Men should play 3 sets of tennis like women – Judy
IT is a vicious row splitting the normally civilised sport.
But now Judy Murray has spoken up about the issue of equal pay – and equal play – between the sexes.
Serena Williams is among the sport’s champions to have criticised prize disparity in the sport, saying women are more than willing to equal the men’s five-set matches to get it.
But yesterday Scotland’s most influential tennis guru – the self-taught coach of champion sons Andy and Jamie – said women have an advantage in playing only three sets.
Mrs Murray, 57, said she supports equal pay but added that she would prefer to see men’s games downgraded to three sets. Asked about equality at the Edinburgh Book Festival last night, Mrs Murray said: ‘I would rather see the men play three sets. There are implications of women playing the five sets that actually would mean that the tournament needs more court time, it would take a whole lot longer.
‘Five sets is a great spectacle and special at a Grand Slam, for example.
‘But for the guys, you’re playing five sets, sometimes you’re out there for four or five hours and especially if you’re playing in Australia where the heat is just amazing, it just takes so much out of them. It’s so tough on them.
‘The women actually have an advantage only playing three sets in that most of them, if they choose to, can play doubles and mixed as well. You’ll never get the top men being able to do that because the five sets physically takes so much out of them.
‘I’d probably rather see it go the other way with the men playing three. At the Slams it’s fine for them to have the same money.’
Being able to enter both singles and doubles competitions means players have the opportunity to take dual prizes from one tournament.
It also means they can maximise their exposure, gaining more sponsorship, as well as the kudos of twin achievements.
Andy Murray, 30, has been one of the foremost advocates in the male sport for women gaining equal pay, publicly slating those who oppose it.
At the festival to promote her new book, Knowing the Score, Mrs Murray also disclosed how her mother, Shirley Erskine, 82, from Dunblane, Perthshire, prepares for a win by her tennis champion grandsons.
She said: ‘When either of them gets to the final of something she goes and gets her hair done in case anybody comes to the door.
‘If they do win it she goes out the next morning and she does laps of the high street. She comes back three hours later.
‘I’ll go to my dad, “She went out about three hours ago and she’s not back yet”. He’ll say, “Oh she’ll be doing her laps”.
‘Then she’ll come in and she’ll go, “I just couldn’t get away!”. She loves it, she absolutely loves it.’