Venus Williams: Expanding the Conversation

Two years ago the tennis world listened to the journalists and broadcasters and Twitter publicly question the purpose of Venus William’s playing? According to them, she was languishing. She hadn’t made it past the 3rd round of a Major. She had skipped Wimbledon. Venus was losing to the likes of Ursula Radwanska and Olga Puchkova in the first round of tournaments like Quebec. The tennis world wondered how the future Hall of Famer could overcome her autoimmune disorder to find form again. The tennis world wondered what possessed Williams at 34 years of age to continue laboring day in and day out on the practice courts to only achieve mediocre results? Lost in those questions was the history of Venus, the businesswoman, the academic, the off court leader she was. While Venus’ on-court resurgence should be a huge part of the discussion about her legacy, the discussion should include so much more than just her wins and losses; more than when will she retire. Williams continues to evolve on WTA: from a buoyant teenager still in braces and braids, to an accomplished businesswoman with Hall of Fame credentials. So instead of only focusing on Venus Williams the player, tennis must be expanding the conversation further to truly appreciate both her as a woman and her place in the history of the tour.

Venus’ Respect

A part of Venus’ legacy will her decorum and respect to the game that so many seem to be lacking currently on tour. In a generation where the racquet abuse, tantrum throwing, and cross-court sexual accusations captures both the fans’ and media’s attention, Williams continues to show younger tennis players that there is an alternative to the glitz and spectacle of insult that many young tour members rely on. This respect for the game, her opponents, the umpires, comes from a place of kindness–of deference, not from some archaic beliefs about a woman’s need to have decorum or be demure. Venus trusts her opponents and trusts her umpires, rarely going to the Hawk-Eye to challenge any call on court. When wronged, Venus speaks out, but even then her arguments with referees are based on logic and lack insult. This spring Venus captured Tennis Twitter’s heart with her response to Alize Cornet’s unproved accusations of Williams being coached from the box with her heartfelt and respectful clap back of Umpire Carlos Ramos. The “patron saint of sportsmanship”, as Mary Carillo dubbed her, is a title not just given to Venus, but earned through her continuing longevity and behavior on the court–her appreciation for the game itself.

Venus’ Voice

Venus continues to be one of the boldest, most quotable voices in tennis–period. Williams has used her voice for many years now–from helping to bring equal prize money to Wimbledon, to shaming foreign governments for allowing politics and prejudice to interfere with sportsmanship. Who can forget Venus admonishing the leaders of Dubai (on court after having won the 2009 tourney) for not granting Shahar Peer (an Israeli) a visa to play in the prestigious desert tournament? After the likes of Billie Jean King and Martina Navritilova, a vacuum existed in the woman’s game of people speaking out about the lack of equality amongst the tours; Venus deftly walked into that void and steered the conversation to these important areas. Her legacy continues to be bolstered in this way. This past Wimbledon she spoke out about the perceived bias in court scheduling–a minor issue to many–but Venus handled the situation with her typical grace and pointed words, a true politician in the best sense of the word, saying, ” “I wasn’t unhappy to play on Court 18…I just want equality for men’s and women’s matches. That’s what I’m unhappy about. I have no problem where I play. I’ll play on the practice courts if I need to. I have no problem with that.” Her comments, ever-endearing her to the people, while still chastising and pointing out the sexist policies of the world’s most famous tennis tournament.

Venus’ Results

2016 has also seen a Venus Williams reclaim her fierce athleticism on court, allowing her to add to her tennis legacy even more. Always a fighter, always one to believe she could better of any opponent, Venus’s body simply hadn’t been able to help her string together consistent results. Since being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, Venus’ body hasn’t been primed to provide the level of exertion and physicality to make a deep run in a major tourney. But 2016 sees Venus’ body holding up for longer, higher levels of play. “It’s just a lot of willpower,” Williams said. “That’s really what it is. I started to feel better more consistently this year, so I’m always trying to find things to help me feel my best,” Venus commented to the press after her loss to Karolina Pliskova in the round of 16 of this month’s US Open, when asked how she continues to motivate herself despite her physical ailments. Her improved health allowed Venus to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon, and the round of 16 at the French Open–her best Slam finishes at these tournaments in many seasons. And although her body is still prone to suffer from fatigue and viral attack (as it did at this year’s Rio Olympics), there is a steady pattern of improvement that currently places her 7th in the Race to Singapore and with a real chance of qualifying for the year-end tour finals for the first time since 2009. The rhetoric around her playing changed so distinctly over the course of the year, we now hear words like “timeless,” “appreciate,” “applaud,” and “another Slam” mentioned when her matches are televised. It is just another testimony to Venus’ ability to take control of her own narrative and essentially rebrand her career once again.

Venus’s renaissance status is something that must be celebrated and touted. Hall of Fame athlete, human rights advocate, and an educated and successful businesswoman, Venus possesses so many of the attributes that are lacking from the eye of the media today. In the midst of a time when people talk about the need for attitude on court, the need for personalities in the game, when controversy is spun to dominate both sports and mainstream news headlines, Venus nimbly goes forward changing record books, and lives with her work on and off the court–cementing a lasting legacy bigger than her tour results, or even the Hall of Fame she will one day be a member of.

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