POPULARITY OF WOMEN'S TENNIS

The Spin

On 31 May Christopher Clarey tweeted that the press box was full during the Sevastova/Mertens match.  He attributed the full press box not to the match that was currently on show but the match that was coming up, i.e. Roger Federer going up against some fellow named Rudd.  

That statement is what ails tennis journalism. 

In case you missed it, Anastasia Sevastova, she of the second career (in case you did not know Ms. Sevastova had retired from the Tour and has now returned) and Elise Mertens, a rising star who previously trained at the Kim Clijsters academy and actually had Clijsters in her box on a few occassions early on in her career, played a fantastic match before a packed stadium.  Ms. Sevastova recently made it to the semifinals of the 2018 US Open and Mertens beat 3 or 4 top 10 players, saving match points along the way, to win her biggest title to date at the Dubai Duty Free tournament.  Neither of these women are unknown to tennis fans.  Frankly, the shouts from the Belgian fans could be heard all over Roland Garros as while I had the Mertens' match on my TV, I was watching the Krunic/Tsurenko match on my computer and I could hear the shouts of ELISE. 

For a renowned journalist like Mr. Clarey to opine that the only reason why the press would come out in numbers to watch a tennis match was because the next match up featured Roger Federer is an insult to the 2 women who were giving their all.  The Sevastova/Mertens match lasted for over 3 hours and I dare say the fans got their money's worth. 

It seems to me that from what Mr. Clarey said, the press would not deign to go and watch a women's match live.  One of the reasons why I love women's tennis is that if you follow the Tour closely, you know who the players are who will have their breakout moments at the Slams and you are never shocked by it.  

I am not shocked that Sevastova and Mertens played such a great match.  I am not shocked that Vondrousova is playing well (I am really looking for her to do big things this year).  I am not shocked that so many players that never get a feature on Tennis Channel or ESPN continue to draw crowds whenever they  play. 

We all love the stars of the sport.  Many people sometimes complain when there is a Serena Williams match and the stands are empty.  It is not that people do not appreciate Serena's game or that they don't like her, but sometimes there are much more compelling matches on the grounds and fans who have planned for the big tournaments for a long time would like to get the whole fan experience so that they can talk about it, and in some cases even write about it.  

From time to time I notice people who are designated as journalists who are at tournaments and who never set foot outside of the press area.  They are never mingling with the crowds to get a feel of what fans are appreciating about a player.  I believe the only tournament I have seen that does this is the Australian Open.  Perhaps Mr. Clarey and others of  his ilk should leave the press area from time to time and go have a chat with fans at a match where he does not even know the names of the players and find out why they are there. 

Tennis is a global sport.  It is not about Federer, or Nadal, or Djokovic or Serena.  The sport is about tennis and the sooner the press realise this, the better off we will all be. 

Now for the tennis, the women as always are bringing it.  If you have no idea who some of these players are, get yourself a WTATV subscription for about a month and watch the tennis that is played on Tour.  I promise you that you too will become as excited as I am by the level of tennis and from the talent that abounds in the sport. 

I have to say that it has been good to watch the tennis without the commentary.  There are times when I miss it as I find that it brings a certain level of engagement with what is happening on the court, especially if its done right.  

The matches have been captivating.  The fight from the players on the big stages has been something to see.  The drama has been something else and you can see from the emotions from the players how much they are fighting for even the smallest points. 

I hope everyone is as excited to see what happens in the second week, as much as I am.