12/9/09
Dear Serena –
It’s not a good thing to kick someone when she’s down, but your behaviour at today’s US Open beggars an exception. What the fresh hell were you thinking? You NEVER verbally assault a line judge, and to use John McEnroe as some sort of legal precedent as if you’re ‘Law and Order’s Jack McCoy to justify your behaviour is just not on.
I predict that your career will suffer repercussions after this. Think I’m being dramatic? Well, let’s see: for starters, by your own actions and attitudes, you’ve made it spectacularly clear you’re not in the tennis world to exemplify what a true Champion is because you don’t even bother to play in all the tournaments. (NB: I’ll give you Indian Wells as the justifiable boycott that it is.) The point is, unlike the pantheon of great tennis champs before you, such as Navratilova, Steffi, and Billie Jean, you seem to treat tennis as a side show, a diversion, just another interest of yours. So it’s really no surprise that you’ve not developed the character required to be classed with the rest of the Tennis Goddesses.
Your colour has nothing to do with it – and nor does your lineage. I, for one, would never expect to see this with your older sister. Venus Williams has emerged as a stateswoman for the game; her eloquent and persistent persuasion towards getting equal pay for women in the Grand Slams – Wimbledon in particular – speaks volumes about her fortitude and grace under pressure, how she looks beyond herself and sees what she represents to current talent pools and future dreamers.
How does your behaviour speak to the future, Serena? It speaks spoiled brat, ungracious loser, and short sighted sulk monster. And how sad for you! Look how hard you’ve worked to win people over, how hard you’ve striven to amass 22 slams by the age of 27, how you’ve had to endure the petty jealousies of the Hingis, Davenports, and Mauresmos of the world, and the legitimate racism from places like Indian Wells. All for what – so you can be accused of basically trying to jack up an Asian lineslady.
You absolute simpleton.
Sure, your defence is that you’re an athlete, and athletes tend to lose it under pressure. And almost predictably, you raise your patron saint, John McEnroe, as a template for your hot mess. In the Women’s game, Martina used to be another hothead, too. But I don’t recall ANYBODY doing what I saw you do today. Please. Accept responsibility for your stuff – don’t go back 25+ years to collect dusty news clippings of someone else’s antics to rubberstamp your own.
With that, I’ll say goodbye – goodbye to you as a former fan, and goodbye to your career as a tennis professional, because I’ll wager anyone today that you will never live this down. But that’s okay, you only play the Slams anyway – in your words, ‘to pay the mortgage’ – and what do you care? Being a true Champion isn’t for everybody, right?
The Cynnergist 