Serena Williams may have highlighted sexism in tennis, but what do three-set matches say to young girls about inferiority?
What are young women supposed to think when the institution tangibly says that women cannot play as much tennis as men? It’s time to change
Serena Williams is in a far better position than me to declare if there is sexism on the tennis court and unfair treatment. Whether her reaction in the US Open final was warranted, I applaud her commitment to her point and not simply apologising after the fact.
But why do we not hear more top female players declare: “Hey, we are strong, fit people, who can push ourselves for as long as men?”
The most sexist thing about tennis is the length of women’s matches. It sends a clear message to young girls: ‘You are incapable of doing as much as men’.
There is no other major sport where women’s matches or events are so significantly different to men’s. A women’s marathon is not 20 miles, a women’s football match is not 70 minutes long, there is no 80-metre sprint and a rugby game does not finish 20 minutes before the men’s.
So why in tennis do women play three sets compared to the men’s five?
Serena Williams & Co are phenomenal athletes. She is a professional sportswoman and one of the best ever. Are you telling me she cannot play for as long as her male counterparts?