker and a drunk. He also at one time ranked No 38

and had a lot of experience. Not just a " no name player "