I read an article where when it comes to tv viewers, the average age that watches ATP is 61. For the WTA, it's 55.Is it that interesting? Why is tennis the only sport where supposedly hardcore fans obsess over what casual fans know or think? Why do people like fongoeswest act as though the sport lives and dies by what people who don't care about it think? I'm so bored of TF's obsession with marketability and mainstream appeal. Does it appeal to YOU, is the question, and if not then no one's forcing you to keep watching it.
Football fans don't care which footballers I've heard of (I don't follow it at all).
I follow athletics, gymnastics and golf in an extremely casual way but I don't see fans of those sports caring which of their athletes I've heard of.
The answers are all exactly what you expect with minor variance between countries, anyway. Why is it interesting to reiterate that Serena, Venus and Sharapova are the best known names in women's tennis? They're the ones that friends with zero interest in tennis could name. Some more casual fans could probably name Osaka, Konta, Watson, Andreescu, Gauff, but it's pretty random - if you don't really follow the sport but happen to have the TV on during Wimbledon when a Hsieh match is on, you'll remember her even if you don't know most top 20 players.
Maybe it's different with streaming.
I think both tours are looking for marketable superstars along the likes of Williams, Sharapova, Nadal, Federer etc.
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