Game, Sex and Match: The Perils of Female Sports Advertising

Game, Sex and Match: The Perils of Female Sports Advertising


tennis wta advertising

Dewey Nicks / Reel Sessions

tennis wta advertising

Dewey Nicks / Reel Sessions

tennis wta advertising

Dewey Nicks / Reel Sessions

tennis wta advertising

Dewey Nicks / Reel Sessions


How you feel about Kim Clijsters doing a split in a frilly orange skirt probably depends on your reaction to a well-oiled Caroline Wozniacki serving a tennis ball into a wind machine. Then again, these provocative scenarios, which form part of the Women's Tennis Association's new "Strong is Beautiful" advertising campaign, seem tame compared to the spot starring Belarusian tennis ace Victoria Azarenka. "I like to hit the ball hard. Crush it," the 2011 Wimbledon semi-finalist says in a voiceover, as the camera pans from crotch to chest to face. "If the ball comes back then it's trying to tell me something. How about a little harder?"