When will they get it right?

Wow.

Steffi and Chris and Martina can't be considered the "greatest" or greater than Federer because they didn't beat a man in singles?

 

Yeah. It's kind of stupid to define "greatest tennis player" as being the one who is the best at tennis, I know, but we're kind of crazy that way.

 

In terms of accuracy however, it needs to be qualified. Federer has not won more grand slam events than any other tennis player, no matter whether you think boys are better than girls.

 

Several years ago Karsten Braasch, a chain-smoking German ranked in the 200s and at the end of his career, humored Venus and Serena by playing each in a set.

Braasch d. Serena 6-1
Braasch d. Venus 6-2

Braasch was playing about half speed and was smoking during changeovers.

So to answer your question, yeah, it does matter that these wonderful women's tennis players cannot defeat a man ranked anywhere in the top 1000. If you are really serious about calling into question who is the "greatest."

 

And if Rod Laver hadn't spent seven or eight years in his prime as a pro, ineligible for the Grand Slam events, Federer would not be breaking any records this week.

 

This has turned away from the original question, which I think was whether writers should state that the record is for most Grand Slam titles by a male, rather than just saying the most grand slam titles. The question about whether men are better than women at tennis isn't a worthwhile discussion.

 

The original question was "greatest."

 

Most writers say "most Grand Slams by a men's player" or at least say "tied Pete Sampras' record" (which is for a male).

They do not say "most Grand Slams by anyone."

And the original ridiculous question was why Federer is called the "greatest" when he has fewer Grand Slams than Margaret Court.

 

This thread is awesome.

 

I think Venus once said she'd be lucky to win a point off Sampras if they played. The women aren't any where near as good as even bottom-feeder men.

As long as the story states that Fed is playing for either the men's record or to break Sampras,' it's all good.

Oh, and what spnited said.

 

I think Navratilova in her prime could have given quite a few of the male pros tough matches

 

Um, we went through all of this with the whole Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King thing in 1974.

While women's tennis --- and sports in general --- have improved drastically in 35 years, it's just a different kettle of fish. Now, I have no problem with women getting equal prize money.

But if male and female athletes were equal, why have separate competitions? Why not just lump everyone in one draw and play from there? 256 players, 8 rounds instead of 7? Out of 128 first-round matches, how many times do you think a female player would beat a male player?