What Are The Main Differences Between Men’s And Women’s Tennis?

While there’s certainly nothing unusual about men playing alongside women at a tennis club, and even in tournaments such as Wimbledon, mixed doubles is a popular event, there are a few small and sometimes subtle differences between men’s and women’s tennis:

The amount of time they spend playing

In Grand Slams, female top tennis players play in a format of the best-of-three, while their male counterparts play a format of the best-of-five. That said, in some other professional tournaments and matches, men will also play the best-of-three format.

Women who play for three sets in a grand slam will not be as fatigued as if they had competed in five sets, as the sport puts an immense strain on players of both genders. But, as fans of women’s tennis would undoubtedly say, they prefer to see longer matches played for entertainment’s sake.

There remains an ongoing debate as to whether the format should be altered for grand slams, and not necessarily because some feel women should be made to endure the often gruelling challenges that five sets presents, but rather that men are made to play fewer sets.

The equipment they use

Both men and women tennis players use exactly the same equipment when playing, but men do tend to opt for heavier rackets, to give them more power. And while the balls are always of the same shape, size, and pressure, some tournaments see the balls used for women’s play covered with a minimally different degree of felt, to try and make the game faster, while compensating for the slower speed of serve typically seen in women’s games.

The net is exactly the same no matter who is playing, and gender plays no rule in the type of racket men and women choose to compete with.

The governing body

Women’s tennis is governed by the WTA, or Women’s Tennis Association, while men’s tennis is governed by the ATP, or Association of Tennis Professionals established in 1972, a year before the women’s association was founded by world renowned tennis player, Billie Jean King. But both men and women are governed by the ITF or International Tennis Federation, and each of the grand slams (four in total) are governed by their own boards.

As completely separate entities, both the ATP and WTA hold their own tournaments and matches, but discussions are ongoing as to whether the two should be merged to form one organization. What’s driving the possible merger is the ability to be able to combine the efforts for marketing and broadcasting to try and bring more tennis matches, to more fans, as well as secure potentially lucrative sponsorship marketing deals. Should the merger go ahead, however, some changes to the rules would have to be made first.

Aces and overall power

It is often said that female tennis players don’t possess the same power as their male counterparts, and that their serves are less powerful, but this argument quickly loses ground when faced with the brute force of modern day powerhouses of tennis, such as Serena Williams. Then, there are plenty of male tennis players who rely on the strength of their returning shots to win matches, or long volleys, and ultimately, both genders can produce stunning tennis that is positively captivating to watch.

It's clear to see that most of the differences between men’s and women’s tennis are marginal, and that time on the court coupled with how the two tennis organizations are managed, are the only real differences of any significance.

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