Different Strokes: Serena, Venus, and the Unfinished Black Tennis Revolution
256
Different Strokes: Serena, Venus, and the Unfinished Black Tennis Revolution
256eBook
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Overview
Although the Williams sisters have done more than any other players to make tennis accessible to a diverse population, it’s not as if the tennis revolution is over. When you watch tennis next, take a close look at the umpire, the person sitting in the high chair of authority at courtside. Look at the tournament referee and the tournament director, the officials who run the tournament. In those seats of power and influence, Blacks are still woefully underrepresented.
Different Strokes chronicles the rise of the Williams sisters, as well as other champions of color, closely examining how Black Americans are collectively faring in tennis, on the court and off. Despite the success of the Williams sisters and the election of former pro player Katrina Adams as the U.S. Tennis Association’s first Black president, top Black players still receive racist messages via social media and sometimes in public. The reality is that while significant progress has been made in the sport, much work remains before anything resembling equality is achieved.
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781496221476 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nebraska |
| Publication date: | 02/01/2020 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 256 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Serena
After God, I owe everything to her.
— Serena Williams
A sound that Serena Williams had not always heard in New York City — thunderous applause — greeted her as she took the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for a third-round match against her older sister, Venus, at the 2018 U.S. Open. Serena waved to the adoring crowd as she emerged from one end of the stadium and walked into a spotlight that followed her to a courtside chair. Hard-driving music blared on the public address system in a scene befitting the entrance of a boxing champion or the designated "good guy" in World Wrestling Entertainment.
On the night before the first birthday of her daughter, Alexis Olympia, Serena was back on stage for an eagerly awaited match. Someday, tennis will have to carry on without Serena, who entered the match one month shy of her thirty-seventh birthday. Already, she has far exceeded the career span of a typical player, and defeated death on at least two occasions. She has conquered every foe, friendly or otherwise, in her profession. But for now, neither Serena nor tennis is prepared to let go of the other.
Cheers and cries of support for Serena continued long after she had reached her chair and opened her bassinet-sized tennis bag to remove the plastic wrapping from a Wilson racket that would be her tool for battle against her sister. Here was Serena, a six-time U.S. Open champion, attempting to reach a second major final the year after a complicated childbirth. In Being Serena, a five-part series that appeared on HBO in May 2018, she chronicled that health scare, as well as her journey to athletic supremacy. For Serena, strength and resilience are not limited to a tennis court.
Venus also received a hearty ovation when the stentorian-voiced stadium announcer called her name, but not as hearty as Serena's. Fans yelled their support for Venus, the elder sister by fifteen months, but not as passionately as Serena's fans. The "sister act," as Venus-Serena matches have become known, sometimes leads to awkward decision-making. For whom should you root? And why?
In the early years of the sister act, the matches tended to lack drama because of the striking similarities in their playing styles. Both possess an abundance of power, speed, and athleticism. From their years of practicing together, on roughhewn public courts in Compton and beautifully maintained courts in Palm Beach, Florida, the sisters knew each other's games so well that there were no secrets. It seemed impossible for one sister to surprise the other with a kick serve, a chipped return, a forehand slice, a drop volley, a two-hander crosscourt, or any other weapon in the family arsenal. Other than their different examples of physical beauty — Venus has a lean, lithe, traditional model-type physique, and Serena has a fuller-figured, muscular, superheroine physique — there was little contrast between them. Even Serena's more expressive personality is muted when big sis is across the net. Each sister's clear disdain for having to defeat the other and the always-subdued celebration by the winner have made the Serena-Venus matches more historic than enthralling.
However, these two athletic and cultural icons have smashed stereotypes as well as opponents on their way to becoming global stars. Their exploits filled African Americans with pride and significantly expanded the ranks of black tennis fans worldwide. However, it took longer for the sisters to feel the embrace of many white tennis fans.
In the 2002 U.S. Open semifinals, for example, Venus was the No. 2 seed and the defending champion. Serena, the No. 1 seed, was the previous year's runner-up. Fans should have been thrilled to have two American players heavily favored to win their semifinal matches at America's Grand Slam event. Yet the crowd that day clearly rooted for Venus's opponent, No. 10 seed Amelie Mauresmo of France, and for Serena's American opponent, No. 4 seed Lindsay Davenport. In Venus's semifinal, she served for the match at 5–4 in the third set. When she lost the first three points to give Mauresmo triple break point, the crowd cheered wildly. Nevertheless, Venus showed her mental toughness and won the match, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4. In Serena's semifinal, her unforced errors and double faults were often cheered by a crowd that responded to Davenport's unforced errors with collective groans. Still, Serena drew upon her mental strength and prevailed, 6–3, 7–5. Afterward, Oracene Price, the mother of the Williams sisters, told the New York Times that she believed the crowd reaction had racial overtones.
"I've been thinking about it and I think that's it," she told Times columnist William C. Rhoden. "I guess women can't have power, no matter what race it is. That's a problem in America. It's ridiculous."
