All Eyes on the Prize

Anna, Martina, Monica, Venus and Serena still aren’t getting paid as much as Pete, Marcelo, Yevgeny, Carlos and Jonas.

Who you would rather watch is a matter of individual taste, of course. These days, it is becoming obvious that female tennis players are attracting more attention than their male colleagues. They’ve broken the barrier, generating more coverage in general-interest magazines, ranging from Rolling Stone to GQ to Vogue.

And what were the most-awaited, most-talked-about matches during the second week of the French Open?

Serena Williams vs. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the fourth round.

Venus Williams vs. Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals.

Hingis vs. Monica Seles in the semifinals.

Here, it’s no different. If Venus Williams and Serena Williams win their third-round matches today--barring another rainy spell--the sisters will meet in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Unscientific evidence is fascinating. A Venus Williams-Martina Hingis contest is the kind of match non-tennis fans end up talking about during the office coffee break.

“Everyone loves the ladies,” says Venus Williams.

But love has not translated to equal pay at most important tennis tournaments in the world.

Three of the four Grand Slam events--the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon--do not offer equal prize money. The U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam exception.

When Wimbledon announced its 1998 prize money--a total of $12 million, a 6.5% increase from a year ago--club officials said in a poll of 1,500 fans from the 1997 Wimbledon tournament, that 71% preferred men’s matches.

In 1998, the men’s singles champion at Wimbledon will receive $722,100, officials said, and the women’s singes champion $649,890.

The U.S. Open purse has been increased to $14 million in 1998, and the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $700,000, up $50,000 from the 1997 figure of $650,000. United States Tennis Assn. (USTA) officials said the association is proud it is the only Grand Slam to offer equal prize money.

In the early ‘90s, the Australian Open joined the U.S. Open in that regard but now there is a disparity between the men and women in Melbourne.

From time to time, the players spoke about the disparity.

Now, if you listened closely last week, there were small signs of a willingness to shake up the Establishment, to question the status quo. The teenaged Williams sisters were the most outspoken critics of the system.

“I think in the Grand Slam events it should be equal pay, and I think the ladies should do something about it instead of just accepting it for years to come,” Venus Williams said after her first-round match.

Serena Williams agreed.

“I just don’t think it’s fair that the prize money is different because I know the women are bringing a lot more attention to the game, especially now with a lot of other people coming,” she said.

“It’s more exciting to watch ladies. You can watch rallies, it’s not as boring, and the guys, I don’t think they’re bringing as much attention as they once were. . . . I really don’t think it’s fair the guys are getting paid more, but, in life, it’s always that way.”

Said Hingis: “You always want to have better.”

But she isn’t as adamant as some of other players, pointing out the main difference at Grand Slam events, that the men play best-of-five sets as opposed to the women playing best-of-three sets.

“So I don’t really think it’s the same,” she said.

With the newfound and increased interest in the women’s game, the focus has been on the tense rivalries, the incessant hype of the teenagers and the trash-talking between the youngsters.

What will truly be interesting in the future is how and if the teenagers evolve into leaders, on the equal-pay issue and other matters impacting the women’s tour.

They all know how to operate from a position of strength on the court. Now we’ll see if they can do it off the court.

“I just think it [the game] is at such a great point, if we don’t take advantage of it now, we never will,” Monica Seles said.

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Comparison

The winner’s shares at Wimbledon the last five years:

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Men Women 1998 $722,100 $649,890 1997 $697,000 $596,106 1996 $628,000 $564,800 1995 $584,000 $525,000 1994 $504,252 $457,000

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Today’s Featured Matches

MEN

* Pete Sampras (1) vs. Thomas Enqvist, Sweden.

* Petr Korda (3), Czech Republic, vs. John van Lottum, Netherlands.

* Richard Krajicek (9), Netherlands, vs. Nicolas Kiefer, Germany.

* Patrick Rafter (6), Australia, vs. Tim Henman (12), Britain.

* Goran Ivanisevic (14), Croatia, vs. Daniel Vacek, Czech Republic.

WOMEN

* Lindsay Davenport (2) vs. Magu Serna, Spain.

* Jana Novotna (3), Czech Republic, vs. Corina Morariu, Boca Raton, Fla.

* Monica Seles (6), Sarasota, Fla., vs. Sandrine Testud (14), France.

* Samantha Smith, Britain, vs. Nathalie Tauziat (16), France.

* Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (5), Spain, vs. Sylvia Plischke, Austria.

* Venus Williams (7) vs. Chanda Rubin, Lafayette, La.

* Surina De Beer, South Africa, vs. Irina Spirlea (10), Romania.