Since the days of Suzanne Lenglen the clothes of the players have been significantly narrowed, especially in the legs. The long dresses have become skirts stopping above the knees and small skirts that "should not extend more than 10 centimeters under the buttocks". The modification of the outfits of the players allowed them to facilitate their lateral displacements (not-hunted) and their races forward (recovery of amortization). The players, for the most part, have not yet opted for shorts and one reason explains that. Indeed the skirt is a "magic garment". In the 1980 and 1990 years the famous French commentator Jean-Paul Loth watched Steffi Graf slaughter his opponents in his little "adidas skirt pocket". He called the legs "the most beautiful of the circuit". But in 2009 Australian tennis legend Margaret Court said:

“Some players come dressed as if they were going to the beach. Women don't need to expose themselves so much ”. However, it is a “marketing” asset for women's tennis. Indeed what man can help but admire the body of a sportswoman in full test? Moreover, the women's final at Roland Garros brings together 2 million viewers, and in France alone. The players know it and cannot ignore it when choosing their outfit. It is the same for their sponsor who will not deprive himself of taking advantage of this to advertise himself. Moreover, if the public's interest in women's tennis is increasing, it is not only due to the development of the game and to technical performance. The eroticization of female physique also appears to be one of the factors attracting increasing public interest.

"Kournikova has the effective strike but also long legs and Russian doll hair over the bra - Adidas, the brand, we remember, from having seen it smashed close up on France 2" . All viewers enjoyed watching her play as she listened to her cries and contemplated her swaying and lifted bullets. "Playing well is good, but nicely, it's even better." Today, Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic are among those players. These players promote women's tennis, as well as the proliferation of images and derived products. So many elements that make women's tennis lucrative and more attractive. This way of capitalizing on sport can rejoice or be deplored. Still, it allows progress in income parity.

However, some disciplines can not take advantage of it and are left "on the floor". These are practices considered less sexy such as boxing or basketball. They are less well distributed whether in terms of hourly volumes or slots. In contrast, beach volleyball has experienced the same evolution as tennis in the eroticization of female physics since they play in swimsuits. In their struggle for parity, few means appear for women.

Nevertheless, even if sports capitalization on the eroticization of female physics can be deplored, it allows them to obtain results, both in the media coverage of their discipline and in terms of their income.

Nicolas Zebbar

Graduated from a Masters in sports management and passionate about tennis, I carried out a study on the development of women's tennis. Practicing this sport for twenty years and today manager of my club (TC Morlaàs in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques), I am always on the lookout for new ideas aimed at improving the practice environment for members. I am therefore delighted to be able to share this work.

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