....Does anyone remember that Monica Seles and Lindsey Davenport were both a little thick? ...
Everyone who was paying attention remembers this, particularly of Davenport. Her weight was the subject of every televised event that I ever saw her play. "If only she was thinner...in better condition...moved away from the sweets..." It went on an on. It was true.
....And for the record, Martina only won 18 Grand Slams...you can't even compare HER to Court...is it fair to compare Serena? ...
It is the classic case of trying to compare players in different eras. Margaret Court never faced the depth of competition that Navratilova did, and Martina did not face the depth of today's field.
....so my question to you DaC is, what purpose did this article serve except to provide a forum for those who already don't like the Serena, those who think that she has never deserved to be at the top and those who feel that she has no real tennis ability, just strength and power. This basically provided more fire power for those who have always thought she didn't 'deserve' or 'earn' her way to the top...
I dare you to find me anyone with a working human brain who thinks that Serena has no tennis ability. The same was said of Jimmy Connors simply because he hit the ball on the rise with a flat stroke and no one else was. Yes, Serena is strong and she can use that strenth and power to just blow players off the court in the early rounds of a tournament. However, she has also shown tremendous stamina and shotmaking while being the only player currently in the WTA who has held all four singles titles in her career - as well as multiple double titles with her sister.
If this article provides a forum for those doubters then let them enjoy themselves with their heads between their knees.
....
There are SEVERAL women players who are lacking in comparison to all-time greats. Why pick on Serena? Are we saying that if Serena doesn't end her career as the best EVER she's a failure? And all of this should be attributed to her weight? ...
You pick on Serena because of the fact that she is the most dominant player in WTA but not ranked #1. Could she be #1 if she wanted to? Absolutely as long as she is healthy. She and Venus are among the all-time greats if they retire today and never even play an exhibition match again. Both of them are already successes and have been for several years. There is no debating that. We have already talked about why Serena is not likely to catch Margaret Court in GS titles:
- Other interests
- Not her ambition
- More frequent health issues
- Deeper competition
Personally, I think that weight and conditioning are a part of some of Serena's prior health issues. That is just my opinion.
....Again, my issue has more to do with HOW he tried to convey his point. It was degrading and inappropriate in the setting that he chose. If he was with his boys chatting it up, ok...but to use his position as a national writer to promote his negativity and to influence more negative thoughts among the critics is beyond comprehension. What exactly did he expect to gain and how is this relevant considering she JUST WON Wimbledon not even two days prior? What happened to at least giving her credit where credit is due for accomplishing a major win?
These are not issues that have not been addressed with Serena directly. There is no news here. In the post-match studio interview after she won last week, Serena was asked about the rankings. She was rather cynical about it and it seemed that everyone on the set thought it was rather silly that she isn't #1. The semi-final match was one for the ages. Nothing can take that away. The final was rather anti-climactic, but it did not obscure the dominating performance that she had for the ENTIRE tournament. No matter what he writes, this clown can't take that away from her.
National journalists and talking heads get paid big bucks to incite controversy. This guy was just trying to butter his bread. Just see it for what it is and let it go.
