My good friend and sometimes tennis sparring partner (at
least on the internet) Savannah of Savannah’s World has written extensively
about Victoria Azarenka and the tempest in a teapot that is Azarenkagate.
One of my favourite sports writers, Jon Wertheim, whose
Mailbag almost every tennis fan with an internet connection looks forward to on
a weekly basis has this week answered questions in relation to Azarenkagate.
Most of Tennis Forum, a site dedicated to women’s tennis has
many posts that surround Azarenkagate. Even
Deadspin and Grantland have articles about it.
I have waited with baited breath for someone, anyone to
defend Victoria Azarenka, yet only noted sports writer and tennis fan, Steve
Tignor, attempted to do so as he wrote about the subtleties of medical time out and the issues that arose when Azarenka responded after she had won
her match against Sloane Stephens.
I am not going to evaluate whether Azarenka was really injured
or not; that is something for the medical professionals who examined her to
decide. Do I think her medical timeout
had an effect on the outcome of the match?
The short answer is an emphatic no.
How do I know this? Firstly, from
first ball to last, Sloane Stephens held serve once. Secondly, Sloane had game point to even the
match at 5 games all and failed to do so. Whether it was playing one of the
best returners on the WTA or being mentally fried after her defeat of Serena
Williams, winning the match was always going to be a big challenge for Sloane
Stephens. Sadly, fans and media pundits have missed an opportunity to talk
about the realities of the match and provide keen insights in the pros and cons
of the young American’s game, instead, they have been spinning Azarenkagate.
My friend Savannah has intimated that the sign held up by
so-called tennis fans calling Azarenka a cheater was not shown on her
feed. I have watched this match numerous
times on both Tennis Channel and when it first aired on ESPN. That sign was there for all to see. Why is
there such vitriol being thrown at the WTA’s World’s No. 1?
Let’s take a look at the women who have held the number one
position in the WTA in recent history. First there was Dinara Safina, the sister
of Marat Safin, former ATP pro, world No. 1 and a Grand Slam champion. Safina was known more for her on-court
meltdowns and being a slam less #1 than for her achievements in the rankings.
The same can be said for Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki, little Ms.
Sunshine herself. All 3 women charmed
and gave great interviews and they shared a common bond: none of them won a Grand
Slam during the time they held the No. 1 ranking. After every loss at a Major, I cringed as I
listened to repeated questions about their failures to win a Slam. Even worse,
there were players like Li Na, Sam Stosur, Francesca Schiavone, and Ms. Grand
Slam, Serena Williams, winning Majors without reaching No. 1. Everyone decried the lack of depth in the WTA
and its failure to replicate the dominance seen on the ATP tour. Who would save
the WTA? By the end of 2011, it looked like the WTA was about to enter its
glory days with a rivalry between Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova and an
all out battle for a #1 with a Slam.
In 2012, everything changed. In an emphatic victory,
Azarenka would demolish Sharapova in the finals of the Australian Open, moving
from No. 3 to No.1. She would go on to a
record year, winning 26 matches in a row and 3 titles in the first quarter of
the season. Yet, when Victoria entered
interview rooms, she had traded the Slamless #1 question for questions about
her grunting. Reporters belittled her
game and her attitude. Reporters seem to revel in embarrassing Victoria.
Gleefully tweeting that the “The No. 1 player has no interview requests.” While
they may have thought it a poor reflection on Azarenka, suggesting that she had
nothing worthwhile to say; I thought their absence demonstrated a lack of
objectivity and professional decorum.
Here was a young woman who had been known for her mental and
physical frailties succeeding and journalists didn’t wonder why? How could that
be? Didn’t we see a similar transformation of a previously fragile ATP player
into dominant world #1? Wasn’t he lauded for his winning streak? Didn’t pundits
and journalists alike claim that his streak was good for tennis? That it
captured the public’s imagination? Why then was Victoria’s glorious run met
with such silence and disregard? Why did journalists have little questions
beyond grunting for a WTA #1 with her first Slam? After all, didn’t she do what Caroline,
Dinara, and Jelena couldn’t? Maybe they thought it was a fluke and Victoria
would simply go away if they ignored her. Yet, Victoria did not go away; she
stayed and she kept on winning.
Fast forward to 2013 and we have the tempest in a teapot
that is Azarenkagate.
The WTA has a No. 1 than can win and knows how to win. She competes well. She draws people to the sport, even if they
are her detractors. Like Sharapova and
others, she continues to grunt and shriek. Sure she could use a bit of PR
polish, but I can think of many whose PR foibles illicit sympathy and ardent
support. For example, shy and mumbling Kvitova and imitation poor
Caroline. Why no quarters for the new
WTA#1? What has folks convinced that Azarenka is a bad person who needs to be
tarred and feathered? Why are her
offenses, which are not unusual, so egregious that they may disqualify her from
ever becoming a future Hall of Famer?
I suspect that the ill will generated against Azarenka has
more to do with people’s perceptions of what women should be doing on a tennis
court, than Azarenka alone. If winning matches doesn’t matter, then what gains
favor for women on the tennis court? If journalists are to be believed, the
most popular female players on tour continue to be Ana Ivanovic, Maria
Sharapova, and Aga Radwanska. Aside from Sharapova, who had a storied win at RG
to regain the #1 for a brief spell, these women were mostly known for their
pleasing airs, fashion sense, and looks than for winning matches. Maybe
Azarenka has fallen afoul of the female mandate: it is okay to win but only if
you do so looking as feminine and as soft as possible; female jocks need not
apply.
For me, Victoria Azarenka is exactly what the WTA needs
right now. After years of Slamless
No.1s, we have a champion who competes well, cares passionately about winning,
and stabilizes the tour. What’s so objectionable about that?
