Mixed doubles

Playing like Women?...

In a tennis tournament in Auckland last week, rising Scottish tennis star Andy Murray was booed off the court at the end of the match. When interviewed on court at the end of the game, Murray was quoted as saying: “we played like women”.

Judging by the public appeal towards women’s tennis at the moment, it wasn’t the best timed ‘gag’…mind you, Venus Williams after her first round loss at The Australian Open came short of saying she played like men out there!

The Scotsman reported:
“In a nation which has 50,000 more women than men, a female Prime Minister, and was enlightened enough to give women the vote back in 1893, audiences do not take kindly to any suggestion of female inferiority, especially from a visiting Scotsman.”

Women’s tennis is one of the forerunners in promoting fairness and equality between the sexes. The Australian Open is one of the only tennis grand slams which provide equal prize money between the men’s and women’s draws – that is fair.

When sport and international tennis tours are professional occupations for hundreds of men and women, it only makes sense that each sporting body should promote fairness between the sexes.

Thumbs up to the Australian Open for leading the way and good luck to Andy Murray should he ever have to play mixed doubles!