Advantage Men

When all women want is deuce!

We have come a long way from when tennis was just a men's event in the 19th Century to now... when all four Grand Slams offer equal prize money to men and women. But equal pay still hasn't meant equal play for women in tennis.

Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slams as opposed to Roger Federer's 20 and in spite of equal pay, there's a more than $31 million difference in their total career earnings.

Men keep complaining about women's game being inferior as they play only best of three. Female athletes have repeatedly offered to pay best-of-five, but it’s the television sponsors and tournament officials that have turned down the offer due to scheduling restraints.

Media doesn't show respect to women's tennis and doesn't give their game enough coverage. Women should be portrayed as strong, powerful skilled athletes instead of being pretty ladies.

Men have just as many meltdowns and outbursts as the women do. (Federer, McEnroe, Connors, Murray, Agassi, Nalbandian, Roddick) but men are just being passionate and well...women are just emotional creatures.

Often, the media refers to "tennis" as if that means "men's tennis." Google "Who' has won the most grand slams?" and only male athletes names will show up. Grand Slams culminate with the men’s singles final on the last day with the women’s final taking place the day before proves that men’s tennis is placed on a higher pedestal than women’s.

Raymond Moore, a tournament official once said ,"Women ride on the coattails of the men and if I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport." Serena Williams, born in 1981, won her first professional tennis tournament in 1999. Federer, also born in 1981, won his first tournament in 2003, Nadal in 2005. Federer and Nadal have not carried women’s tennis. Women have carried women’s tennis. Men have been riding Serena’s coattails for very long and they owe Serena and all other female athletes an equal game.