[stevek]

which do you prefer?

I'm undecided at the moment. Up till we got eurosport i used to think that womens was better. I thought this bcoz the only tennis i used to see in a year was wimbeldon and on the mens side it was all about the serve and very repetitive to watch. However watching the australian open on eurosport at the moment, i really enjoying the mens game with all the variety of play you get to see all the shots and tactics in play. However the advantage the women have is that there is not the same rivalries in the mens game as the womens. However i've changed my mind about the mens game once it's not two serve volleyers on grass.

I'm fairly new so i hope this hasn't been asked recently!

 

[Lisbeth]

At the moment I definitely like women's tennis better. However as the days of the huge serve as be all and end all seem to be dwindling in men's tennis (notice the success of Hewitt and Agassi last year, amongst others), I might go back to liking both equally. If the women get completely taken over by huge servers I might like the men better, but I doubt it will happen because there is too much depth in the women's draw and too many big servers who are also good at other things. Also the women are more fun and dramatic at the moment, probably because there are so many stars and diverse personalities

 

[destructo_girl]

I used to be a fan of the mens tennis. They hit the ball so hard, and with flair. And there was just something cool about how they could do this single-handed backhand, while the women always looked like they might hit it into the net at any moment.

But then, I don't know what happened, but womens tennis suddenly picked up for me. I watched Martina Hingis play at the adidas International last year. WOW. She didn't hit it as hard as the men did, but the style she had. She placed it perfectly all the time, she had all the great shots. She became my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE tennis player in the whole world in one instant.
And so I kept watching just for Martina. And saw that the womens game is so much about placement and the shots, as opposed to the men who were all about power.

So now I can barely stand to watch a mens match, cos its long and tedious, all serving all pounding see-who-can-last-the-longest type of match. And when you watch the women, (the good players, that is) they hit the ball, and they know what they're doing with it.

This is what I love most about the women's game, which is why I think Martina to be so wonderful. This is a lengthy, boring response, but I can't not express why I love Martina Hingis.

 

[RAA]

I agree, for the most part, I think men's matches are too long and too tedious. However, in the past, since mens' tennis was much deeper than women's, early round men's matches tended to be somewhat more interesting than early round women's matches. I still think that is true somewhat, but not as much. Still, its so unusual to see a women's player outside the top 15 upset anyone above her in rankings, while this happens a lot on the men's side.

Now women's tennis is much deeper, which makes things more enjoyable, and I think the quality of women's tennis has improved A LOT. But it would be even more enjoyable if the serve and volleyers weren't dying out. It would be just great if, with all the depth in women's tennis, we had more variety. A few more serve and volleyers to provide a contrast to the power hitters. A few more all-court players to contrast the baseliners.

All of this rambling is to say, in general I would choose to watch women's tennis over men's tennis, but there are some male players I always make it a point of seeing- Pat Rafter for one.

ruth in philly pa usa

 

[CB]

Women's tennis, hands down.

I don't have exactly a reason, it's just more enjoyable for me... also because most of my faves are female, so of course I prefer to watch them. Men's tennis is also cool, because on earlier rounds the challenges are much bigger. A top 50 can beat the #1. On women's tennis, thats impossible.

Remember Venus and Kristina on 2nd R OZ this year?! Venus was playing 60% and still won. Kristina is ranked 70 I think. If it was on men's side, the 60%-player would be JUST destroyed. It's definitely other level. Still, I love to watch the girls

 

[Williams Rulez]

Women's. Cause they are pretty and nice to watch

Well and cause their play is more interesting and there is more off court and on court drama

It is also interesting to see how players win points without depending on their serves

 

[Candy946]

I'm not going to choose Men's tennis only just because I'm female or that I'm suppose to find them attractive? I like to watch both ATP and WTA equally because tennis is tennis.

There are great players on both sides, whether there's drama or whatever on the court.

 

[Gilgamesh]

Women's. I like to see well constructed points that do not rely on pure power. Obviously, I can respect that it takes a great deal of ability to deliver great amounts of power with precision. However, it is not as enjoyable to watch. For this reason, I would like to see a return to raquets that deliver less power to the ball. (I realize that this is not going to happen any time in the forseeable future though.)

 

[Vanity]

I prefer women's tennis and always have. Every time I try to watch men's tennis I get bored after a few games. One of the players I did enjoy in men's though was Patrick Rafter... it's a shame it looks like he is a candidate for retirement. However, women's tennis will always be my favorite because of the rivalries and the fact that we get to see a wide variety of weapons and shots from the women.

 

[Monica_Rules]

I much rather womens tennis its the style of tennis i play even though i'm male!I hate the whole big serves!The only thing i like about mens tennis is the baseliners!Safin,Gambill,Roddick,Agassi and so on i do like to watch a little mens clay court tennis though!

 

[Crazy Canuck]

I prefer mens tennis over womens. But like Candy said, tennis is tennis, so I'll take what I can get

I like that the mens game is deeper, and anyone can lost to anyone. It makes the tournaments less predictable and more exciting.

I like that the top players sometimes vary depending on the surface- for example there are some players who shine on grass or clay, but no where else.

There are some surface specialists in the womens game, but its not as drastic as in the mens game.

I also like the faster pace of the mens game.

There are some matchups I'll pass on - for example watching Marat Safin and Mark P. play indoors at Paris 2000 almost put me to sleep - it was a serve fest.

But look at the best women - LIndsay, Serena, Venus have the best serves on the tour. Is it just a coincidence they are top players too?

Hingis' serve is weak - and she loses to more powerful players. Coincidence?

IMO the women depend on their serves as much as the men do.


THough despite all the reason I prefer mens tennis - I still love womens tennis too