So Pete Bodo, respected tennis writer and media practitioner writes an article on women's tennis in which he describes Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki as "rosy cheeked women akin to milkmaids who seem like they can do some chores". Apart from CNote on twitter not many journalists and/or media practitioners have found fault with Bodo's headline and/or his article in general.
I am not surprised by this. Know why I am not surprised by this? When commentators continue to describe Li Na and others like her who are married women as girls, when the WTA continues to allow on-court coaching which shows accomplished professional women seeking advice from men who have never in their lives accomplished much in the way of tennis, when professional women, instead of marketing themselves as strong, intelligent women, allow themselves to be shown in media portrayals as sex kittens, then and only then will the media, made up largely of chauvinistic white men to begin with, start looking at them as professional women, and not as jolly milk maids.
For the last few months, commentators at Pete Bodo's blog have been taking him to task for the throw away nature of his writing. Most are of the view that he has become bored or there is not much to write about in terms of tennis. However, a look at his recent articles on the men's game shows someone who is at least still invested and interested in the sport.
Recent articles on 5 male contenders were well written, albeit a little more research could have gone into the article. Women's tennis seems to take a backseat at Tennis World these days and this is quite surprising seeing as the women's game is generating more viewers than the men's game. The recently concluded Australian Open indicated that more people tuned into the women's final than they did the men's. This is a sad indictment on the men's game as the final was between the 2 heir apparent to Federer and Nadal. The last time the women's game out matched the men was in the early 2000s when Venus and Serena ruled the tennis world.
Most fans have become jaded by the Nadal/Federer juggernaut. They have become boring and fans of men's tennis are now looking for the next big thing. Women's tennis however is doing quite fine if the WTA could only get out of its own way and promote the Tour in the way it should be promoted. The WTA seems to have this idea that if they promote 1 or 2 players then fans will come. No, if you promote the whole Tour, then fans will come.
The WTA product is an excellent one. Fans may describe the style of play as ball bashing, but at least it is much better than the serve fests that are generated in the men's game.
I wish that media practitioners would look at the women's game as a professional body rather than a whole host of "girls" running around in little skirts hitting a ball and generating some kind of penis rise from men in the stands and the press room.
Treat the WTA ladies on as equal a footing as you do the men. After all I have not heard anyone describe any of the men on the ATP Tour as men who seem like they would be good studs or some such.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
THE END OF AN ERA
In 1994 I came to Venus via Venus Ebony Starr Williams. A tall, long legged, African-American tennis player from Compton, California.
Venus and her little sister Serena were trained by their parents Richard and Oracene Williams in the public parks of Compton, California to play the elitist sport of tennis.
They came and they took names with their athletic, powerful, and take no prisoners form of tennis.
In July 2010, after winning Wimbledon in 2010, Serena Williams sustained an injury to her right foot. She would go on to withdraw from the USO Series that year, the US Open and the Australian Open of 2011 as a result of that cut on her foot. She has required 2 surgeries so far and the last thing that this blogger heard was that she had sustained an infection in her right toe which could be career threatening.
During all this drama, her big sister Venus played her last match at the USO, losing in the semis to the eventual winner, Kim Clijsters, in a hard fought semi-final match. That would be Venus' last match for the 2010 tennis season.
During her second round match at the Australian Open, Venus was moving forward to hit her usual high backhand volley and injured her psoas muscle. Venus would go on to receive treatment and come back and win the next 2 sets and move on to the third round.
Today, for the first time in 257 career singles matches at the Australian Open, Venus Williams had to retire against Andrea Petkovic.
Today, 21 January 2011 is for me the beginning of an end of era. It is not only that both women are the women who brought me to tennis, it will also signal my first sign of withdrawal from the sport of tennis.
Gone are the days when sportsmanship and professional courtesy was the hallmark of tennis fans worldwide. Today, an injured opponent was booed by the Australian Open crowd. This is not the first time that this has happened. It happened at Wimbledon in 2010, when due to a mix up by Wimbledon organisers, there was no escort sent to Venus Williams. She then decided to leave by herself and make her way to the court for her match against Jamila Groth. Upon her arrival at the court, she was booed throughout the match.
In 2003, after Serena Williams came back from 5-1 down against Kim Clijsters, a player who had been adopted by the Australian crowd because of her relationship at the time with Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, she was booed for showing heart and grit and showing us what a fighter she is by being booed by the Australian Open crowd.
