SERENA SERENADE

Enough blame to go around (including Serena) in epic disaster.

Few of us will ever know what it is like to be the greatest of all-time in our chosen craft. Fewer still will ever know what it’s like to be a woman – a black woman – who is the greatest of all-time, better at her craft than any woman, or any man, who has come before her.

Welcome to the world of Serena Williams.

A reality-check

Only five other modern athletes, Serena’s sister Venus, golf’s Tiger Woods, gymnastics’ Simone Biles and motorsports’ Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and speedskating’s Shani Davis know what it is like to be perched at the top of the mountain in sports that historically, traditionally frowned upon, then begrudgingly accepted, and only recently began to recognize and embrace participation, and superstardom, by black performers.

(No need to be offended or put-off; The Weekly Opine is not left, not right, just real.)

What was that?

Last Saturday will live in infamy long after Serena and chair umpire Carlos Ramos move on from tennis. Ramos, apparently still in hiding days after the episode, made a fool of himself on one of the grandest stages, and robbed a global audience the chance to see a clean match pitting an unparalleled champion against a promising upstart.

Ramos’ egregious, unnecessary and petty display of abuse of power should result in a year-long suspension from officiating Grand Slam tournaments.

When the match between Serena and eventual champion Naomi Osaka ended, Ramos slinked away, not man enough to own up to what he’d done. Brushing aside normalcy, Ramos declined to participate in the post-match ceremony, scurrying away from boos like a cockroach escaping bug killer spray. I have still not heard remarks from Ramos, explaining his thought process in instigating a colossal mess that ruined what should have been a celebratory occasion, regardless of who eventually won the match.

By his own admission, Serena’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, was caught trying to send hand signals to Serena. And yes, coaches sending “coaching” hand signals to players during Grand Slam matches is against the rules. However, according to many tennis insiders - coaches, players, officials, announcers – just about everyone bends the no coaching rule.

When coaches are caught coaching, the chair umpire usually issues a warning. Not Ramos. In the second biggest tennis tournament in the world, Ramos went straight for the jugular, smacking Serena with a code violation.

Much has been written about Serena losing her composure last Saturday, and she surely did. But Ramos was the first to lose his composure when he leap-frogged past a warning straight to a code violation.

Then Ramos overreacted when Serena smashed her tennis racquet to smithereens. When the likes of John McEnroe and other male players smash their racquets, it is most-often received with open arms (we relish the fire, the passion, the competitive intensity).

When a woman displays fire-in-her-belly competitiveness, too often the media and fans immediately trot out the B-word.

Just ask retired racer Danica Patrick, who occasionally displayed her temper. Not at all cool, said some fans and the media. She’s a spoiled brat or B-word said others. But when the great A.J. Foyt or Tony Stewart would erupt, applause rang loud and clear.

So, Ramos “awarded” Serena a second code violation. For her part, Serena did not display the poise of a champion. She was right to forcefully tell Ramos she “would rather lose than win cheating.” She was right to demand an apology. And she was right to label Ramos a “thief” for stealing a point from her.

What Serena failed to grasp (and focus on) was she had pulled herself back into contention. After dropping the first set 6-2, she led Osaka 3-1 in the second set. But two double-faults while holding serve made it 3-2 and before she could say “I’m in trouble” she trailed 4-3.

Finally, in an overreach of epic proportion, Ramos compounded his unforgiveable day of poor judgment by awarding Osaka a free game, courtesy of Serena calling him a thief – which he was. Suddenly, it was 5-3. Serena held serve, Osaka did the same and it was set, 6-4, and match 2 sets to zero. Serena was again denied her 24th Grand Slam title.

The aftermath

Immediately following the match, during the ceremony, Serena showed the character of a champion, putting her arm around a distraught Osaka (until last weekend, who had ever seen a champion distraught?) and asked the crowd to stop jeering saying, “Let’s make this the best moment we can, let’s be positive. So, congratulations Naomi. No more booing.”

Serena’s gesture toward Osaka was a gracious moment, every bit as newsworthy as whatever transpired earlier between umpire Ramos and Serena.

Osaka returned the favor at the post-match interview saying, “I’m always going to remember the Serena that I love. It doesn’t change anything for me.”

Reaction to last Saturday’s U.S. Open Women’s Final was immediate and far-reaching. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, an admitted fan of Serena, posited that Serena reacted poorly to the situation.

Billie Jean King, arguably the most reasonable voice in all of this said, “The effect was an abuse of power. Ramos crossed the line. He made himself part of the match. He involved himself in the end result.” King also acknowledged Serena “could have taken some responsibility and moved on.”

