Konted's Make My Day 2: Women Tennis Players: Stealing The Thunder

Women Tennis Players: Stealing The Thunder

Time was when male tennis players dominated the world tennis scene. The spotlight was trained on the male superstars. The ladies were relegated to the background. While the men were then making money, the ladies were not as the prizes for women's tennis were meager compared to their male counterparts. This was most noticeable in the the Grand Slam tournaments, namely, Wimbledon, Australian Open, US Open and French Open. In the Wimbledon open tournament in 1968, champion Rod Laver received £2,000 while ladies division champion Billie Jean King pocketed only £750. There was then a disparity in prize money.

The four Grand Slam Tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.(tennisticketnewspic; caption is mine)

Model serving as ball girl.

But that is not the case anymore. With the emergence of tennis superstars such as Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and standouts like Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Andrea Petkovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Eugenie Bouchard, Martina Hingis and many more, the women have taken the limelight. They have in recent years stolen the thunder. The prize money for women is now at par with that of the men's division. At the latest US Open, eventual champion Serena Williams received $3 million, the same prize for men's division champion Marin Ciic. On top of that was another $ 1 million bonus from Emirate Airlines.

Prize money at the US Open (usopenpic; caption is mine)

Maria Sharapova of Russia. She has won 5 Grand Slam titles. She is ranked #2.

25 yr old Julia Goerges of Germany (oddslifepic; caption is mine)

Revealing attire (vypedpic; caption is mine)

2011 and 2014 Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (g;gle file; caption is mine)

Crowd favorite Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia (graphispic; caption is mine)

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada. She was runner-up at the 2014 Wimbledon. (hottestennisplayerspic; caption is mine)

5-time Grand Slam singles title winner Martina Hingis of Hurden, Switzerland (thesportsarchivespic; caption is mine)

Ana Ivanovic of Belgrade, Serbia. She is 26 yrs old. (lazygirlspic; caption is mine)

Petra Uberalova of Slovak Republic (therichestpic; caption is mine)

Powerful serve (vypedpic; caption is mine)

Nice outfit (tennisswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Germany's Andrea Petkovic usually regales the crowd with her Petko Dance.

Youtube Petko Dance Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47p9JJvWuKQ

Aside from the lucrative purse, these women tennis players make a lot of money endorsing commercial products such as Nike, Adidas, Tretorn, Uniqlo, Wilson, Gatorade, and many more. Traveling around the world, women tennis players have been top crowd drawers, be it at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rod Laver Arena, Roland Garros or at Wimbledon. These coliseums are almost always filled to the brim.

Australian Open is held every January at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia (g'glepic; caption is mine)

The French Open is held from May to June at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France (portlandpic; caption is mine)

The Wimbledon at the All England Club in London every June and July. It is the most prestigious tennis tournament. (peopleorg; caption is mine)

The US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York from August 25 to September 8 (atpworldtourpic; caption is mine)

Adding glamour and glitter in an already fun filled tournament, female tennis players not only showcase their superb playing skills, but take the time to turn the event into a virtual fashion show. Trendy and attractive sports wears and other accessories or gadgets worn by the female players make the tourneys all the more attractive and interesting. Plus, of course, their behavior and antics on the court. It is not surprising that women's professional tennis now stands on solid ground and is at par with their male counterpart. Game, set, match !!

- Konted