Tennis fans the world over are free to voice their feelings about players that they like or dislike, but ever since these 2 women made their debut on the women's tour, their games, attitudes, personalities, playing style, commitment to the game, and everything else has been fodder for tennis fans, commentators, so-called experts, bloggers and even the players themselves.
I don't think I have ever read anywhere where either Venus or Serena have proclaimed a player to be dead, or old or no longer relevant, but I have sat and listened to commentators who should know better proclaim these 2 women dead and buried for most of their long and fruitful careers.
With today's exit of Venus Williams from the Australian via retirement, will mark the first time in a long while that no American woman has been in the second week of a major, and indeed the Australian Open.
Fans of tennis, especially those who live in the States should ensure that both Williams Sisters play for a very long time to come, because without the Williams Sisters in tournaments, coverage of tennis, and in particular women's tennis will die a natural death.
As much as some will tell you that the Ivanovics and Sharapovas and Petkovics of the tennis world are popular amongst fans, at the end of the day American advertisers and television networks cater to an American audience and the best way to do this is to showcase American players.
Even though I am not an American, most of my coverage of tennis is derived from American television. When the Sisters go, as I believe they will be doing very soon, then so will television coverage.
During this year's tennis season most of the tournaments that were once divided into men's and women's have been consolidated. It will be instructive to see who gets coverage when both men and women play. Already, at tournaments like Madrid, Indian Wells and the Sony Ericsson Open, we see more of the men than we do the women. With the absence of Venus and Serena, all we will be getting is perhaps highlight reels or if you are still a fan of the game, having to try and source livestreams from the internet.
I am hoping that this is not the case, but from where I am sitting how can it not be?
Venus and her little sister Serena were trained by their parents Richard and Oracene Williams in the public parks of Compton, California to play the elitist sport of tennis.
They came and they took names with their athletic, powerful, and take no prisoners form of tennis.
In July 2010, after winning Wimbledon in 2010, Serena Williams sustained an injury to her right foot. She would go on to withdraw from the USO Series that year, the US Open and the Australian Open of 2011 as a result of that cut on her foot. She has required 2 surgeries so far and the last thing that this blogger heard was that she had sustained an infection in her right toe which could be career threatening.
During all this drama, her big sister Venus played her last match at the USO, losing in the semis to the eventual winner, Kim Clijsters, in a hard fought semi-final match. That would be Venus' last match for the 2010 tennis season.
During her second round match at the Australian Open, Venus was moving forward to hit her usual high backhand volley and injured her psoas muscle. Venus would go on to receive treatment and come back and win the next 2 sets and move on to the third round.
Today, for the first time in 257 career singles matches at the Australian Open, Venus Williams had to retire against Andrea Petkovic.
Today, 21 January 2011 is for me the beginning of an end of era. It is not only that both women are the women who brought me to tennis, it will also signal my first sign of withdrawal from the sport of tennis.
Gone are the days when sportsmanship and professional courtesy was the hallmark of tennis fans worldwide. Today, an injured opponent was booed by the Australian Open crowd. This is not the first time that this has happened. It happened at Wimbledon in 2010, when due to a mix up by Wimbledon organisers, there was no escort sent to Venus Williams. She then decided to leave by herself and make her way to the court for her match against Jamila Groth. Upon her arrival at the court, she was booed throughout the match.
In 2003, after Serena Williams came back from 5-1 down against Kim Clijsters, a player who had been adopted by the Australian crowd because of her relationship at the time with Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, she was booed for showing heart and grit and showing us what a fighter she is by being booed by the Australian Open crowd.
Tennis fans the world over are free to voice their feelings about players that they like or dislike, but ever since these 2 women made their debut on the women's tour, their games, attitudes, personalities, playing style, commitment to the game, and everything else has been fodder for tennis fans, commentators, so-called experts, bloggers and even the players themselves.
I don't think I have ever read anywhere where either Venus or Serena have proclaimed a player to be dead, or old or no longer relevant, but I have sat and listened to commentators who should know better proclaim these 2 women dead and buried for most of their long and fruitful careers.
With today's exit of Venus Williams from the Australian via retirement, will mark the first time in a long while that no American woman has been in the second week of a major, and indeed the Australian Open.
Fans of tennis, especially those who live in the States should ensure that both Williams Sisters play for a very long time to come, because without the Williams Sisters in tournaments, coverage of tennis, and in particular women's tennis will die a natural death.
As much as some will tell you that the Ivanovics and Sharapovas and Petkovics of the tennis world are popular amongst fans, at the end of the day American advertisers and television networks cater to an American audience and the best way to do this is to showcase American players.