King, who I once had the pleasure of sitting across the aisle from flying first-class from Chicago to New York, also articulated (accurately) that women “are treated differently in most arenas of life; this is especially true for women of color.”

Serena said Ramos had always been “a great umpire” but accused him of sexism for not penalizing male players as dramatically as she was (also accurate).

Attempting to close the loop – it may never fully close – the U.S. Tennis Association fined Serena $17,000.

Just do it (translation: just play tennis)

Serena, now 37-years old, will someday run out of chances to tie and pass Margaret Court for all-time Grand Slam titles. In her last seven Grand Slam finals matches, Serena has only won twice, while losing five times. A trend that puts more pressure on Serena each time she plays a Grand Slam final. Like it is for Tiger Woods, the clock is ticking faster and louder with each missed opportunity.

Human nature, or the human psyche, is such that the more you misfire in the big moment, the more tense you become in the big moment.

That may explain Serena’s behavior last Saturday, when she carried her rightful argument to the point it affected her ability to win the match. Her emotions were scattered like leaves falling from a tree in October. Her focus was no longer singularly on winning her 24th Grand Slam title.

Serena could and should have won the second set. Had she done so, Osaka would have been under enormous pressure dealing with a third set, in a major championship match, against the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time).

Frankly, Serena needs to return her focus exclusively to tennis. Remove the unnecessary distractions.

For example, the catsuit she wore at the French Open. A silly outfit. I agree with French Open tennis officials; the game must be respected.

Although Serena was playing in New York during New York’s world-renown Fashion Week, the mini black tutu skirt (and the lavender one) she wore at the U.S. Open was ridiculous. She looked goofy. Respect the game sister! Focus on playing tennis! Focus on getting Grand Slam titles 24 and 25!

Have you ever seen Tiger Woods show up at the golf course wearing a sleeveless muscle shirt? For all his failures (infidelity, friendship with Trump) Tiger respects the game of golf. He reveres his craft and absorbs all facets of it, including a reverence for golf’s traditions. He would never show up at a tournament with a wardrobe choice that reflects poorly on his sport.

Where is the love?

One big difference between the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and its broadcast partners, compared to golf’s governing body, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) and its broadcast partners, is how they treat their most famous athlete.

The PGA embraces Tiger almost to a fault. If he is remotely in contention, TV shows just about every swing he takes, knowing he is a ratings bonanza. TV announcers know who is buttering the bread and analyze Tiger’s game whenever possible.

Like many people, I do not watch as much golf if Tiger is out of the hunt (TV ratings confirm this).

Whatever “it” is, Tiger’s got it. A rare magnetic draw that compels you to tune-in whenever they compete. Muhammed Ali had it. Michael Jordan had it. Usain Bolt had it. LeBron and Steph Curry do not have it. Serena Williams has it.

Too bad some in the tennis world, led by the USTA and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), do not fully embrace Serena. They treat Serena like a burden, an inconvenience tolerated so long as she is at the top of her game. TV analyst Chrissie Evert epitomizes this anti-Serena bias.

Evert even went so far as to repeat a falsehood before the Wimbledon final between Serena and Serena’s good friend, Germany’s Angelique Kerber. Evert reported Kerber took public transportation, alone, after her nighttime semi-finals match. Everett waxed on about how Kerber is so down-to-earth, travelling solo on public transit.

The hard to miss implication was Kerber, unlike Serena, doesn’t take limos or travel with an entourage.

Upon hearing this, I questioned the veracity because it made no sense.

What sponsor would allow their prized athlete, an attractive woman at that, to travel alone at night on public transportation? Why would her coach permit this? Why would Kerber risk this after qualifying for the finals at Wimbledon, the world’s greatest tennis tournament? When she heard about the report, Kerber quickly set the record straight, saying it was untrue.

In 2004, 2009 and 2011 Serena lost chances to win the U.S. Open when she was turned on by outrageous calls against her. So blatantly bad were rulings by chair umpire Mariana Alves in 2004, USTA officials apologized to Serena. In 2009, she was penalized by a phantom foot fault call that undid her championship aspirations. TV replays clearly show the lineswoman was way, way wrong. A hindrance ruling in 2011 was equally wrong.

More recently, as in right now, Serena is subjected to more performance-enhancing drug tests than any other comparable player. Not exactly the way to treat a player – the greatest who ever played the game of tennis – who carries with her an impeccable record of hard work and playing by the rules.

Sometimes, it feels like Carlos Ramos is not the only thief intent on denying Serena the level of fairness, and respect, the greatest champion in her sport has earned, and therefore deserves.

Douglas FreelandSeptember 13, 2018