5/26/13

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/tennis/2520324/Its-not-fair.html?print=yes

TENNIS

It's not fair

CHAMPS ... Roger Federer and Serena Williams show off their prizes

THE real winners at Wimbledon this year were the women. Mens runner-up Andy Roddick had to work THREE TIMES as hard as losing womens finalist Venus Williams to earn the same amount of cash. He flogged himself through a gruelling 331 games, while Venus jetted home having played only 107. And mens champ Roger Federer spent almost twice as long on court 946 minutes as ladies queen Serena Williams, who appeared for a total of 584. Yet both players pocketed a cheque for 850,000. Two years ago, WTA Tour chief Larry Scott managed to secure equal prize money at all Grand Slams. But on the basis of the last fortnight at SW19, the girls hardly deserve it.
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/tennis/2520324/Its-not-fair.html?print=yes 1/2

5/26/13

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/tennis/2520324/Its-not-fair.html?print=yes

On Sunday, more than 11million TV viewers watched Roddicks brave mens final defeat to Federer in 4hr, 16mins. It was one of the longest ever Grand Slam finals with 77 games. In total contrast, 4.1m armchair fans saw Venus lose the ladies final in straight sets to sister Serena in a flop lasting just 1hr 27 mins. American ace Roddick banked 425,000 from a tournament that saw him play 29 sets 331 games in total and spend 1,211 minutes on court. That worked out at 14,655.17 per set, 1,283.99 per game and 350.95 per minute. Nice work if you can get it until you compare his payout with Venus. She played just 14 sets 107 games in 481 minutes. That worked out at 30,357.14 per set, 3,971.96 per game and 883.58 per minute. The all-Williams final made a mockery of Dinara Safinas world No 1 ranking. The Russian, who managed to win just one game in her semi-final against Venus on Thursday, has yet to win a Grand Slam. Incredibly, the last time a Grand Slam womens final went to three sets was Amelie Mauresmos win over Justine Henin at the All England club three years ago. And there has not been a three-set final at the US Open since 1995. It is also worth pointing out that corporate packages for mens quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals cost DOUBLE the amount as those for the womens clashes. Cynics may suggest it is time SW19 was split into two tournaments, with separate prize money based on revenue raised by each event. That would really put the cat among the pigeons. For added to the money issue, comes the little matter of entertainment. Not one single sliced shot was played between the two Williams sisters, underlining how onedimensional the battle was compared to the chip-and-charge tactics that Roddick added to his game to KO Andy Murray and almost unhinge Federer. Remember: Serena and Venus had played a combined 29 sets by the time they finished the same as Roddick hit on his own. Its a hard life on the tennis circuit. But harder still if youre a bloke.
News Group Newspapers Limited Registered in England No. 679215 Registered office: 3 Thomas More Square, London E98 1XY. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy . To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The Sun ombudsman will correct significant errors. Please contact her at ombudsman@the-sun.co.uk

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/tennis/2520324/Its-not-fair.html?print=yes

2/2