Talk About Tennis 2.0

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu May 29, 2025 12:25 am There was more b**ching and moaning among tennis folks today on Bluesky because of Rune playing a man ranked #128 in the world if I remember correctly. I asked given the choices of women's matches to be played today which one had enough juice to be the night match. So far no answer. Owen is correct. The current crop just doesn't have the star power of their predecessors.

mmmm8 wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 1:44 pm ...

Then start the night session earlier to fit 2 matches.

mmmm8 wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 1:45 pm

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu May 29, 2025 12:25 am There was more b**ching and moaning among tennis folks today on Bluesky because of Rune playing a man ranked #128 in the world if I remember correctly. I asked given the choices of women's matches to be played today which one had enough juice to be the night match. So far no answer. Owen is correct. The current crop just doesn't have the star power of their predecessors.

I do think it's a the chicken or the egg problem. I'd have about as little interest in the Rune match. If they don't promote women, no one knows who they are.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 2:33 pm

mmmm8 wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 1:44 pm ...

Then start the night session earlier to fit 2 matches.

And then you will go the US Open way, with women playing the second match sometimes in an empty stadium because the men's match went 5 sets and people left.
These scheduling problems will never go away because the sport's nature is like that. It is not a timed sport; we don't know if it will be a great match that last three hours, or a dud that last 75 minutes.
How about is you star ALL matches later and play several night matches? It would also be easier for the players (I have never been able to understand how a professional athlete has to start the day at 0600, because she has a match at 1100.

mick1303 wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 2:34 pm

mmmm8 wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 1:45 pm

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu May 29, 2025 12:25 am There was more b**ching and moaning among tennis folks today on Bluesky because of Rune playing a man ranked #128 in the world if I remember correctly. I asked given the choices of women's matches to be played today which one had enough juice to be the night match. So far no answer. Owen is correct. The current crop just doesn't have the star power of their predecessors.

I do think it's a the chicken or the egg problem. I'd have about as little interest in the Rune match. If they don't promote women, no one knows who they are.

I find it hard to believe that scheduling on the certain show courts plays any role in determining if tennis fans know (or don't know) players. TV/Internet audience exceeds live audience by the order of two or even more. And with streaming from almost all the courts now it does not matter whether the players plays day or night match - the TV/Internet audience will be the same. Add the fact that in this particular conversation we are talking top male players vs top female players. They are all already known. Scheduling them for the night match does not change anything here.