Had the traditional (that is, white) spectators that day been injected with truth serum, their response would likely have been, "We don't want to see Venus and Serena in another major final." Not only had the sisters faced each other in the 2001 U.S. Open final won by Venus, but they had also met in the 2002 French Open final and the 2002 Wimbledon final, both won by Serena. Perhaps the fans simply did not know for whom to root. But given the history of racial segregation in tennis and the unsubstantiated charges by some players and media members that the Williams sisters' father was acting as some sort of Svengali by deciding which daughter would win in their matchups, it is far more likely that traditional tennis fans were acutely aware that Venus Ebony Starr Williams and Serena Jemeka Williams were taking over women's tennis, and those fans simply were not ready for it.
Venus and Serena saw no reason to wait. They simply went ahead and rewrote the tennis record book while revolutionizing the women's game into something faster, quicker, more athletic, and harder-hitting than anything seen before. Eventually, enough of the traditional fans came around. They had no choice, really. The Williams sisters have accomplished so much for so long that they now command the sort of respect and reverence reserved for legends.
Serena, in particular, has reached previously unscaled heights in tennis. On two occasions, she has held all four major titles simultaneously. She first accomplished this rare feat when she won the French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003. She did it again when she captured the U.S. Open in 2014 followed by the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon in 2015. However, neither achievement was a Grand Slam. According to tennis tradition, a Grand Slam is achieved if a player wins all four major titles in the same calendar year.
Only five players in history have won the Grand Slam:
Don Budge, 1938
Maureen Connolly, 1953
Rod Laver, 1962 and 1969
Margaret Court, 1970
Steffi Graf, 1988
Serena had a golden opportunity to become the sixth member of that club in 2015. She needed the U.S. Open crown to become the first Grand Slam winner in twenty-seven years. When Serena, the No. 1 seed, defeated Venus, seeded No. 23, in a quarterfinal match, 6–2, 1–6, 6–3, most observers assumed that she had cleared her biggest hurdle. But nobody told Roberta Vinci of Italy, then thirty-two years old and ranked world No. 1 in doubles. The unseeded Vinci, embracing her underdog status, played the finest singles match of her life. Serena won the first set easily, but got more nervous as the match went on, while Vinci played free and easy throughout. The result was the biggest upset in tennis history: Serena lost the semifinal match, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. "I don't want to talk about how disappointing this is for me," Serena told reporters afterward, the pain clearly etched on her face. If anything, the pressure of being on the precipice of tennis history while competing against an opponent who had absolutely nothing to lose proved too great. (Vinci came back down to earth in the U.S. Open final, losing in straight sets to her countrywoman Flavia Pennetta.)
Today, the Williams sisters are elder stateswomen in a young person's sport. While neither may win a Grand Slam, both have achieved tennis immortality. It is easier nowadays for fans to decide whom to root for in a Serena-versus-Venus matchup, and the reasons don't necessarily have to do with tennis. Fans who preferred Venus in their most recent U.S. Open matchup hoped that a victory would propel her to a first major title since Wimbledon 2008. In so many matches, including the 2017 Australian Open final, Serena has been the only player standing between Venus and a major championship. But on those occasions, Serena has proven more unscalable than Mount Everest.
Fans who chose Serena may have done so for the same reason boxing fans chose Muhammad Ali and basketball fans swooned over Michael Jordan's tongue-wagging genius on the court: they knew they were watching brilliance, the likes of which they may never see again. Other Serena devotees were simply thrilled to see her back on court after a complicated pregnancy and childbirth that included blood clotting in her lungs, a sometimes nonreceptive hospital staff, and a lengthy recovery. After that harrowing experience, Serena created the Twitter hashtag #ThisMama as a forum for her and other mothers to share experiences and vital information on issues of pregnancy, childbirth, child-rearing, and women's health. Serena is passionate about the need for the medical establishment to provide better care for expectant mothers. A quartet of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates — U.S. senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — has taken up the cause:
"We lose hundreds of women to pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications in the U.S. every year, more than in any other developed country in the world," Senator Gillibrand wrote in reference to the MOMS Act, which the senators hope will become law. "In this modern age of incredible medical advancements, mothers are dying from preventable and treatable complications like hemorrhage, preeclampsia, or sepsis. For each mother who dies, another seventy nearly do. And the terrible truth is that black mothers are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications than white women."
The most gifted female tennis player in history nearly became one of those black women. Serena's willingness to use her celebrity status to bring media attention to issues of importance has endeared her to millions around the world. Not only did she survive a perilous pregnancy and childbirth in 2017, but she also survived a pulmonary embolism — blood clots in the heart — after a pair of foot operations in 2011. She has openly discussed both episodes to raise public awareness, which has increased the number of her supporters, whether they are passionate about tennis or not.
