Serena Williams Disappoints Children

It was difficult to get tickets to the semi-final match between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, but it was more difficult to explain to the children Serena's inappropriate behavior!

Serena had not lost a set in her earlier matches, but it was evident early on that she could not handle the consistent deep shots and angles of Clijsters. For the first time in this US Open, Serena was not dictating the match. Clijsters broke her to take the first set 6-4. Serena's frustation was evident as she flipped her racquet and then smashed it at the end of the set. Serena received a code violation. She clearly had started to lose her focus.

Serena played better in the second set, but was never truly in command. She was trailing 6-5 and was serving. She fell behind 15-30, and then the bottom fell out. She faulted on her first serve and then was called for a foot fault to lose the point and make the score 15-40. Mt. Serena then erupted. She turned to the lineswoman and threatened to shove the ball down her throat with a few other colorful words which were caught on the microphone. Not only was she verbally abusing this poor official, but at the same time was shaking her racquet in a menacing way. After she had finished her first attack, she returned to the baseline to serve, but was distracted by the official returning from the chair umpire. At this point, she again screamed at the lineswoman with more colorful language. Tournament referee Brian Earley came onto the court, and gave Serena her second code violation which cost her a point, which was match point.

Kim Clijsters had no idea what was happening as Serena crossed the net to congratulate her. Clijsters had a look of bewilderment as she sat in her chair waiting to be interviewed. Serena William's embarassing behavior took away from the excellent play of Clijsters and her well deserved victory.

There are no excuses for Serena's behavior!! Bad calls are part of all sports and the true champions, the true professionals are able to rise above these obstacles. Earlier in the week, I witnessed a dubious foot fault called against Serena Williams. She handled this call by staring down the official without any verbage or threatening mannerisms. This also is not acceptable behavior, but a better choice of action than she exhibited against Clijsters.

What is an appropriate penalty? In basketball two technicals and you are thrown out of the game; in baseball argue with the umpire too vigorously, and you are thrown out of the game. Why should tennis be any different? She should have been immediately disqualified. She received $10,500.00 dollars in fines, about 3% of her winnings. Is that enough?

Anyone can have a meltdown. The frustation of not playing well, the pressure of being expected to win and then a bad call- all the ingredients for an explosion-BANG! However Serena had a bigger problem- Hubris. She could not accept responsibility for her actions and apologize. She did not apologize at her press conference after the match or the following day. All she could muster was that John McEnroe was one of her heroes, as if to wash away this hideous outburst by drawing comparisons to someone else known for abusing officials. Even McEnroe the commentator was at an immediate lose of words. There are no excuses. She then said that after gaining her composure, " in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me, and as a result, I handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans for understanding I am human and look forward to continuing my journey, both professionally and personally."

Yes Serena you are human. We can understand that. What we cannot understand is why you did not apologize to this official immediately. Why did it take 3 days to begrudingly offer this official any apology?? We can all lose a match and recover our standings, but we cannot lose our dignity and walk away carefree. You have damaged yourself and have disappointed everyone!!

CHAMPION INTERVIEWS

Check out some memorable quotes and links to the interviews from the Australian Open.

Federer FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233411537875.html

Nadal FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233415660437.html

Bryan brothers FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233468139906.htm

Mahesh Bhupathi & Sania Mirza FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233474903000.html

Serena Williams FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-31/200901311233404291046.html

Dinara Safina FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-31/200901311233399228468.html

Recap Australian Open

WOW. Need we say more? The men’s final once again proved to be the most interesting rivalry today of any sport out there. Even if you’re the most dedicated Nadal fan, admit it you cried! Nadal, a super talented all court, all surface fitness machine with now 6 Slams vs. Federer, the all court, 13 Grand Slams behind the belt with every shot in the book, cool factor. Another great final between two masters of the game! The two fierce competitors that always seem to rise to the occasion. Despite Nadal’s record breaking 5 hour semi final with Verdasco that must have spent him of energy vs. Federer’s 3 set breeze past Roddick; despite Nadal’s overall winning record over Federer vs. Federer’s lead on surfaces other than clay over Nadal, we can assume that Nadal probably felt less pressure going into this match. For those who watched the heartbreaking battle that took place during the Wimbledon final, and for those that know how much losses that mean everything to you have the ability to give you a mental block, can probably suppose that Federer may never be the same against Nadal in finals. It may not show on the outside, his shots are still there, but it may be on the inside, breaking down in the biggest moments of the match. Pleasing fans all over the world, what more can we ask of our favorite sport than this high level of tennis from two “fighters” in the tennis sense of the word.

