Jeff Fenech awarded belt from WBC for "victory" over Azumah Nelson?!!

So she couldn’t handle pressure? That’s not a good excuse. It’s a flaw.

You play to win the game. You don’t play it just to play it. You play to win the game.

 

Well, she had a LOT more pressure on her than Riggs did - no? - in what was a highly unique, one off match for her against a naturally stronger male.

It’s not an excuse anyway, it’s a fair assessment as to the whys and wherefores behind her losing on the day - and no one is refuting that she lost.

 

The lady won 24 grand slam singles and 63 all up including doubles and mixed doubles, which no one has come within touching distance of. Her career win/loss ratio was over 90%. She was the “winningest” player in tennis history male or female.

She might have simply had an off game against Riggs. King beat Riggs and Court had a great h2h record against her and was clearly the superior player. But she also lost to King on occasion. Things happen game to game.

 

It was a robbery, though. Seems stupid, pointless, and destructive to us, but if it helps the man feels vindicated...I don't know. Had someone put a gun to his head and took his wallet, we might not be upset about him getting the wallet back thirty years later.

 

Oh she had a great career. Quite the pioneer. But we’re talking about this one match, which happens to be the one for which she will be forever most remembered.

Seems evident that Riggs got into her head in a big way. He didn’t try to overpower her but instead played ‘granny tennis’ — just lobbing the ball back with no real spin or velocity over and over, a lot of high shots like if you were playing with your grandma … and she kept trying to hit it harder or do drop shots from the baseline (that need to be returning a ball that was hit harder than Bobby was hitting it, so they kept fluttering and falling short).

He beat her before they ever stepped foot on the, um, court.

 

That is an excellent assessment and summation.

I read back on it to refresh. Billie Jean was pushing for equal pay for women in tennis. Riggs rejected this and challenged her first. Billie Jean declined knowing how much was at stake if she lost.

Billie Jean wasn’t someone who couldn’t handle pressure but there you go, she even playing Riggs in the first instance.

Court wasn’t so worried or driven by women’s rights. She didn’t take it seriously at first, viewed it as an exhibition. The promotion of it as a battle of the sexes leading up added pressure. Below her best, Court managed only< 50% of her first serves.

Of course Billie Jean stepped i. shortly after and beat Briggs, with the advantage of seeing his method vs Court.

And, atop all this, while Riggs looked like a non descript weekend hit and giggle player - he was actually among the very top in his day and a Wimbledon Champion. He also knew very well how to play mind games - Tennis’ own Muhammad Ali.

 

Due respect Pat but, as far as tennis achievements go, Court isn’t actually remembered most for that match - though it did carry its oddity value. And certainly, Billie Jean’s win superseded and somewhat washed away Court’s loss at the time.

 

Not to hijack the thread with the sport of tennis but one other thing:-

Not having a go at women but imo they should play 5 sets.

3 sets in my view is sometimes (if not often) insufficient duration to properly determine the better player.

Just when women’s matches seem to be heating up - they’re all over - or at least that’s how it feels.

Being just one set down, they’re already only 1 set away from losing.

Of all the men’s 5 set matches, I don’t believe that the actions/reactions and outcome would necessarily be compressed and replicated given a mere 3 sets.

In other words, with only 3 sets for men, it’s arguable that more than a few outcomes would’ve been different.

Anyway, just my 2 cents on that aspect of the game.

 

I don’t think Court is remembered much at all but this match probably tops it other than having her name in almanacs for all her major wins.

Truth be told, women’s tennis was nothing until King and Evert and Martina really upped the ante and made it more than just a prelim-level event for most … if it was even that. People weren’t lining up for women’s tennis.

And King’s win over Riggs just relegated Court to the have-not pile.

Her accomplishments are great, don’t get me wrong. And I’m sure in Australia she’s still revered. But the Riggs match was probably watched by more people than the rest of her career combined, definitely reported on more than any other match she ever competed in and is actually remembered today more — part a sign of the sport being lower profile in her day but part of that was because there wasn’t much competition.

(Likewise, Laver and Newcombe and that lot were relegated to footnotes compared to the world attention that started being paid to Bjorg and McEnroe and the ones who followed.)

There’s a point where top tennis players began to be revered as celebrities AND top athletes. She’s from the era before.

Plus, she had a cool name but she was no Yvonne Goolagong in that department.

 

Nooooooooo tennis ain't boxing the winner is always clear cut!!!! Wellll maybe....before the challenges and the like someone may have been robbed by a bad call on match point before losing. I can't think of a famous one tho.

 

I think it depends on your age really.
I’m a Brit but I remember all those great Aussie tennis players from back then Margaret Court, Laver and Newcombe etc. Newcombe was my favourite player always used to root for him at Wimbledon, I’ve always recognised their achievements they were all great players.
Regarding Margaret Court I didn’t even know she’d played Riggs I was only aware that he played Billy Jean King then it’s only a footnote.

 

They can't take away what happened in the rematch. Those two guys know who the better man was.

 

Hmm, still disagree re Court’s best remembered profile. Google Margaret Court and you’re hardly inundated with results re the Riggs match. Rather, the results are more about her tennis achievements otherwise.

She was of course certainly enough of a name to garner Rigg’s attention and attention in the larger scheme in terms interest in the match.

As it was, the viewership (broadcast and live attendance) for the King match was much, much greater - and the perspective of Court being remembered and how shouldn’t be confined to the US POV.

However, women’s tennis did have that general lift you mentioned. The comp was there, among them, Billie Jean who Court beat more often than not.

Relative to his own successful career, Riggs, as far as tennis goes, is by far better remembered for his battle of the sexes forays and his other ballyhoo exploits in his more senior years. Google Riggs and Billie Jeans victory over him comes up more frequently than his preceding match vs Court.

Court is a great name for a tennis player, certainly a step up from her nondescript maiden name of Smith. Goolagong is a cool name too - perhaps even spelling bee worthy. I even remember kids in primary school singing: Evonne Goolagong can’t play ping pong. Inane yes, but hey, it rhymed - lol.

 

Nah, me neither JT. I just wanted to have a dig at Nick K, lol. Maybe another candidate: can we have Ricky Hatton DQ’d retroactively, awarding Kostya Tszyu their fight? Then again, KT doesn’t live in Australia anymore so should we care? Haha.

 

Hell NO!