During the earlier rounds of this US Open, players seemed to be bowing out to make Serena’s ascension to the throne of Women’s Tennis as easy as possible. Everything seemed set for her – not only to become the first woman to win a calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf did in 1988, but also to match Steffi as the woman with the most Grand Slam titles (22) in “the Open era” (i.e., since 1968) … with all due respect to Margaret Court.
No doubt this is why every sports analyst previewed yesterday’s semifinal match against an unseeded and unknown player as if it were just a dress rehearsal for Serena’s coronation after today’s final.
Except that something happened on the way to the stadium that caused Serena to get cold feet. And, no, I don’t think it had anything to do with her side piece (aka “fu*king Drake”).
Two match wins from tennis history, Serena Williams finally failed in a major moment Friday.
Unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci stunned the No. 1-ranked player 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open semifinals for one of the greatest upsets the sport has ever seen…
Afterward, Vinci called it the best moment of her life.
(ESPN, September 11, 2015)
Talk about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Mind you, to listen to Serena explain her epic meltdown, you’d think she was the only person in the stadium, if not in the entire world, who did not think she would win. Indeed, everyone else clearly expected her to.
I told you guys I don’t feel pressure… I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.
(Huffington Post, September 11, 2015)
Which, of course, speaks volumes. No?
To be fair, Serena – obviously drained, both physically and mentally – did not have to explain herself.
But it is a curious thing that, after vesting so much emotion in her presumed ascension, her fans seem more disappointed in her failure than she does. Not to mention the disappointment of those who invested gambling dollars where others vested sporting emotions.
Unsurprisingly, virtually every sports analyst is already writing her professional obituary – complete with citations of accomplishments, which make her eminently worthy of being hailed as the best women’s Tennis player in history, even with yesterday’s loss.
As a 33-year-old black woman boasting a powerful build and bravery in how she expresses herself, she’s naturally been burdened with criticism about the integrity of her matches, her body [with all of the racial stereotypes that entails], and even her smile. But through it all, all she did was win…
We’re lucky to have Serena Williams.
(Huffington Post, September 11, 2015)
Perhaps far more telling in this respect is the juxtaposition of editorial pictures showing Serena in invincible form (even as she was losing) before yesterday’s match, with those showing her in vanquished form after she finally lost, looking unfit to have even been on center court at a Grand Slam.
But if 34-year-old Roger Federer can still play as well as he is today, I see no reason why 33-year-old Serena can’t continue playing as well as she is until she’s 36, at least. I just hope this humiliation does not do to her game what Tiger’s did to his….
Instead, here’s to her getting back on the court, after a little rest and reflection, to resume her quest for undisputed and unprecedented Tennis glory.
So, still I say:
Hail Serena!
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