On the women’s side, fans may be a little disappointed. Paying 200 some dollars to attend the final, just to see one end of the see saw hang up in the sky the whole hour or so. Serena proved herself to be the unbeatable force to be reckoned with, a force that has had its presence for a decade now. Back to #1, with no contender in sight. Serena walked out on the court, looked like she had a game plan, played so aggressively it seemed like her baseline was on the service line and broke Dinara Safina into an array of unforced errors and double faults. Experience, confidence, all of the above. Why are women’s finals so lopsided? Why are three set finals so rare? This brings us to another question. Is equal pay for women’s tennis today, really equal play? Maybe that is poorly worded, seeing as play is not equal in the sense that Serena can’t beat the #5 FSU men’s tennis player. But in the sense of competitiveness, it doesn’t live up to equality. Nadal has to play almost ten hours of tennis to get through the semis and the finals and Serena wins the tournament with a total of about 16 hours of play. Fans turn up to see the final and the first set is over in 20 minutes. Maybe women should play three out of five sets. Its not like they have to play against men, but tennis may get a little more competitive in that case, perhaps that’s the way to get it more equal to men and more deserving of the same prize money. This is of course open to discussion and will find a strong opposition, but why not? Tickets cost a lot, the best of women’s tennis are clearly unbeatable on average, female tennis players are more fit than ever for today’s game styles and the WTA could try it out with one tournament at first and see how it goes. I think it would be an interesting idea.

Last but not least, nor less significant is the doubles recap. Siblings on both sides of the draw ended up sweeping doubles crowns. The Williams sisters beat Sugiyama and Hantuchova, while the Bryan Brothers continued to wreck havoc in doubles for yet another Australian Open title. Does this say something about siblings and doubles; can no one cover two sides of the same court better than blood relatives?

Business Lady of the Court

Serena’s career prize money is officially top of the top for women in sports.

Serena’s first pay check on the WTA tour was $204 at an event in Canada, nearly 14 years ago. Now, 14 years later, down under, she is in the singles and doubles finals of the 2009 Australian Open, breaking Annika Sorenstam’s record for career prize money by a female athlete. Serena is nearly at $23 million. If she happens to win, she will be nearly at $24 million. That is not even including endorsement deals. No wonder the draws on all tennis events, from local juniors to challengers have gotten bigger. Parents play their kids like the lottery now; everyone wants to try their luck at tennis. You go girl! This is a clear positive for women’s sports, tennis, girl power and a marker of unimaginable talent and hard work.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus09/news/story?id=3870020

Hit the same/Mentally tougher

Tennis is such a fickle sport. You can “own” one opponent but never be able to beat half the players that opponent is able to beat. Why is that? Everyone always runs to look at the draw to try to evaluate players based on their results on paper, and say things like, “Oh well, this #125 must be good, he beat the #35 last week”, or say things like “I always beat that kid, how does he win all these matches and I don’t?” It happens in the pros too, just not as often because the best in the world are, well, the best. When the level is so high, and the players so established in their training, techniques and fitness levels from an early age, a lot of the times the outcome of the match is solely based on the mental state of being, physical preparation and those outdoor indoor conditions of the time of play. Sometimes player’s games just don’t match up well against one another, causing this great divide between being able to beat two players in the top hundred, or being in the top 10 and being able to beat everyone.


Look at this years Medibank International warm up tournament in Sydney, right before the Australian Open. We will take Serena for example, although cases might be abundant on both sides of the draw. Quarterfinals, Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki. Nobody bet on Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki to win the 09 Australian Open, many bet on Serena Williams, marking her clear favorite of that match. Of course Wozniacki is up and coming and Serena is a defending champion of many slams and a veteran of top rankings. Wozniacki could have beaten Serena, after all she had three match points to close out the match at 6-5 in the final set. Doesn’t mean Wozniacki played a lot worse, or can’t beat Serena, it just comes down to experience, nerves and those varying states of being. Serena ended up losing to Dementieva, who beat Safina to the trophy. Moving on to Australian Open. Where is Serena and where is Caroline Wozniacki? Wozniacki lost to Dokic 3^rd round and Serena is in the finals again. Perhaps the stage is bigger during Grandslams and not all the young players can compose themselves like the past champions, evidenced by the lack of underdog winners. It must be frustrating, knowing you can strike the ball no worse than today’s Slam winner, hold match points, but be unable to convert. Patience is a virtue, those who find themselves and beat their inner demons, come out on top in tennis. Because they all look good striking the ball.