Venus has raised public consciousness about her battle with Sjögren's syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease that went undiagnosed until 2011. More than four million people have the disease. Symptoms include dry eyes, dry mouth, joint pain, and fatigue. Those last two symptoms in particular can be anathema to a world-class athlete. The disease occurs when white blood cells attack moisture-producing glands, making it difficult for a person to perform any task. Even sitting for a prolonged period can be painful. For several years, Venus did not know why she would tire so much from match to match, or even from set to set. But after she began losing matches to players who should not have been beating her, she needed to find answers. Once she received the diagnosis, she altered her diet dramatically to help decrease inflammation in her body and counteract the energy-sapping symptoms of the disease.
"I became a raw vegan," she said. "I do a lot of juicing, a lot of wheatgrass shots." Yet old habits can die hard. Sometimes she will eat something that is neither raw nor vegan; hence, she refers to herself as a "chegan." Yet in 2017, Venus showed that her energy level was high enough to produce great tennis. She handled the rigors of the two-week Grand Slam events, reaching the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, as well as the semifinals of the U.S. Open. She ended 2017 with more prize money for the season than any other player on the Women's Tennis Association tour: $5,468,741. Although she is the clear underdog whenever she faces Serena now, she will likely remain the toughest opponent Serena has ever faced.
Those who are among the most rabid and knowledgeable tennis fans root for Serena because her A game is like no other in women's tennis history. Her serve has long been women's tennis's most dominant weapon, the one shot for which no opponent over three decades has found a consistently effective response. Since her ball toss is so consistent, opponents cannot read where she is going to hit the ball. What a luxury it has been for Serena over the years to use her serve to fight off break points or win games without extended rallies, thus giving her more energy to attack her opponent's serve. Why more coaches of female players do not emphasize the importance of the serve, using Serena's incomparable serve as an example, is a mystery. Serena's forehand is considered solid but not spectacular, and her two-fisted backhand tends to lead to most of her unforced errors. However, the sheer power of her groundstrokes and her ability to go from defense to offense in a single stroke are without peer. Furthermore, the speed and purposefulness with which she covers the court has raised her unique brand of tennis to an art.
Female champions of decades past such as Hall of Famers Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina and Monica Seles, an American immigrant born in Yugoslavia, brought loud sighs and grunts to the tennis court. But Serena has taken the sport's soundtrack a few octaves higher. Fans have had to get used to Serena's full-throated screams and self-encouraging shouts of "come on!" She doesn't just feed off a tennis crowd. The crowd also feeds off her. Often, her screams and shouts are accompanied by clenched fists — from the player and her supporters. Serena's on-court intensity and competitive fire are unmatched. As much as she loves to win, she hates to lose even more. There is nothing genteel about the sound of a Serena match, and her fans would not have it any other way. She not only appears proud of her work, but she also sounds proud. Her style of play may not be every tennis fan's four o'clock cup of tea. Her occasional racket-smashing and verbal outbursts may be over the top for some, but Serena is undeniably and unabashedly human. To watch her perform in person is to also see clearly that her fans are as empathic and proud as the champion herself.
Serena transcended tennis long ago and entered the realm of the cultural icon. Therefore, it was not surprising to see her, accompanied by her husband, Alexis Ohanian, at the May 19, 2018, royal wedding of England's Prince Harry and America's Meghan Markle. Serena and Meghan, now Duchess of Sussex, have been friends for more than a decade, back to the days when Meghan opened suitcases on the television game show Deal or No Deal. It was also not surprising when Serena served as one of the hosts of the 2019 Metropolitan Museum Gala, the annual Super Bowl for fashionistas, in New York City. Or that she opened a pop-up shop to promote and sell her own line of women's fashions during the 2018 Art Basel showcase in Miami. Serena herself is known to pop up at any time on the Home Shopping Network to market her clothes for women of all sizes, because she personifies the truism that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
If any female athlete other than Serena were to appear in a Beyoncé video, people would do a double take. But when Serena appeared on screen alongside Beyoncé, the image just fit. Serena is part of that cultural galaxy. When a celebrity graces a magazine cover, it is expected — such images are the lifeblood of those publications. Still, a Serena magazine cover tends to stand out — whether she is seen naked and pregnant in Vanity Fair, or with a black-stockinged leg seductively dangling from a throne in Sports Illustrated, or as #ThisMama with then four-month-old Alexis Olympia in Vogue, or lauded as the Woman of the Year in Gentlemen's Quarterly, or baring her enviably solid abdominal muscles in Time. The Time cover included a quote that may have aptly summarized who she is: "Nothing about me right now is perfect, but I'm perfectly Serena."
Serena's third-round match at the 2018 U.S. Open was her third in prime time during the tournament's opening week; she would play two more evening matches during the second week. That was by design. The United States Tennis Association knows that a Serena match attracts not only the rabid fans but also the casual ones, along with enough of the merely curious to make it an event.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Different Strokes"
by .
Copyright © 2020 Cecil Harris.
Excerpted by permission of UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. Serena 2. Venus 3. Early Black Tennis 4. Arthur Ashe 5. Althea Gibson 6. U.S. Open Money 7. Black Umpires 8. Sloane Stephens 9. James Blake 10. Tournament Director 11. Coaches 12. Contemporary Male Players 13. Contemporary Female Players 14. Serena vs. Naomi Osaka Bibliography Index