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Home / Whanganui Chronicle / Sport

Opinion: Cringe factor hangs heavy over Open

By jared.smith@wanganuichronicle.co.nz
Whanganui Chronicle·
23 Jan, 2015 08:00 PM5 mins to read

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Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard

THE 2015 edition of the Australian Open is rapidly going down as the year of the cringe.

It is always supposed to be about the glittering occasions on centre court, like top women's seed Serena Williams powering a 10-game roll to win her way into the third round, while US Open men's finalist Kei Nishikori survived match point to topple Ivan Dodig in a tough five set tie-breaker.

Great stories, great moments, but apparently not what the producers believe we have all come to watch as Montreal native Eugenie Bouchard, 20, discovered at the end of her impressive straight sets win over the Netherlands' Kiki Bertens.

Possibly setting the ladies game back about five years, the bemused Bouchard was asked, then prodded, by the announcer into giving a "a twirl, like a pirouette, here you go," to show off her pink and yellow ensemble.

Great, suddenly we're on the red carpet at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

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What was Bouchard supposed to say? "Thanks, Ryan Seacrest. I'm wearing Gucci tonight. Sportswear division."

Did anyone ask Nishikori or the defending men's champion Stan Wawrinka to put on a little spin to show off their slacks for all the ladies in the crowd?

Bouchard continues to bear these "Barbie Doll" moments with good-natured aplomb.

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The Aussies simply won't learn about double standards, given last year after the young woman's stunning upset of Ana Ivanovic, courtside interviewer Samantha Smith chose that historic moment - with a red faced apology halfway through - to ask Bouchard who she would like to date from the world of sports or movies.

Look, we all know women's tennis has to work hard to get exposure in the public arena alongside their male counterparts - to this day a Wimbledon singles final ticket will cost you $1700 to watch the girls, $6200 for the lads.

But we don't need to objectify these athletes and Bouchard ain't no Anna Kournikova - she makes her crust playing top level tennis and just happens to be easy on the eye, rather than getting herself into the sporting spotlight just long enough to leap onto the pages of every "Lads Mag" which opened their wallets.

A 2012 Wimbledon junior champion, Bouchard went back-to-back in the senior 2014 Australian and French Open semifinals, then made Wimbledon's final against eventual champion Petra Kvitova.

Known for her aggressive style where she will attack the ball early and rush her opponents into keeping a high tempo, it seems only a matter of time before this gifted Canadian will knock off her first Grand Slam tournament.

Stick to asking her about that, rather than enquiring about her perfect evening out.

ENGLISHWOMAN Heather Watson is doing her part for bringing genuine women's players issues to the forefront.

Unlike Bouchard, I bet she was given a wide berth after she offered the BBC a very honest assessment about why she seemed in a bad way during her first round loss.

Standard practice for the women when they are seen consulting the courtside doctor about dizziness and nausea is to put it down to being "unwell".

Not Watson.

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"I think it's just one of these things that I have, girl things," she shrugged.

And thus the "last taboo" - discussing menstruation as a determining factor in athletic performance - has also made its way into the headlines.

Former British No 1 Annabel Croft said she was "gobsmacked" to hear the admission because players previously made a point to avoid the topic.

"It was quite sweet, the way Heather said it. You are quite emotional at that time, and a tennis match heightens all that."

Current British No 5 Tara Moore, Watson's mate, now felt confident enough to explain how she played a four hour match last year with that "handicap".

"Anything that inhibits your performance will be tough. It's hoping your tournaments don't coincide with it."

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Forgive the pun, but this sudden flood of information has opened up a world the toffs at Wimbledon won't be ready for.

Croft has explained how the girls use special underwear for fear of embarrassment under the "all white clothing" rule, while others are mandating extra toilet breaks above the current one-per-set.

----

LOTS to take in, but let us note the boys have their own gender-unique problems.

Alongside Bouchard, another viral video circulating the internet shows a poor Australian ball boy taking a 200km/h serve from No 12 seed Feliciano Lopez, straight to the unmentionables.

Like John Travers Cornwell, the 16-year-old Victoria Cross winner, this teenager tried to remain dutifully at his post and retrieve the projectile, before succumbing to the pain and taking a knee.

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One reporter, with unintentional hilarity, pointed out how the "umpire and players rushed to the boy's aid, however they could do little to alleviate the pain".

Quite right. Rubbing in some Deep Heat would not have been appropriate for the young fella at that particular moment in front of millions of viewers.

They did the only thing a man can do - putting the reassuring hand on the shoulder as the universal symbol for "brother, I feel your pain".

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