Fitness Testing Records

Who is the Fittest Tennis Player? Tennis Battle of the Sexes

A true battle of the sexes in Tennis would pit the #1-ranked man against the #1-ranked woman. To most observers, such as match would obviously be in favor of the male champion. A famous tennis battle of the sexes took place in 1973, between Bobby Riggs, a famous tennis player in the 1950s, who was aged 55 and still playing some tennis in 1973 but was well past his prime. He defeated female player Margaret Court in a match on Mother's Day 1973, and immediately challenged the current women's champion Billie Jean King. The match against King was highly hyped in an endless series of press conferences and feature articles, with King becoming the poster child for the entire women's liberation movement. The match was held September 20, 1973, with King easily beating Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. It does not really make any point though.

Martina Navatilova played a match against retired Jimmy Conors and lost even though she was given a set up on a best of three match. In 1999, top female tennis player Serena Williams re-opened the debate on whether women can compete with men in professional sport. The US Open champion believed she can take on and beat the best players in the men's game - she even applied to take part in a men's singles event, the Eurocard Open. This did not eventuate, though a match against a top 100 player may have been played.

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