When people talk about China replacing the Soviet Union as the world’s other superpower, they invariably reference the unprecedented and seemingly inexorable pace of its economic and military growth.
But I’m equally impressed by the strides China is taking in other areas towards this end. Most notable is the way it is buying up political influence throughout the Third World – as it demonstrated just last week by adding $98 million to the $950 million life-sustaining loan it gave in 2009 to Zimbabwe, a country the United States has been trying to cripple with economic sanctions for decades.
Less notable, but no less significant, is the way China is grooming, some argue doping, its athletes to become as dominant in the world of sports as it is becoming in the global economy. Nothing demonstrated the success it’s having in this regard quite like finishing second only to the U.S. in the total medal count, 110-100, at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. And no doubt China would want it stated for the record that 51 of its 100 medals were gold, whereas only 36 of the U.S.’s were.
This brings me to the impressive run China’s Li Na had at this year’s French Open, which culminated on Saturday when she defeated defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-4, 7-6(0) to win the title.
For as significant as this was for her career, and as disinterested as she appears to be in what it portends for her country’s place in the world of sports, China is bound to mark this first win by a Chinese of one of the four coveted Grand Slams of tennis as a milestone on its road to superpower status.
More significantly, nobody doubts that it is just the first of many Grand Slams Chinese players will win in the years to come. And the coy Li Na may have shown some appreciation for the political impact of her trailblazing accomplishment by wearing a T-shirt to her post-match news conference with Chinese characters which, according to NBC commentators, read:
Sport changes everything.
Meanwhile, the Williams sisters, the only players (men or women) who seem capable of winning another Grand Slam for the U.S. in the foreseeable future, have been either too hobbled by injuries or distracted by other interests to even play: Venus, who fancies herself an interior designer, has not played a full match since last September; and here is how The Telegraph of London began a feature in yesterday’s edition on Serena – who hasn’t played since last July:
The eclectic interests and ambitions of Serena Williams are such that few in tennis should have been surprised that TMZ, a Hollywood-based celebrity gossip website, was reporting last week that the Wimbledon champion has been dabbling with becoming a rapper, and has been recording in a studio.
But, with all due respect to The Telegraph, here is what I wrote almost two years ago as a caution to jingoistic Americans, especially the black ones who were predicting – with more racial than national pride – that these sisters would rewrite the record books:
In fact, of the 43 Grand Slam titles that have been up for grabs since they turned pro in 1998, Venus has won only 7 and Serena 11. By comparison, in less than half that time – from 2004 to 2008 – Justine Henin won 7 titles. And at 29 and 27, respectively, it seems a pipe dream that either Venus or Serena will ever surpass Steffi Graf’s feat of winning 22 titles.
This is why, as I watched Venus and Serena on Saturday displaying the same power, skill, and grace that made them seem so invincible six years ago, I could not help thinking what opportunities had been lost – to fashion modeling, acting, injuries … and boys.
(Serena and Federer triumph at Wimbledon, The iPINIONS Journal, July 6, 2009)
Now, on a far less interesting, and even less significant, note, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 yesterday to win his sixth French Open title.
I’ve been quite unabashed in expressing my preference for women’s tennis. Because, frankly, the women’s game is not only almost as powerful as the men’s (with Venus hitting 125 mph serves); their fierce baseline strokes during relatively long rallies are also far more titillating to watch than the one big serve that now characterizes men’s tennis.
(Hail to 4-time Wimbledon Champ Venus Williams, The iPINIONS Journal, July 9, 2007)
In fact, the only thing worthy of further comment is that, apropos of Li Na and China, Novak Djokovic was bringing even greater glory to his country, Serbia, by mounting a winning streak of 43 matches dating back to last November. Alas, Roger ended it on Friday by defeating him in the semifinals. Guillermo Vilas holds the record with 46 consecutive matches, a feat he completed in 1977.
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Serena and Federer…
Hail to Venus…