Even though I am not an American, most of my coverage of tennis is derived from American television. When the Sisters go, as I believe they will be doing very soon, then so will television coverage.
During this year's tennis season most of the tournaments that were once divided into men's and women's have been consolidated. It will be instructive to see who gets coverage when both men and women play. Already, at tournaments like Madrid, Indian Wells and the Sony Ericsson Open, we see more of the men than we do the women. With the absence of Venus and Serena, all we will be getting is perhaps highlight reels or if you are still a fan of the game, having to try and source livestreams from the internet.
I am hoping that this is not the case, but from where I am sitting how can it not be?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Coverage of Women's Sports
As most of you know this blog is primarily about the lack of coverage of women's tennis in the mainstream media. However, recently, I have been seeing quite a number of articles being written about women's sports in general and about the paucity of coverage that mainstream media allows.
This article appeared today on twitter. It was the second article in as many days that looked at the issue of media coverage of women's sports. Both articles dealt with the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team's historic achievement of 89 straight wins. This achievement surpassed that of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team's 88 straight games.
I shook my head when I read the article as for the past year I have been bemoaning the lack of coverage of women's tennis. While I did not get much feedback from the mainstream media, or indeed of many tennis fans, I had to raise my eyebrows now because finally some in the media are waking up to the fact that women's sports is getting short shrift in the media.
One of the problems with the media's portrayal of women's sports, and indeed women's tennis, is the way in which commentators convey the message to viewers. Consider for example the narrative that is written about Nadal and Federer. If Nadal is injured or he has had a very convincing win, he is lauded as being exceptional in his sport, talented, a fighter. Even if he double faults on match points, it is mostly stated that he was going big on a second serve which is why he missed. When Nadal loses a tennis match, the media attributes the loss fairly or unfairly to injury or tiredness because of the long season etc.
However, put Dinara Safina, a former No. 1 on the women's side who has been sidelined since the Australian Open this year with a bad back (matter of fact it was a disc in her back that has gone terribly awry), she double faults, and what you get in the commentary booth is her lack of technique, lack of mental toughness, inability to actually hold serve, or taken over by the occassion.
Women in sports are being compared to men. I cannot recall watching a football match and seeing Tony Romo fail to throw the football in a way that his receivers can make a play, I have never heard the commentators talk about his lack of mental toughness, but if there was a woman who has had the seasons that Tony Romo has had in the past few years, people would have been calling for her to go and that she is not fit to lead the team.
The double standards that exists in our world have permeated all of sport for the longest time. Men are given endorsements despite their dismal performances. Women are given endorsements not because of their achievements on the court, but whether they are able to sell the product or not. Female athletes are glossed up and shown to be sex kittens, rather than athletes.
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in women who are athletes showing that they are not only feminine but tough as nails, but apart from Serena Williams, I cannot recall any of the current female players in the WTA being portrayed as kick ass, tough or other attribute that they actually have to display on court in order to win a match.
The clothes that are being made for today's athletes leave little to the imagination. Perhaps the way to raise interest in women's sports like basketball, softball etc is to have the women play in itty bitty pieces of clothing and air it just before the latest outdoor fishing competition or poker game and maybe that will generate interest.
Also, it may behove those female athletes who insist on being photographed in full stripper mode, put their foot down and insist that while they realise that wielding a racquet with a fierce look may not sell the latest handbag or shoes, perhaps at some point, some enterprising photographer could perhaps take a chance and try. You never know, you may be surprised at the results.
After Serena Williams won the Australian Open in 2007, Nike launched a http://www.nike.com/nikewomen/us/v2/media/downloads/wallpapers/serena_1.jpg campaign that said everything fans of this great player already knew.
http://tinyurl.com/24mm2nc
This article appeared today on twitter. It was the second article in as many days that looked at the issue of media coverage of women's sports. Both articles dealt with the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team's historic achievement of 89 straight wins. This achievement surpassed that of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team's 88 straight games.
I shook my head when I read the article as for the past year I have been bemoaning the lack of coverage of women's tennis. While I did not get much feedback from the mainstream media, or indeed of many tennis fans, I had to raise my eyebrows now because finally some in the media are waking up to the fact that women's sports is getting short shrift in the media.
