Tennis isn't surfing but it's still really sexist
Men's sport is most often talked about just as 'sport', while women occupy a different world of women's sport.
It's only just after 9am, and this is already likely the best thing I'll see today.
This is not the first time Andy Murray has defended the achievements of women in tennis.
Such corrections aren't only made by Andy Murray, but male sportspeople are otherwise rare in their support of women athletes. Women, in particular Serena Williams, often have to do the work of reminding journalists and other athletes of their achievements in the big picture, not in a stand-alone women's category. When one reporter asked "There will be talk about you going down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. What do you think when you hear someone talk like that?", Serena famously replied "I prefer the word ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time."
Not-male tennis players have even been told that their successes ride on the backs of men, such as when Indian Wells CEO, Raymond Moore, said:
“When I come back in my next life I want to be someone in the WTA because they ride on the coattails of the men,” said Moore on Sunday. “They don’t make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky.
“If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport. They really have.”
So while I imagine Andy Murray himself would say he gets more credit than he deserves for speaking up, (and he does) because women talk about this all the time (and they do), seeing how few other men bother to stand up for the women that play alongside them and who work and train as hard, if not harder, than they do, Murray stands out.
Sir Andrew Murray is NOT amused with your casual sexism! #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/a6pTpHCFSr— Jamie (@_JamieMac_) July 12, 2017
It's only just after 9am, and this is already likely the best thing I'll see today.
This is not the first time Andy Murray has defended the achievements of women in tennis.
Such corrections aren't only made by Andy Murray, but male sportspeople are otherwise rare in their support of women athletes. Women, in particular Serena Williams, often have to do the work of reminding journalists and other athletes of their achievements in the big picture, not in a stand-alone women's category. When one reporter asked "There will be talk about you going down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. What do you think when you hear someone talk like that?", Serena famously replied "I prefer the word ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time."
Not-male tennis players have even been told that their successes ride on the backs of men, such as when Indian Wells CEO, Raymond Moore, said:
“When I come back in my next life I want to be someone in the WTA because they ride on the coattails of the men,” said Moore on Sunday. “They don’t make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky.
“If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport. They really have.”
So while I imagine Andy Murray himself would say he gets more credit than he deserves for speaking up, (and he does) because women talk about this all the time (and they do), seeing how few other men bother to stand up for the women that play alongside them and who work and train as hard, if not harder, than they do, Murray stands out.
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