In my books, Serena Williams is no champion.
“a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition, especially in sports” is the Oxford dictionary definition of a champion. But in my mind a true champion not only is the best in their chosen field, but they represent their sport with nothing but class and dignity. In the tennis world Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are perfect examples of what it means to be a champion. Both of these players have won at all levels of the game and their on-court behaviour is always exemplary as are their off court philanthropic activities. Federer and Nadal are always gracious both in victory and defeat consistently showing respect to their fellow players and to the game itself.
And then there is Serena Williams.
Yes, I freely admit Williams is probably the best female tennis player ever, although it is hard to compare between generations of players. Williams has held the #1 ranking for well over 250 weeks and she holds 21 Major singles titles, placing her third on the all-time list behind Margaret Court and Steffi Graff. Williams has also completed what has become known as the Serena Slam, holding all four Major titles simultaneously. But to me Williams is not a “true” champion.
I’m not sure exactly when I began to view Williams in a somewhat negative light, but I am pretty sure her infamous rant aimed at a lineswoman at the 2009 US Open semifinal played a significant role. Although many people may point out that John McEnroe had some pretty famous rants directed towards linespeople and umpires during his day, I am not sure you can compare asking the umpire if he is serious as McEnroe did, to Williams threatening to “kill” the line judge who dared to call an absolutely correct foot fault. But if I attribute William’s outburst during that match to the heat of the moment reaction perhaps I could join her legions of fans, but there are several other reasons why I am just not a Williams fan.
I began to have a real distain for Williams at this year’s 2015 BNP Paribas Indian Wells tournament. This is the tournament that the Williams sisters had famously boycotted for over ten years after what they perceived as racial prejudice stemming from an incident in 2001. The sudden withdrawal attributed to injury of Venus Williams prior to her match with sister Serena was greeted by boos from the crowd and accusations of match fixing by their father.
This past year, Serena announced she would return to the tournament after a reconciliation with its directors. Although an appearance fee was never publicly disclosed, there were plenty of rumors suggesting a hefty fee was paid for the privilege of having Williams in the draw. And so it was Friday night with Williams scheduled to play the second semifinal match against Simona Halep. The first semifinal, between Jelena Jankovic and Sabine Lisicki, was almost complete when I happened to check my Twitter feed and saw an announcement from the tournament that Williams had withdrawn due to injury. The first night match ended and all the fans waited for the next match. After about fifteen minutes Williams came out in her warm up outfit and was interviewed by the tournament host. She said she had a knee injury that was bothering her so much she could not play and she was going to have an MRI the following day. There never was an on-court announcement to the fans in the stadium that the match was cancelled. Having travelled from Toronto, Canada to Indian wells and paid top dollar for tickets the night was a major disappointment. It did not help her case that she was able to play the tournament the next week in Miami and win the title there.
A similar incident occurred the week after Wimbledon when Williams played a tournament in Bastad. The fact that she played this tournament at all raised questions, as it was a small event after a big Grand Slam win. Williams played one match there and then withdrew citing an injury. Makes one wonder about appearance fees.
Speeches to the crowd after winning a title provide athletes a chance to acknowledge the people who work hard to support them behind the scenes, primarily their family and their coaches. In defeat most finalists praise how well their opponents played. In defeat Williams usually makes excuses for her loss. Excuses range from illness to injury but praise for the opponent is usually absent.
As the build-up to the possible completion of a calendar Grand Slam reached a crescendo when Williams arrived in New York this year, in every interview the player insisted there was no pressure on her, she was happy to have the opportunity to make history. But after Williams’ shocking defeat in the semifinals to Italy’s Roberta Vinci, Williams left the court before her opponent even finished waving to the crowd and then called an abrupt end to her season.
The early finish to her season meant that the WTA Finals in Singapore would be without the top player in what is supposed to be an end of the year showcase of the best of women’s tennis. Maybe the eventual winner Aga Radwanska should send her a thank you note. Whether or not the absence of Williams had any effect on the commercial success of the event her absence certainly did not promote women’s tennis in the best possible way.
So, yes Serena Williams is probably the best female tennis player ever, but she is not my champion.
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