Much has been written on these pages over the past few days about the comments by Marcelo Rios regarding the current state of women's tennis. Rios, the former No. 1-ranked men's player in the world, put himself in the firing line by saying at last week's Australian Open that women's early-round matches were so uncompetitive and one-sided that they were a "joke."
Much like Pat Cash and Richard Krajicek before him, Rios did not exactly endear himself to the cream of today's women's tennis crop with his observations. Players like Martina Hingis and Venus Williams were quick to knock the petulant Chilean, taking offense to his remarks and springing to the defense of the women's game.
But while some of the top players in the game were spewing anti-Rios rhetoric, perhaps the most popular player in tennis today says people should lighten up and cut her buddy some slack.