Wimbledon’s center court is the only of the four major Grand Slam show courts to see more men’s matches than women’s, PA news agency analysis reveals.
None of the last 10 Wimbledon games have seen the same number of men’s and women’s singles matches on the center court, averaging 55% on the men’s side.
This is compared to 50 percent at the French Open Court Philippe-Chatrie, 46 percent at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, and 44 percent at the Rod Labor Arena in Australia.
Both the Australian and French Open, like the 2021 US Open, scheduled more women’s matches on the main show court in 2022 than boys.
A spokesperson for the All England Club told PA:
“We pay close attention to match schedules and court allocations. All decisions are made with fairness and the best interests of tournaments, players, spectators, and broadcast viewers around the world in mind. increase.
“Given the need to maintain life integrity throughout the 14-day championship, there are unique challenges posed by becoming a grass court tournament, which keeps the number of games per day constant. Limited. In 2021, we are proud to have achieved a balanced match between men and women for two weeks on the Center Court and the Number One Court. “
Top female players overlooked
Seven-time Wimbledon winner Serena Williams has played less on the center court than the top male players in the last ten tournaments.
Williams is scheduled to the center in 34 out of 47 games (72 percent). This is compared to Rafael Nadal’s 24 out of 32 games (75%), Novak Djokovic’s 47 out of 63 games (75%) and 51 out of 58 games (75%). 88%) For Roger Federer.
In each of the other three Grand Slams, Williams has a higher percentage of matches on the main show court than at least one of Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer.
During the last 10 Wimbledon games, none of the other major female players have seen more than half of the games scheduled on the center court.
2018 winner Angelique Kerber is 43rd behind Williams in the number of games during the period, but only 15 of them (35 percent) were played on the main show court.
The next generation, including British US Open champion Emma Raducanu, can make a difference.
The 18-year-old American Kokogauf, the final opponent of the French Open, will play three games for the fourth round of 2021 and open this year’s tournament, when the world’s number one Igasuvia Tech will be the first center court. I will decorate it.
Prime time slots reserved for men
All four Grand Slams are guilty of booking a featured evening match for a male player.
In Wimbledon, 52% of the first or second scheduled matches on the center court were contested by men. This will increase to 64% of the third and subsequent matches.
The numbers do not include the semi-finals and finals that take place on the day the schedule is shortened at the end of the tournament.
Other Grand Slams have different schedules, playing across two sessions and ending later than Wimbledon, but the first or second match is likely to be on the female side, with later matches mostly Men do it.
French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo fired when asked about the schedule for this evening’s match.
Former WTA player Mauresmo suggested that the men’s match was “more attractive” to fans, but later apologized and said the comments were out of context.
What kind of changes can you expect this year?
Wimbledon has abandoned the traditional rest day in the middle of this Sunday, playing for 14 consecutive days, matching the fourth round with other slams that take place over two days instead of one.
In each of the last 10 tournaments, the organizers played two men’s matches on Manic Monday on the center court, but one women’s match.
The Center Court is the only Grand Slam show court that has not yet had a wheelchair match.
This is all the major winners of singles and doubles, despite the high interest of British people such as Gordon Reid, Alfie Hewett and Jordanne Whiley.
The previous wheelchair finals were predominantly on Court 3, and the women’s singles finals were on Court 1 in 2021.