One of the problems with the media's portrayal of women's sports, and indeed women's tennis, is the way in which commentators convey the message to viewers. Consider for example the narrative that is written about Nadal and Federer. If Nadal is injured or he has had a very convincing win, he is lauded as being exceptional in his sport, talented, a fighter. Even if he double faults on match points, it is mostly stated that he was going big on a second serve which is why he missed. When Nadal loses a tennis match, the media attributes the loss fairly or unfairly to injury or tiredness because of the long season etc.
However, put Dinara Safina, a former No. 1 on the women's side who has been sidelined since the Australian Open this year with a bad back (matter of fact it was a disc in her back that has gone terribly awry), she double faults, and what you get in the commentary booth is her lack of technique, lack of mental toughness, inability to actually hold serve, or taken over by the occassion.
Women in sports are being compared to men. I cannot recall watching a football match and seeing Tony Romo fail to throw the football in a way that his receivers can make a play, I have never heard the commentators talk about his lack of mental toughness, but if there was a woman who has had the seasons that Tony Romo has had in the past few years, people would have been calling for her to go and that she is not fit to lead the team.
The double standards that exists in our world have permeated all of sport for the longest time. Men are given endorsements despite their dismal performances. Women are given endorsements not because of their achievements on the court, but whether they are able to sell the product or not. Female athletes are glossed up and shown to be sex kittens, rather than athletes.
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in women who are athletes showing that they are not only feminine but tough as nails, but apart from Serena Williams, I cannot recall any of the current female players in the WTA being portrayed as kick ass, tough or other attribute that they actually have to display on court in order to win a match.
The clothes that are being made for today's athletes leave little to the imagination. Perhaps the way to raise interest in women's sports like basketball, softball etc is to have the women play in itty bitty pieces of clothing and air it just before the latest outdoor fishing competition or poker game and maybe that will generate interest.
Also, it may behove those female athletes who insist on being photographed in full stripper mode, put their foot down and insist that while they realise that wielding a racquet with a fierce look may not sell the latest handbag or shoes, perhaps at some point, some enterprising photographer could perhaps take a chance and try. You never know, you may be surprised at the results.
After Serena Williams won the Australian Open in 2007, Nike launched a http://www.nike.com/nikewomen/us/v2/media/downloads/wallpapers/serena_1.jpg campaign that said everything fans of this great player already knew.
http://tinyurl.com/24mm2nc
Friday, December 24, 2010
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Just taking this opportunity to wish everyone out in tennis land a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Let us hope that our upcoming 2011 season brings some new story lines.
Here is my wish list for 2011
A Grand Slam title for Roger Federer
A Grand Slam title for Venus Williams
A healthy Serena Williams - the Tour is just not the same without her
A new star on the ATP
A Grand Slam title for Caroline Wozniacki
Can we please stop with the over-hyping of certain players
An end to on-court coaching on the WTA
The end of FeDal rivalries. Both men get along really well as we saw in the Match for Africa. Fans should learn to do the same
An end to the constant GOAT debate. Only idiots think that there is one GOAT
Take care everyone and enjoy the holidays with your friends and loved ones.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Long Lost Williams Sister
This post shall be about pictures. I had one thing crossed off my bucket list on 12 November 2010 when I met my favourite tennis player in the world. Venus Ebony Starr Williams. It is an occassion I will never forget. Enjoy the pictorial
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Real No. 1
Today Caroline Wozniacki played in her first Year End Championship in Doha. She lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 to current USO Champion and in case you did not get the memo, Mommy, Kim Clijsters.
As a long time fan of women's tennis, I think Wozniacki is an able No. 1. There have been arguments made for or against her being No. 1 without winning a major. 2 years ago I was one of those who looked at Jankovic and Safina and said 'how can you be No. 1 when you have not even won a major'. At that time, as is the case now, Serena Williams held 2 majors and had beaten both players rather handily in Grand Slam finals.
Wozniacki however is a different kettle of fish. The first time I saw her play was in an ITF event in Las Vegas. She was playing a Japanese veteran and she won that tournament rather handily. I felt at the time that her game needed more power as well as quite a few other things and I have to say that since that initial title when she was about 16 or 17 years old, Wozniacki has performed exceptionally well since playing a full season.
When Safina and Jankovic held the No. 1 rank, not only had they been in Grand Slam finals, but they had won Premier events as well. The difference for me is the way how Wozniacki has held up under the glare of the media spotlight and the way she has gone about her business on Tour. No drama. No crying to the heavens when her game has gone awry. No breaking down in tears during trophy ceremonies and no berating of herself when she loses a point. She is 20 years old and she is poised, confident, a smile on her face as she goes about her business. At times she is ice-cold in her temperament, especially when it comes to bagelling her opponents. She shows absolutely no mercy.
