Does Attractiveness Win? On the Gender-Specific Impact of Attractiveness on Athletic Performance in Tennis​

Bakkenbüll Linn-Brit

Abstract

This study examines whether there are gender-specific differences in regard to physical attractiveness of professional tennis players and their performance. For this purpose, the top 100 male and female tennis players of the tennis world ranking in 2014 are examined. Athletic performance is measured by prize money earned for single seasons as well as for the whole career. Different OLS-regressions reveal a significantly positive relationship between physical attractiveness and athletic performance. However, this result holds for female tennis players only. For male tennis players, the impact is insignificant.