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Author: Elene Khachapuridze
Roger Federer named Serena Williams as the best tennis player years ago. A woman who dominated women’s tennis for almost 20 years, won 23 Grand Slams, broke numerous records, won the Australian Open final at 8 weeks pregnant, returned to the court after giving birth and played in the finals and semi-finals of major tournaments on multiple occasions, might not, at first glance, need Federer’s recognition, but for Serena, like any other woman, this list of achievements was not “enough” to be called her best.
This is why Roger’s words were important. Even in tennis, where women’s and men’s fields are equally developed, gender-based inequality often manifests itself. From this point of view, the most emblematic moment is related to the British tennis player, Andy Murray. After losing to Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon tournament in 2017, a journalist at a traditional press conference started a question to Marie with the following wording: “Querrey is the first American player to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament since 2009.” Andy interrupted the journalist and corrected the question with one word “the first man is a player”. If it weren’t for this dignified response and Andy Murray’s truly remarkable determination to make women tennis players feel equal in the sport, no one might have noticed what this question was actually trying to ignore. The American tennis player Sam Querrey, whom the journalist asked about, is 36 years old today, he officially said goodbye to tennis 2 years ago without being able to win a single Grand Slam. At this time, from 2009, until the moment of this press conference, what were the achievements of Serena Williams, also an American tennis player:
- In 2009, Serena Williams won Wimbledon and the Australian Open;
- Won Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2010;
- Won Wimbledon and US Open in 2012;
- In 2013, she won the French and American Open;
- Won the US Open in 2014;
- In 2015, she won three out of four Grand Slams: Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon;
- Won Wimbledon in 2016;
- In 2017, she won the Australian Open.
In addition to ignoring the 12 Slams won, Williams’ Olympic achievements have also been forgotten by sports commentators. Andy Marie was quick here too. In 2016, when Marie won her second Olympic gold, a BBC sports commentator asked her, “Are you the first person to win two Olympic tennis gold medals? It’s an amazing feat, isn’t it?!,” “Only in units. “Venus and Serena, each separately, won Olympic gold four times,” Marie replied to the commentator.
In such a situation, where it is possible to ignore the 12 Slams won and forget the 4 Olympic golds won, it is not surprising that Giorgi Gvelesiani, defender of the national team of Georgia, thinks that “football is less important for women”. Unlike tennis, no proper efforts were made for the development of women’s football either at the international or local level, if Gvelesiani somehow noticed the gender compatibility of this type of sport with women. Moreover, even tennis, which is one of the most advanced sports in this respect, does not have only Andy Murray and Roger Federer-style tennis players — in the not-so-distant past, today’s most decorated tennis player, Novak Djokovic, demanded different prize money for men and women, and to reinforce his position that the men’s game was a spectator sport. It helped more interest, which was seen by the number of tickets sold and also by their relatively high price.
Interest is not the only argument used to make men’s tennis more popular. This discussion also often appeals to the different physical abilities of women and men, that men are faster and hit harder. This argument was repeated with particular zeal in connection with Serena Williams. Speaking of Serena’s remarkably strong body, it is even more beneficial to mention that even such a physically strong woman cannot defeat a male tennis player ranked below her; that the body does not allow more.
But who, if not the tennis players themselves and the devoted fans of this sport know very well that a player is not judged only by physical advantage – it is one of the components to be recognized as the best, but not the only one. The author of one of the most important texts on the Roger Federer phenomenon, David Foster Wallace, in his article “Roger Federer as a Religious Experience” writes that speed and power are the skeleton for tennis, and Federer adds flesh and body to this skeleton with his game. In other words, Wallace believes that strength and speed are fundamental parts of the sport, but physicality is not the most important element. Wallace wrote this article at the dawn of Roger’s career, so he predicts that Federer’s elegant style of play, his creative approach to the court, would irrevocably transform men’s tennis.
Wallace’s prophecy came true. Roger finished his career with great achievements, although he managed to win fewer Grand Slams than the famous trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, and is likely to lag behind his rivals in other indicators, although this does not change much for fans of this sport. Federer is the archetypal figure of modern tennis, whose greatness cannot be measured by statistical data alone.
Moreover, when evaluating Djokovic, there was a case when his superiority dictated by physical conditions was used as an argument against his own greatness .
Giorgi Gvelesiani, the player of the national team of Georgia, appeals to the physical difference between women and men, when he offers an explanation of his controversial opinion. No matter how many paragraphs Gvelesiani writes, no matter how many criteria he writes to women for their final recognition as footballers, it is still clear that Gvelesiani considers tenderness to be the main characteristic of a woman, and he thinks the “objective reality” is that football is less of a woman’s business. This is the banal truth of his multi-paragraph letter.
However, a woman’s body shows exceptional strength and endurance both in sports and beyond. Speaking of physical abilities, let’s not forget that 35-year-old Serena Williams competed in the Australian Open while pregnant, facing her sister, fellow tennis star Venus Williams, who was ranked 17th that year, in the finals. Serena played under incredible physical strain and emotional stress, and without losing a set, she won the tournament championship, the twenty-third Slam and improved the record of Steffi Graf.
It is impossible not to mention Alicia Montano, who ran 800 meters in 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the American championship at 32 weeks pregnant. Or fencer Nada Hafez, who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics 7 months pregnant.
Generally, noble concerns are used by patriarchal cultures to condone or suppress more harmful attitudes. Gvelesiani’s desire to protect women from physical pain caused by sports is exactly such a “noble concern”, however, the player’s interview with the legendary chess player, Nona Gaprindashvili, her questions about the difference between women and men when playing chess, as well as selfless efforts, got the desired answer from Gaprindashvili that women It is difficult for them to play with men, it was also made clear that for Gvelesiani, along with strength, intelligence is on the side of men.
In one of the episodes of the interview, Gvelesiani asks Gaprindashvili to turn to his imagination and imagine a situation where a man and a woman are equally “rested” while playing. This episode is another evidence of how indifferent the patriarchal mindset is to the oppression of women, the barriers they face. The truth is that in real life, when women and men have success to gain, such a theoretical scenario cannot be played out either in sports or anywhere else. There is no situation where a woman is supported by the environment as much as a man: the chance to get a second chance, the luxury of making a mistake, the chance to recognize the efforts made are given unconditionally only to men. When Roger Federer named Serena Williams the best tennis player in that famous interview, he based his reasoning on her superiority over Serena:
“He grew up in a different environment. I am from Switzerland, the federation [supported me], and he was able to do everything only thanks to his father and sister and became the best tennis player”.
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Participation in sports games does not necessarily mean participation in tournaments. Sport is also important in that it builds character. Another female tennis player, Billie Jean King, who has done tremendous work to create equal opportunities for women on and off the court, says:
“One thing that sports does for women is that it gives them confidence, it teaches them how to trust their bodies, we’re not taught that. Not all women involved in sports need to be the best. More important than that is the culture you become a part of. Together with sports, women are taught to be proactive and take decision-making on their own.”
Numerous studies show that girls’ participation in team sports increases their self-confidence. Studies also show that 94% of women who hold high executive positions have sports experience.
In particular, playing football, along with self-confidence, also promotes the development of social skills and the formation of a sense of belonging among women.
Lack of self-confidence and solidarity among women are the two main aspects on which the power of patriarchal culture is based. Therefore, anyone who thinks that football is “less of a woman’s business” by protecting women from pain or any other argument, is actually fighting for more confident and organized women, which will also cause men to lose the privileges that make life so easy for them.