However, there is one thing about Wozniacki that I do not like, well 2 things really. I hate her forehand. I absolutely hate it. I play tennis and my forehand is my shot of choice. If I can run around my pathetic excuse for a backhand and rip a forehand, then I am one happy woman. As such I am always drawn to those players who can hit winners from the forehand side. Wozniacki needs to use the off-season to learn to hit through the ball on her forehand side. Most players have found a way to beat her (at least the good ones with forehands) and they go to that wing relentlessly until they inevitably get a short ball and she is dead to rights.
Another thing I do not particularly like about Wozniacki is her constant reliance on her father to come out and coach her. I think going into 2011 she should try her hardest at Tour level events not to call her father down court side. You cannot use it at the majors, and I think that is the main reason (and her forehand) why she has not been able to get to any more Grand Slam finals since her debut at the 2009 USO.
Wozniacki wears the mantle of No. 1 very well. She has received the blessing of the first family of women's tennis, Venus and Serena Williams. She is articulate, employs good sportsmanship on the field and apart from a few instances of racquet throwing (something she really needs to stop) she has worn the mantle well.
I am not sure what the future holds for Caroline Wozniacki come 2011 but from where I sit she should at least make it to the final round of a major come 2011 and who knows she may just strike it rich and get one. After all, many before her who did not have half the talent that she has and did so, and I see no reason why Wozniacki cannot do the same.
As a long time fan of women's tennis, I think Wozniacki is an able No. 1. There have been arguments made for or against her being No. 1 without winning a major. 2 years ago I was one of those who looked at Jankovic and Safina and said 'how can you be No. 1 when you have not even won a major'. At that time, as is the case now, Serena Williams held 2 majors and had beaten both players rather handily in Grand Slam finals.
Wozniacki however is a different kettle of fish. The first time I saw her play was in an ITF event in Las Vegas. She was playing a Japanese veteran and she won that tournament rather handily. I felt at the time that her game needed more power as well as quite a few other things and I have to say that since that initial title when she was about 16 or 17 years old, Wozniacki has performed exceptionally well since playing a full season.
When Safina and Jankovic held the No. 1 rank, not only had they been in Grand Slam finals, but they had won Premier events as well. The difference for me is the way how Wozniacki has held up under the glare of the media spotlight and the way she has gone about her business on Tour. No drama. No crying to the heavens when her game has gone awry. No breaking down in tears during trophy ceremonies and no berating of herself when she loses a point. She is 20 years old and she is poised, confident, a smile on her face as she goes about her business. At times she is ice-cold in her temperament, especially when it comes to bagelling her opponents. She shows absolutely no mercy.
However, there is one thing about Wozniacki that I do not like, well 2 things really. I hate her forehand. I absolutely hate it. I play tennis and my forehand is my shot of choice. If I can run around my pathetic excuse for a backhand and rip a forehand, then I am one happy woman. As such I am always drawn to those players who can hit winners from the forehand side. Wozniacki needs to use the off-season to learn to hit through the ball on her forehand side. Most players have found a way to beat her (at least the good ones with forehands) and they go to that wing relentlessly until they inevitably get a short ball and she is dead to rights.
Another thing I do not particularly like about Wozniacki is her constant reliance on her father to come out and coach her. I think going into 2011 she should try her hardest at Tour level events not to call her father down court side. You cannot use it at the majors, and I think that is the main reason (and her forehand) why she has not been able to get to any more Grand Slam finals since her debut at the 2009 USO.
Wozniacki wears the mantle of No. 1 very well. She has received the blessing of the first family of women's tennis, Venus and Serena Williams. She is articulate, employs good sportsmanship on the field and apart from a few instances of racquet throwing (something she really needs to stop) she has worn the mantle well.
I am not sure what the future holds for Caroline Wozniacki come 2011 but from where I sit she should at least make it to the final round of a major come 2011 and who knows she may just strike it rich and get one. After all, many before her who did not have half the talent that she has and did so, and I see no reason why Wozniacki cannot do the same.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
WTA Year in Review - January
This is a review of the WTA’s 2010 Season. A chance to look back with fondness, a smile, a smirk, a shake of the head and see just what we missed and if there is anything worth looking forward to in 2011.
The 2010 season of the WTA started very much like how 2009 ended. Questions being asked as to who would be the contenders coming into this season. Who was injury free and would make an impact and even more talk of impending retirements.
