Introduction

Chris Trotman/Getty Images for U.S.T.A.

Early this summer, the French player Gilles Simon provoked the tennis world when he said that female players should earn less than their male counterparts in the Grand Slams, in part because “male players spent twice as long on court.”

And last week, the Russian player Nikolay Davydenko brought up the debate again, proposing that men play best of three sets, just like the women, in the Grand Slams.

The controversy is perennial: Should women play five sets like the men? Or is it fair and appropriate for women to play best of three sets?