This is not going to be an apologist piece for Serena Williams in the wake of her epic meltdown during last Saturday’s US Open final loss to Naomi Osaka. She does not need that or anything else from me. Nor will I be pontificating about sportsmanship, a concept that I have long felt is grossly overrated on the professional level.
For me, I am usually more interested in coming to a better collective understanding than being right. To that end, we should be clear about the position of Serena’s supporters. For them (us as I am one of them), she is not just a great tennis player. We vicariously live through her as she represents triumph in a white and male dominated world, that has NEVER fully embraced her. It is an easy case to make:
For years she stopped playing at Indian Wells due to racists jeers and treatment from the fans;
Despite dominating Maria Sharapova on the court and winning more than 4 times as many major tournaments, she has helplessly watched Wall Street send more endorsements to Sharapova;
A rare foot fault was called on her against Kim Clijsters at a US Open, which essentially ended the match;
She has apparently been overly tested for performance enhancing drugs, which reinforces the blatantly racist narrative comparing her to an animal;
She has had her outfits restricted by a French Open official (I suppose her learning and being fluent in the language does not gain her admittance to the club); and finally…
Both Andy Roddick, a former US Open champion, and James Blake, once ranked number 4 in the world, concur that they have said much worst to officials and has never been sanctioned as Williams was last Saturday
The case that Serena has been treated unfairly by the tennis world is beyond dispute and every additional example simply reinforces the resolve of her supporters to defend her. I get it!
The flaw in their defense is the fact that none of the things cited here, even though all true, were the primary root cause of her frustration Saturday. The primary cause of her frustration was the beatdown she was taking at the hands of 20-year-old Naomi Osaka. Whether Osaka summoned a Japanese Samurai Warrior or the great Haitian Revolutionary General Toussaint L’Oveture, it was clear who the better player was that day. She knew it, anyone that actually watched the match knew it, and even Serena knew it. To deny this reality, and cite Serena’s history and current unjust treatment as the reason that she lost is to be disingenuous.
Serena has a champion’s edge. It is no different from what Michael Jordan had. He once punched teammate Steve Kerr when the second stringers beat Jordan and the first stringers in a practice scrimmage. It is no different from what Tom Brady has, who when sacked, acts as if defensive players, by rule, are not allowed to touch him. What do all three and many other elite champions have in common? They are accustomed to imposing their will on opponents to get their way, and when they cannot, graciousness will rarely be what we see. Giving a quarter is not in their DNA and if you want their throne, you must come and take it from them.
For the entire decade of the 1960s, Wilt Chamberlain was the dominant big man in the NBA. Do not give me Bill Russell. He was simply on a better team. Then in the early 1970s, along came Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt’s place on the top was over. He did not graciously cede to Kareem and till the day he died, never recognized Jabbar for the talent he became.
When John McEnroe finally learned how to beat the great Swede Bjorn Borg in major Tournaments, Borg retired at 26 years old. He will never admit to this, but I have always believed that Borg knew his days beating McEnroe were over.
Champions are not good losers. If they were, there is a good chance that they would not be the champions that they are. Oh, some are good at faking it, such as Peyton Manning.
Don’t drink the kool-aid.
Change anything in the makeup of Michael Jordan and I do not believe he is a five-time MVP, nor a six-time NBA Finals MVP and champion. Nor would Tom Brady have five Super Bowl rings and all his other accolades. If Serena Williams were any different from what and who she is today, I doubt she has 23 majors.
The late Hall of Fame baseball manager Leo Durocher was right when he wrote the book, “Nice Guys Finish Last”. The only caveat would be, “Nice Guys and Ladies finish last”. Serena is not always nice when the going gets tough, and given the results, I would not have her any other way.
If her haters would like her to be all nice and cuddly, go get a dog. To her supporters, the out of line official was not the root of her frustration or defeat. It compounded her frustration and perhaps hastened her defeat. Acknowledging such does not make one a hater. It just means you are not willing to be a blind loyalist or cult follower in the making.
For all of the above reasons, in the end, the greatness of Serena Williams has not been modified one bit. We were simply reminded of the inevitable, which is that she will have to make room for the greatness of others…whether she wants to or not!
