If Wimbledon is conducted separately for men and women, will women's tennis still attract as much audience.

Question

Men and Women will receive equal prizes from this year's wimbledon to give equal status to both the sexes. But what constitues equality? Is it money? Will it boost the quality of women's tennis? If wimbledon is conducted separately for men and women, will women's tennis attract as much audience as the men's tournament would?

Answer 1

It has nothing to do with time on court and, yes, the women do draw as well if not better than the men.

This is not the WTA of the 80's where 4 players vied for every Grand Slam title. The tour has a lot more depth as witnessed by an unseeded Serena Williams' Aussie win. At the very least, women are a strong enough draw at the US Open where their final match is scheduled for prime time, unlike days of yore when the match was thrown in between the men's two semifinal contests.

This is also not the ATP of the 80's where some of the game's greatest overlapped careers, kickstarting the sport's ascent into the public eye. Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Wilander, Becker, Edberg, Agassi all played in that decade and the men's top 10 was a hall of fame who's who at any given time. Today, the world's 3rd ranked player (Davydenko) doesn't even have an apparel endorsement contract. Federer dominates, Nadal flexes his muscles and the rest of the men pray for a miracle.

Lastly, the world has changed. Women make up a larger portion of the work force and their level of disposable income has grown as a result. Title IX has opened up a world of athletic competition to women and they consider sports as an option when deciding where their entertainment dollars will go.

They want a product that reflects their wants and they have now become a new target demographic for a host of consumer/service companies. That, by the way, is also why you see commercials specifically targeted at women during a traditional, male dominated event like the Super Bowl.

It's a brave new world. Don't hate, participate...or you'll be left behind.

Answer 2

This decision does not give 'equal status' to both the sexes. It is unfair towards men who play 5 sets as opposed to women who only play 3 sets. If Wimbledon either wants to allow men to play 3 sets or compel women to play 5 sets then it will become a fair decision.

Answer 3

definitely not. and i dont agree that they are paid the same by the tournament because men atract a lot more people to the games and men play longer games also. 3 out of 5 versus 2 out of 3 by women.

Answer 4

Yes.

Answer 5

yes