2010 also saw the continued troubles of various marquee players in women’s tennis. Ivanovic, Sharapova, Jankovic, Venus and Serena Williams, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Zvonreva and the list went on and on. The injury issues were not only for those players who were singles specialists but ran rampant throughout the doubles tour as well.
The biggest news to greet fans of women’s tennis however was the announcement by Justine Henin, former World No.1 and holder of 7 Grand Slam titles that she would be returning to the WTA Tour. She made this decision after seeing Roger Federer finally accomplish his Career Slam by winning the French Open. Fans of the Henin’s game were thrilled at this announcement as it was felt that her return would bring back some added competitiveness to the Tour and perhaps do away with those pesky also-rans who were occupying the WTA Penthouse. However, the reality was far different than what many dreamed.
January
The season started off as usual in Sydney with the AO tune up event. This event announced to the tennis world, one Aravane Rezai. I have to confess that I had never heard of Rezai. I perhaps saw her name in the draw but had never seen her play. She played Serena Williams in a match that is as compelling now as it was then. She was fiery. She was passionate and she had no regard for the woman standing across the net. 11 time Grand Slam champion and at the time World No.1, Serena Williams. The match had its ebbs and flows but at the end of the day, Serena gutted out the win, went on to the final where she lost in a lackluster match to her nemesis at the Tour level, Dementieva.
January also saw for the first time, the new Justine Henin, or as fans have christened her, Henin 2.0. She was more aggressive than we had seen in her previous career. She was more attacking, playing more in the forecourt and rushing the net at every given opportunity. She played her first match upon her return at a tournament in Brisbane. I saw her play against Ana Ivanovic and she properly schooled Ivanovic. It was as if she had not left the Tour.
I saw the final of her match against Clijsters and while many commentators proclaimed it the best match of the year, what I saw were 2 players who could not hold serve or put a serve in court on a continuous basis to save their collective lives. Numerous breaks of serve, tons of double faults. The only redeeming quality of the match was the drama that it elicited in the saving of match points and the rallies where were a joy to behold, especially when they ended in winners and not UFEs (which they mostly did).
January also saw the Australian Open and some big upsets and questions being asked about the longevity of some players in the game.
The biggest upset of the tournament saw Maria Kirilenko taking out Maria Sharapova in what has to go down as one of the ugliest matches ever played on a Centre Court at a major by two of arguably the best looking women in women’s tennis. Double faults, check. Unforced error, check. Screaming, check and check. The screaming and screeching by both women and the length of time between serves made this match one of the most painful I have ever had to watch. It was a disaster. Needless to say women’s tennis lost for me that night.
However, January also saw the rise of Chinese tennis at the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific. Li Na and Jie Zheng both got to the semis of the Australian Open. Na by taking out Venus Williams in a tough quarter final match and Zheng by taking out Kirilenko. They would both go on to lose to the eventual finalists, Henin and eventual champion, Serena Williams.
I was able to finally see Petra Kvitova at this year’s AO when she played Serena Williams in a second round match. She has game but absolutely no consistency. She would show us later on in the season just what she promised at the beginning of the year.
During the year’s first major, players who seemed to be on form coming into the Open and who were early round picks to do well bombed out in inglorious fashion. Dementieva went down in the second round to Henin. Clijsters in the third round against Petrova with a score that still have people scratching their collective heads, including Clijsters, who said after the match that she could not feel the ball.
Early signs of some players who seemed to be making very good improvements and would be players to watch were Stosur, Schiavone, Na, Azarenka, Zheng. There were some players who snuck upon us early in the season and announced their arrival on the scene. Players like Petkovic, Semastova, and Pavlychenkova.
One would not know it but Wozniacki would prove to us later in the year that she is as tough as she looks. In January however, the name Pushniacki was coined and she was dismissed as a Tier IV player who would never win a major or indeed make it to the top. How wrong we were?
Dinara Safina, the finalist at 2 majors in 2009 began her slump to the bottom of the rankings in spectacular fashion by retiring in her fourth round match against Kirilenko. That back injury would basically put paid to one of the Tour’s brightest stars.
Zvonreva also announced that she was more than a pretty face in January and would go on to do wonderful things as the season progressed.
The match of the month was no doubt the Australian Open final between Justine Henin and Serena Williams. It was a match with ebbs and flows. There was considerable gritting of the teeth and toughing it out in the tough moments, but at the end of the day 2 of the Tour’s most polarizing figures came on stage to show the youngsters just how tennis should be played at the Grand Slam level.
