Tennis is currently blessed with a plethora of international superstars, all of whom seem to be playing their part in the steady growth of the sport.
After all, it feels like players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have all broken into the cultural landscape beyond just tennis; such added exposure can only be a good thing for both them and their sport.
However, despite the relative unity between both the ATP and WTA Tours, there feels like an underlying rivalry between them, with some seeking to further that narrative where possible.
It has now been questioned whether one is more exciting than the other, and given just how different the make-up of these tours is, it is a debate worth considering.
Brad Gilbert says which is more exciting out of the ATP and WTA Tours
Speaking on the Big T podcast, Gilbert was asked to weigh in on a debate regarding the two main tennis tours.
As questioned by a fan, they sought to understand whether the overwhelming rivalry of the ATP Tour makes it more exciting to watch than the unpredictability of the WTA Tour.
Having coached players on both sides, including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Coco Gauff, Gilbert felt uniquely positioned to weigh in on this debate.
Predict the ATP year-end top five!
Will Jannik Sinner still be on top?
He began by admitting: “I mean, obviously, you know, I’m a huge fan of rivalries as well, and, you know, both tours have had them over history. And it’s funny, when you don’t have them, that’s the only thing that they talk about. Where is a great rivalry? Where is the direction we’re headed?
“But I can tell you, honestly, the men’s game was always much closer from one to ten, and the women’s game usually one, two, and then you could even say from three to 10, they were dropping off a cliff, and the distance between 10 to 20 would be massive from one and two.
“Now I feel like it’s reversed, and I feel like I’ve never seen a bigger distance right now between one and let’s say four, to 20 in the men’s, and I’ve never seen a closer distance between 1 and 20 and the women’s.”
Then, on the WTA Tour, he added: “It’s a little bit like golf in that you have so many people who can win it; you don’t know who’s gonna win it. So maybe that is an exciting thing.
“The last time we really had this in the men’s, I would say, ’02 and ’03. We might have had seven, eight winners in that stretch. And then, obviously, Fed came and Rafa, the big three, and it’s been completely star-driven since then. But how cool was it to see a guy like Stan win three?
“But I do feel like it’s better for the health of the game and for the success of the game to have one great rivalry at the top and have some consistent players in the business end of slams.”
This debate comes just as doubles players seem to be waging war on the singles players in an effort to save their sport, following a string of controversial decisions involving their part of tennis.
Who are the biggest rivalries on the WTA Tour?
Whilst there is no rivalry even slightly comparable to Alcaraz and Sinner on the WTA Tour, it does still boast some really compelling regular match-ups.
After all, at the start of the year, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina were threatening to become a comparable clash of titans, with the two meeting in the Australian Open and then the Indian Wells finals, sharing those titles.
Is Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina the best rivalry in women’s tennis right now?
If not, who is?
However, they have not faced each other since, with both struggling for consistency across the clay and grass seasons.
Coco Gauff and Sabalenka have also shared some historic battles, but will need many more to reach a greater level of cultural importance.
Perhaps the WTA Tour’s most underrated rivalry is that of Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, with a pattern starting to emerge here.
The world number one is fighting on so many fronts, with this only emphasising the breadth of quality across the women’s game.
| Rivalry | Matches played | Meetings in Grand Slams | Head-to-head record | Meetings in finals | Meetings in Grand Slam finals |
| Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina | 17 | 3 | Sabalenka leads 10-7 | 6 | 2 |
| Coco Gauff v Aryna Sabalenka | 13 | 3 | Sabalenka leads 7-6 | 4 | 2 |
| Iga Swiatek v Amanda Anisimova | 3 | 2 | Anisimova leads 2-1 | 1 | 1 |
| Aryna Sabalenka vs Iga Swiatek | 13 | 0 | Swiatek leads 8-5 | 5 | 2 |
| Elena Rybakina vs Iga Swiatek | 12 | 3 | Tied 6-6 | 1 | 0 |
Other notable rivalries worth mentioning are Amanda Anisimova vs. Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka vs Swiatek and Rybakina vs Swiatek.
Despite all these, none of these mentioned rivalries has yet to boast the cultural impact of the men’s foremost option.