So what is the punch line of this observation of juniors at the draw and close pro matches where the champions pull out the victory? More advice for kids! It is true; anything can happen in sports, so stay positive and don’t give up until the handshake. Seeing that someone can never beat a particular type of player may give away hints of what type of players they struggle against most. It’s good to be observant and strategical, it will teach you to think on the court. Playing a high seed at a big tournament probably does mean that they have a lot more match experience, but not necessarily wins. Work on your game, develop your strengths and learn how to play in all types of conditions against all types of players. No experience is a bad experience in sports as long as you learn from it. Most importantly train yourself to be mentally tough. If this observation means anything, it’s that if you hit enough balls, you will be good enough to play with the big shots. But to be a big shot, you’re going to have to be mentally tough and experienced.

Read Serena’s Interview from Australian Open on mental tennis:

http://tennisinfoblog.com/me-against-the-russians-serena-williams-australian-open-interview

To Retire, or not to retire?

Global warming, summer in Australia, fact is, the heat was overbearing this year. We watched the players struggle, and we were sad to see the several retirements amidst really great tennis. Jie Zheng retired against Kuznetsova after hurting her wrist on a fall. Victoria Azarenka retired due to dizziness and sickness in her match against Serena. And Novak Djokovic retired against Roddick. Notice, all three were visibly unwell.

Kids retire for the wrong reasons sometimes. Some hate to lose so much they convince themselves they are unable to go on and retire. Others are really unwell and hate to lose so much, the more positive ones, walk side to side in hope of a miracle until they lose 6-0 in 15 minutes. Retirement should be monitored in kids. Pros would never retire because there is so much on the line for them, but they also care enough about their health and their full year jobs, to retire if they really can’t go on. Kids need to find that balance. Got an injury mid match? Playing on it will only make it worse? Retire! You don’t want to develop problems when you have years ahead of beating up your body. Feeling sick, be rational, no one needs a hero, but sometimes it is better to play through it. Don’t feel sorry for yourself, and you will see a clearer picture. Losing badly? All of a sudden an old injury is seemingly aching when you keep missing those forehands long? Try to slow down and figure out why you are playing the way you are and how to win more of the points that you win. Don’t give up. Its only going to break your character and your mental training and you will never be able to play up to your potential.

Check out Djokovic's defensive remarks against players that accuse him of gamesmanship:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7853238.stm

Check out Federer's comments on Novak's retirement:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7853693.stm

Check out Azarenka's retirement and what her opponent had to say:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3860412

A Moment in History

The 2009 Inauguration was disputably the most moving political event of a grand scale in a while. It was clearly a historical moment that was one of a kind and one for the books. I think in this time of difficulty that America is facing, having this overwhelming feeling of patriotism, change and hope is the only way to move forward. Of course, some people may not see it that way, as politics are divided. However, the outcome is ultimately inescapable and everyone needs to be on the same page more now than in a while. A lot of people criticized the expense of the event we watched just yesterday, but it simply couldnt have been done in a simpler way. Despite its cost, the event had to be rich and beautiful and elegant, because it marked a new era in history, it stood for a lot of different things to a lot of different people and it had to be noticed. It screamed greatness, change and hope. In our world of tennis, there are also heroes of the day. Tennis is as much a part of life where it concerns questions of gender, race, nationality, patriotism. In many ways, American tennis has been elevated to unprecedented heights by the Williams sisters and here is what they had to say about this great moment in history.

Source: Tennisinfoblog.com

Q. Big night back home for Americans with the inauguration. Can I ask you what that means to you? Also, early hours of the morning tomorrow. Will you try and wake up and watch it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: This is an amazing moment for American history. Even yesterday, the United States being Martin Luther King’s birthday. To have his birthday and Obama’s presidency fall so close to each other. This morning I was watching on the TV before I went out to play. I looked at my arm, and I literally had chill bumps.

I’m a big fan of African American history, learning my roots so I can be a better person. You just look at all the things that we’ve come through. Now to have this opportunity in less than 24 hours is amazing.

I don’t know, I’ll probably record it. I need my rest for this tournament. But it’s definitely something that I probably will look at.

Q. Is it inspiring for you and your sister? Do you feel in some ways yourself and Venus have done in a sporting sense what Obama has done in a political sense?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think myself and Venus has opened up a lot of doors, being the first African Americans to do so much in tennis. But I never really look at that. I just look at trying to stay focused.

At the end of my career, I always thought I would go back and kind of dwell on that, because I don’t want to get complacent and be like, Oh, I did this, I did that. It can become easy to become complacent with nine Grand Slams and counting (laughter).

Also: tune into a video conference with the William's sisters provided by Espn.go.com

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3846053