There was no calling to the coach. There were no tears. There was no shouting. There were no arguments with the lines persons and tournament officials. The fans in Rod Laver Arena got their money’s worth and then some. The match started out with Henin playing the newest version of her game, attacking and putting pressure on Serena. Serena for her part does what she does best. She held her ground, held her nerve and never backed down. It would go 3 sets and until the middle of the third set, no one knew who would win, although fans of Serena would say differently. It was a match for the ages and it has without a doubt made its way into the annals of those matches that can be considered Best Match Ever.
Prior to that final though Serena had to get through a red lining Victoria Azarenka, a player that I believe has so much potential but does not seem to have what it takes to finish off the top players. Up a set and a double break at the quarter final stage, Azarenka came across the woman that is Serena Williams. Big serves, huge groundies, fist pumps, snarls, defence, offence. Serena came out with her every arsenal to win a game at 4-0 and never looked back. Going into the tie-break Azarenka was up a mini-break up but that meant nothing against the woman who would not be denied a chance to defend her title from the year before and finally win the Australian Open in an even year.
Serena would take the second set 7-6 and move on towards the third set where champion Serena came out. Azarenka looked lost and hopeless and showed us once again why it takes more than a serve, a forehand and a backhand to beat the best.
Further on in January we would see another contender for Best Match of the Year. This was the final between Victoria Azarenka and Venus Williams in Dubai. From the start of the match until its ultimate conclusion, both ladies showed that when Big Babe Tennis is on, there is just nothing quite like it. Forehands, backhands, thumping serves, and even more, beautiful skills at the net. It was a match for the ages. Venus won that match, defending her trophy from the year before.
All in all January proved to be a fantastic month for women’s tennis. We had the return of marquee players like Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters. The resurgence of the ever present Williams Sisters. The improvement of players like Zvonreva, the Tour was shaping up to be a wonderful place to visit and sit and relax and enjoy good tennis.
Matches of the Month:
Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin
Kim Clijsters vs. Justine Henin
Aravane Rezai vs. Serena Williams
Victoria Azarenka vs. Serena Williams
Up Next… February
The 2010 season of the WTA started very much like how 2009 ended. Questions being asked as to who would be the contenders coming into this season. Who was injury free and would make an impact and even more talk of impending retirements.
2010 also saw the continued troubles of various marquee players in women’s tennis. Ivanovic, Sharapova, Jankovic, Venus and Serena Williams, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Zvonreva and the list went on and on. The injury issues were not only for those players who were singles specialists but ran rampant throughout the doubles tour as well.
The biggest news to greet fans of women’s tennis however was the announcement by Justine Henin, former World No.1 and holder of 7 Grand Slam titles that she would be returning to the WTA Tour. She made this decision after seeing Roger Federer finally accomplish his Career Slam by winning the French Open. Fans of the Henin’s game were thrilled at this announcement as it was felt that her return would bring back some added competitiveness to the Tour and perhaps do away with those pesky also-rans who were occupying the WTA Penthouse. However, the reality was far different than what many dreamed.
January
The season started off as usual in Sydney with the AO tune up event. This event announced to the tennis world, one Aravane Rezai. I have to confess that I had never heard of Rezai. I perhaps saw her name in the draw but had never seen her play. She played Serena Williams in a match that is as compelling now as it was then. She was fiery. She was passionate and she had no regard for the woman standing across the net. 11 time Grand Slam champion and at the time World No.1, Serena Williams. The match had its ebbs and flows but at the end of the day, Serena gutted out the win, went on to the final where she lost in a lackluster match to her nemesis at the Tour level, Dementieva.
January also saw for the first time, the new Justine Henin, or as fans have christened her, Henin 2.0. She was more aggressive than we had seen in her previous career. She was more attacking, playing more in the forecourt and rushing the net at every given opportunity. She played her first match upon her return at a tournament in Brisbane. I saw her play against Ana Ivanovic and she properly schooled Ivanovic. It was as if she had not left the Tour.
I saw the final of her match against Clijsters and while many commentators proclaimed it the best match of the year, what I saw were 2 players who could not hold serve or put a serve in court on a continuous basis to save their collective lives. Numerous breaks of serve, tons of double faults. The only redeeming quality of the match was the drama that it elicited in the saving of match points and the rallies where were a joy to behold, especially when they ended in winners and not UFEs (which they mostly did).
