by Cowboy » Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:53 am
she couldn't. She (and every other player) doesn't stand a chance against the big three. Djoko (pompous ass he is) Nadal, federer are the pinnacle of tennis ability. I'm sure somebody will top it in the future but they are the best there has ever been (no, Nishikori won't be that good. Wawrinka is at the edge though...)
But the thing about those battle of the sexes is how dumb they were. Tennis is a mental game, 90%. The goal of any tennis player is to be in a state of mind where they can truly play, be they 200 lb 5'4 or be they 170 6'2
So when you put a woman in front of a guy and tell her, you are the future of woman's tennis, this is it. Then you play and watch them jeer at you for every point you miss, it gets to you. King came in prepared for that more than his tennis game, because any pro can switch game patterns at a whim.
Battle of the Sexes was at a time where women's rights stil didn't have the sway they needed to be held in a serious light. Today, that's changed, and with Serena being the absolute queen of tennis that she is, I can see her beat down Berdych, Nishikori, maybe even Waw. Not because of physical skill, but because of mental. If she can hold her focus agains them, win from the jump, they will shatter. Because the idea of losing to a woman is not something pros take well, and she can win by mind instead of mettle.
She could also beat most of the top 50 by pure tennis skill.
And I'm saying this when she's 33. Imagine her at 26!
Also, women don't have to be measured by their win rate against men to be to told they can play 5 sets. That's not about tennis, that's about the world actually realizing women can also endure that amount of tennis. That change would absolutely turn women's tennis upside down (I think a reason it hasn't changed is that everyone is comfortable there)
Most pros would probably have to drop, you would see a focus switch to endurance rather than what most women's tennis is focused on: spin and placement.