While the 2017 season (now at a close
except for the Davis Cup final this coming weekend) offered a remarkable array
of results, surprises, returns to form and brilliant tennis two new events
stood out. Both the Laver Cup and the NextGen Finals hosted their inaugural
editions. The two events offered something new, and perhaps previously lacking,
in what is already a jam-packed sporting calendar lasting from January to
November each year. A team event – the Laver Cup - not framed by nationality
was a highlight of the season, as was a tournament that centred around the
young players – the so-called ‘next generation’ of players – the faces of the
future. In fact, three of the main twelve players involved in the first Laver
Cup were faces of the NextGen race throughout the year (Zverev, Shapovalov,
Tiafoe).
It’s clearly an exciting time with
some magical talent appearing, seemingly at once, and looking just like the
future of tennis. At present there are four men aged 21 or under in the ATP top
50 and six women of that same age bracket in the WTA top 50. Then, a total of
ten men in the world’s top 100 and sixteen in the women’s top 100 are 21 or
under. The NextGen is a brilliant event that promotes the young players of
tennis. So, why is it not being done for both the men and the women? Much is
made of equal pay (an ongoing debate), of equal rights and opportunities both
in and outside of sport, and yet such events are only addressing one gender,
only promoting one side of the ATP/WTA pairing.
Looking at the ladies’ game, the lead
youngster Ostapenko, at 20 years of age, is ranked seven in the world. While
she is lower than Alex Zverev (now world number four), she has won a first Grand Slam
already (Roland Garros 2017). Ashleigh Barty has had an amazing year as have
some of the other young women clawing their way up the rankings, with hard work
and some flourishing tennis (Kasatkina, Kontaveit, Siniakova and many more).
Ana Konjuh, from Croatia, is the only teenager in the world’s top 50, in the
men’s or women’s rankings. In short, there are amazing young players in the
ladies’ game. They also deserve to become household names, and have earned the
right to be acknowledged similarly to the men.
It cannot be just Judy and son Andy
Murray leading the way reminding everyone of the importance and presence of
women as coaches, as players and in society. These people need to be deeply
infiltrated into the decision-making associations and working on promoting the
two games, the two tours – ATP and WTA – equally. So, while the NextGen was
brilliant, with a thoroughly deserved winner in Hyeon Chung (more known now
than before, surely), it can be felt that something resembling that tournament
was indeed missing from the ladies’ tour. I also think women should have been incorporated
into the Laver Cup and that it was a missed opportunity to really make
something special and unique out of that event. Yes, it was successful, and
probably what was hoped for, but there is too much separation between the men
and women, too much talk and then too little action regarding equality, with
regard to modernising the two tours in parallel.
It does seem rather hypocritical from
the higher powers of tennis, to bring Grand Slam prize money in line between
the two genders (as in recent years) and then allow other aspects to remain
dated and lacking (addition of new events, TV coverage, court allocations and
so forth). The WTA tour is rich with young talent, has seen a player only a few
days past her teenage years capture a first Slam in one of the shocks of the
year, and is every bit as deserving of the same limelight, focus and dedication
as the ATP tour.
First published on tennisworldusa.org
No comments:
Post a Comment