January also saw the Australian Open and some big upsets and questions being asked about the longevity of some players in the game.
The biggest upset of the tournament saw Maria Kirilenko taking out Maria Sharapova in what has to go down as one of the ugliest matches ever played on a Centre Court at a major by two of arguably the best looking women in women’s tennis. Double faults, check. Unforced error, check. Screaming, check and check. The screaming and screeching by both women and the length of time between serves made this match one of the most painful I have ever had to watch. It was a disaster. Needless to say women’s tennis lost for me that night.
However, January also saw the rise of Chinese tennis at the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific. Li Na and Jie Zheng both got to the semis of the Australian Open. Na by taking out Venus Williams in a tough quarter final match and Zheng by taking out Kirilenko. They would both go on to lose to the eventual finalists, Henin and eventual champion, Serena Williams.
I was able to finally see Petra Kvitova at this year’s AO when she played Serena Williams in a second round match. She has game but absolutely no consistency. She would show us later on in the season just what she promised at the beginning of the year.
During the year’s first major, players who seemed to be on form coming into the Open and who were early round picks to do well bombed out in inglorious fashion. Dementieva went down in the second round to Henin. Clijsters in the third round against Petrova with a score that still have people scratching their collective heads, including Clijsters, who said after the match that she could not feel the ball.
Early signs of some players who seemed to be making very good improvements and would be players to watch were Stosur, Schiavone, Na, Azarenka, Zheng. There were some players who snuck upon us early in the season and announced their arrival on the scene. Players like Petkovic, Semastova, and Pavlychenkova.
One would not know it but Wozniacki would prove to us later in the year that she is as tough as she looks. In January however, the name Pushniacki was coined and she was dismissed as a Tier IV player who would never win a major or indeed make it to the top. How wrong we were?
Dinara Safina, the finalist at 2 majors in 2009 began her slump to the bottom of the rankings in spectacular fashion by retiring in her fourth round match against Kirilenko. That back injury would basically put paid to one of the Tour’s brightest stars.
Zvonreva also announced that she was more than a pretty face in January and would go on to do wonderful things as the season progressed.
The match of the month was no doubt the Australian Open final between Justine Henin and Serena Williams. It was a match with ebbs and flows. There was considerable gritting of the teeth and toughing it out in the tough moments, but at the end of the day 2 of the Tour’s most polarizing figures came on stage to show the youngsters just how tennis should be played at the Grand Slam level.
There was no calling to the coach. There were no tears. There was no shouting. There were no arguments with the lines persons and tournament officials. The fans in Rod Laver Arena got their money’s worth and then some. The match started out with Henin playing the newest version of her game, attacking and putting pressure on Serena. Serena for her part does what she does best. She held her ground, held her nerve and never backed down. It would go 3 sets and until the middle of the third set, no one knew who would win, although fans of Serena would say differently. It was a match for the ages and it has without a doubt made its way into the annals of those matches that can be considered Best Match Ever.
Prior to that final though Serena had to get through a red lining Victoria Azarenka, a player that I believe has so much potential but does not seem to have what it takes to finish off the top players. Up a set and a double break at the quarter final stage, Azarenka came across the woman that is Serena Williams. Big serves, huge groundies, fist pumps, snarls, defence, offence. Serena came out with her every arsenal to win a game at 4-0 and never looked back. Going into the tie-break Azarenka was up a mini-break up but that meant nothing against the woman who would not be denied a chance to defend her title from the year before and finally win the Australian Open in an even year.
Serena would take the second set 7-6 and move on towards the third set where champion Serena came out. Azarenka looked lost and hopeless and showed us once again why it takes more than a serve, a forehand and a backhand to beat the best.
Further on in January we would see another contender for Best Match of the Year. This was the final between Victoria Azarenka and Venus Williams in Dubai. From the start of the match until its ultimate conclusion, both ladies showed that when Big Babe Tennis is on, there is just nothing quite like it. Forehands, backhands, thumping serves, and even more, beautiful skills at the net. It was a match for the ages. Venus won that match, defending her trophy from the year before.
All in all January proved to be a fantastic month for women’s tennis. We had the return of marquee players like Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters. The resurgence of the ever present Williams Sisters. The improvement of players like Zvonreva, the Tour was shaping up to be a wonderful place to visit and sit and relax and enjoy good tennis.
Matches of the Month:
Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin
Kim Clijsters vs. Justine Henin
Aravane Rezai vs. Serena Williams
Victoria Azarenka vs. Serena Williams
Up Next… February
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