Hingis hits back at Rios women jibe

Marcelo Rios provoked a fiery response from the leading players on the women's circuit yesterday by describing many of their early encounters in grand-slam tournaments as "a joke".

"All the matches in the men's game are tough," said Rios, who meets Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador in the fourth round today. "Anybody can beat anybody. It's not like the girls where they can win 6-1, 6-0 until the quarter-finals. It's like a joke."

Martina Hingis, three times the champion here from 1997-99, was vehement in her defence.

"Obviously the men's game is tough, but I think the depth in women's tennis has also gotten much better," she said. "You can always have a hard time and if you don't take your preparation seriously enough, you may always get beaten."

It is a perennial argument that erupts whenever somebody such as Rios is prompted to rake over the coals.

Venus Williams, who beat Magdalena Maleeva 6-0, 6-3, responded with political ease. "I enjoy the women's game," she said. "Every single one of us worked hard to be here and we are here because we deserve it. We all have to work together. The top players take extreme pride in what we do. We don't slack at any time and we don't just bring our best games to the slams. We bring it to every event."

This is a claim that might be disputed, but the battle goes on. Billie Jean King, who was instrumental in helping the women's game reach parity with the men, suggested at the weekend that, considering Australian women's influence on tennis, the Rod Laver arena, Melbourne Park's centre court, might have been better named the Margaret Court arena.

It is a valid point, but generally the women have won their battle for parity at grand-slam level, even if Wimbledon continues to refuse to pay equal prize money. But it can surely be only a matter of time before the All England Club recognises the true facts of life in the modern world and concedes equality, as it should.