Are female tennis players the same as male tennis players today? Several male tennis players have questioned the quality of women’s tennis and suggested that women should also play best of five sets.

Certainly some players would be prepared to play the best of five sets, but more important concerns include questions such as: ‘Are the players as good as before?’, ‘Is there any depth in women’s tennis? provide the same entertainment value as men?

I would suggest that the second of these questions is particularly relevant. The leading player by some distance is Serena Williams. She is thirty-three years old and is definitely out of her prime, but she is still capable of dominating women’s tennis. This fact alone suggests that women’s tennis lacks depth. Serena Williams and Roger Federer are the same age. In the past two years, Williams has won four Grand Slam titles, while Federer has been unable to increase his tally.

The modern emphasis in women’s tennis seems to be power rather than skill and speed. Serena Williams herself has a strong complexion, but she is an athlete. Many of the others are neither fast enough nor skilled enough and do not possess the athleticism that should be expected at the highest level.

A quick look at today’s best players shows us Kerber, Kvitova, Petkovic, Pavlyuchenko, Azarenka, Lepchenko and Barthel, all weighing in at around 70 kilograms. Looking back two or three decades, there are Hingis, Evert, Goolagong, Seles, Novotna, Sánchez-Vicario, all smaller, faster and, I would suggest, more skilled players.

In modern tennis, Maria Sharapova, tall, slim and skilled, is an exception. In the eighties and nineties, Steffi Graf and Navratilova were exceptions for smaller women, but they were both fast and exceptionally athletic. No one is going to argue with size and power, as long as they are allied with skill and speed.

In the men’s game, the best players are fit, fast, and carry no extra weight. Watching overweight players lumpy across the baseline, making a little attempt to chase shots with steep angles, is not particularly entertaining or inspiring.

Because it divides the sexes, this will always be a controversial topic, but I think the 2014 players are very fortunate to receive the same prize money as the men, as much of the tennis produced is not of high quality.