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TennisOne Lessons
An Open Letter to Serena Williams Dear Serena: This must have been one wacky, frustrating year for you. Just over a year ago, after you'd played gutsy tennis to defend your Wimbledon title, it seemed like the tennis world was your oyster. Even with those pesky Belgians nipping at your heels, even with your sister trying hard to take it to you, it sure looked in that not-too-far-ago summer of 2003 that you had all the goods to remain the dominant force in women's tennis for some time.
Then came that knee operation, and a long recovery. You played reasonably well to win your first tournament in Key Biscayne. But in the spring and summer, life got a lot more complicated. It was one thing for your longstanding rival, Jennifer Capriati, to scrap one out in the semis of Rome. After losing eight straight to you, she was due, right? And even when she did it again in Paris, well, fair enough, clay's never been your best surface anyway, and you were still on the mend. Then came Wimbledon. For the first time, you were undone by a player who was not just younger than you, but also one more powerful. Yes, indeed, Maria Sharapova had the world by a string that day. And you were quite gracious in praising her – though I will always take issue with Venus, saying shortly after that win that Sharapova “didn't play Serena Williams that day.” What's that supposed to mean? To be sure, you didn't play your best in that Wimbledon final, but surely by now both you and Venus know that unless you're choking like a dog, any tennis player only plays as well as her opponent lets her play. Must it be necessary to be so stingy in praise for the victor? Things got even more ridiculous when you lost to Capriati in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. Yes, there's no question that on game point for you in first game of the third set you were given a bad call when the chair umpire overruled an obvious call that would have handed you the game. It was unfortunate, though, that all the controversy at that moment kept the umpire from making any overrules later in that final set – overrules that might well have been made in your favor. Alas, that was one strange match.
But I'll go to my grave completely mystified by your behavior in the wake of that loss. Was it really necessary to invoke the “Wimbledon conspiracy” – the umpire's miscue during Venus' loss – as a means of implying some plot to topple your family? Your odd mix of laughter and anger, considered classy by many of my colleagues, actually struck me as disingenuous. If you want to be angry, go ahead, scream and yell and break all the racquets you want in the locker. But if you're going to be a true champion – and I believe you are – then walk right in and instead of saying you were “robbed,” just suck it up and get on with it. Don't be so disrespectful of the game and your opponent to make the topic your woes. You're better than that. Which reminds me: I hope indeed this year's losses have compelled you to think less about being some sort of crossover icon and more motivated to throw yourself into becoming an even better tennis player. As one coach recently told me, “Venus and Serena upped the ante in the power department, so now players are used to it. And there's always more Russians coming down the pike.” The deal now, Serena, is if you can continue to enhance your first-rate power and continue to throw in all the other elements – that nifty slice and flat serve, the aggressive sorties to the net and the great overhead – that brought you to the top of the world. You'll have your whole life to inhale the ether of fame. But even the very best tennis players are only given so many years to make the most of them. I hope you're up for it. Sincerely, Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Joel Drucker's article by emailing us here at TennisOne . |
