With the action at the Australian Open Tennis continuing apace in Melbourne, the number of on-court interviews after the matches by the Australian broadcasters have been coming thick and fast, with it seems not everyone being happy at the topics of conversation being brought up. Of particular concern to some onlookers seems to have been the male interviewers' questions directed at some of the leading women's players, particularly those which have included what could perhaps be seen as slightly 'sexist' in nature overtures.
After her second-round win, the 20-year-old rising star from Canada, Eugenie Bouchard was asked to "give us a twirl" to show off her outfit, a pink skirt and top with yellow straps.
After a second's consideration of what she thought was an odd request, given that she was there to discuss the finer points of the match or at least so she thought, she rather embarrassingly obliged. Serena Williams was likewise asked to more fully illustrate her rather striking outfit after her second-round success, although one feels that the more experienced American was probably less taken aback by the request, given that it has received subsequent praise for its stylish look that was clearly designed to draw attention to it in the first place.
Never one to mix her words, multiple former Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King has added her voice to the debate by calling the requests "truly sexist", although one wonders if she would have considered them quite as much of an affront to the female players concerned, if the question had been asked by a female interviewer?
Fashion on the court has commonly been the domain of the women in the past (with a slight nod to Roger Federer's stylish outfits at Wimbledon in recent times) and so the consideration of how they are dressed is probably nothing all that new, yet it seems that 'tact' is probably the best watchword for future interviewers, as they assess whether the question of one's outfit is really appropriate to ask or could indeed be considered mildly sexist in its nature.
There have been a number of somewhat garish outfits worn this year in Melbourne by the ladies, mainly on a theme of neon pink and yellow, a far cry from the all-white outfits that used to be obligatory at such as Wimbledon. The eye-catching garb does indeed stand out, but are they really fitting for a tennis match?
After consideration and given time to think about it, Bouchard has responded in kind by suggesting that male players should be asked to "flex their muscles" in interviews, something that Andy Murray for one has voluntarily done in the past after a particularly hard-fought victory over Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon a few years back. However, on the back of the recent discussions concerning the rights or wrongs of female coaches in the sport, it seems that sexism may well be alive and kicking Down Under.