Serena Williams is the undisputed GOAT in female tennis. And, even in relative dotage at 37, she still seems capable of padding her record of 23 grand slam titles.
But I fear stroking her way through all rounds only to come up dry in finals is becoming her destiny. iPINIONS presaged this after her 2018 US Open loss.
That commentary recalled her infamous 2009 meltdown at the same tournament, under eerily similar circumstances. It also noted this was the second time since her maternity leave that she had squandered an ideal chance to pad her record-setting 23 grand slam titles. With an assembly line of one-slam wonders waiting to deny her the 24th that would equal Margaret Court’s all-time record, the realization that such chances were growing scarce seemed to fuel her outburst.
Sure enough, she not only squandered a third opportunity today, but looked every bit her age in doing so.
Simona Halep won her first Wimbledon title and crushed Serena Williams’ latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title with a devastating 56-minute display of athleticism.
The Romanian won 6-2 6-2 in front of an incredulous Centre Court, running after everything the American threw at her. ‘I’m shocked,’ says John McEnroe… ‘Halep completely and thoroughly outplayed her. It wasn’t even a match.’
(BBC, July 13, 2019)
Frankly, the only positive thing I can say about the Serena we saw today is that she did not allow her frustrations to trigger another epic meltdown. In fact, she looked positively regal embracing Halep in defeat.
Incidentally, just like last year, Serena’s pre-match focus seemed more on having her “friend” Meghan the Duchess of Sussex cheering than on winning. Unsurprisingly, the media took her cue and focused on Meghan too.
This remains the easiest of the four slams for her to win. Therefore, if she somehow makes it to a third-straight final next year, she would do well to prevail upon her friend to watch from her royal palace instead of Wimbledon’s royal box.
Because Meghan radiates a sense of entitlement, which has her putting on more airs than the queen. Only that explains this embarrassing spectacle, which I suspect no royal to the firm born has ever caused:
Photos have revealed a Wimbledon fan who was stopped from taking photos near Meghan Markle last week by a bodyguard was actually taking a selfie. …
Meghan was branded ‘childish’ and a ‘control freak’ today after [another spectator] Sally Jones, 64, revealed she was warned about taking pictures – and told the royal’s ’embarrassed’ bodyguard she was trying to get a photograph of Serena and had no idea Meghan was there.
(Daily Mail, July 10, 2019)
The point is that her bad karma, coupled with the suspended animation of everyone expecting Serena to finally win … again, is just too much weight for her to carry on centre court.
That said, given the three-strikes rule, I just hope she retires before fellow players begin looking at her more in pity than in awe. Like Woods’s quest to surpass Nicklaus, Williams’s to surpass Court is her only reason for playing on.
But just making a grand slam semifinal will soon become as elusive as winning a final. In that case, Serena will join her sister Venus on that road of faded glory, which so many champions have taken into retirement.
Meanwhile, the US women’s soccer team’s fight for equal pay has become such a cause célèbre it dominated Serena’s post-match news conference. She proudly declared that she’ll be fighting for equality until the day she dies.
Except that I wish someone had the presence of mind to challenge her on this abiding contradiction. As I argued back in 2007, Wimbledon’s decision to award women equal prize money for unequal work sits awkwardly with feminist principles. After all, if the pay is equal, women should play five sets like the men, or the men should play three like the women, just as women and men run the same marathon and complete the same triathlon to earn equal prize money in those sports.
I resolve this contradiction by arguing that women are entitled to equal pay in tennis because they draw more fans and media attention, which generate more revenues. It would have been interesting to learn how Serena resolves it.
Hail, Halep!
Related commentaries:
GOAT…
US Open…
Hail, Venus…
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