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Tarpischev’s and the Williams Sisters

IOC, WTA, USTA, RTF and ITF — It Is Time To Call Shamil Tarpischev

To Account For His Comments Against The Williams Sisters.

Tennis is a sport that is played by few but watched by millions. It is often referred to as a gentleman or gentle lady sports partly due to the high level of sportsmanship displayed during matches. This is often observed when players give their victory speeches and acknowledge their losing opponents. Sportsmanship is also evident when tennis players raise their hands to apologize to their opponents when they hit a net cord to get an unintentional winner. In addition, relative to other popular sports, tennis is rarely tainted by scandals such as drugs, violence or illegal betting.

While the general perception of tennis in positive, there is a darker side to the sport, which has emerged in the nearly 20 years since the Williams Sisters came on the scene. Ever since Venus and Serena Williams turned professional, they have been at the receiving end of negative sentiments from the media, fellow tennis players, tennis fans and tennis pundits. Although most people refuse to acknowledge it, many of these attacks are racially motivated.

A few days ago, Shamil Tarpischev, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and President of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) joined the “illustrious” company of tennis legends, tennis commentators, tennis players and tennis fans in taking a stab at the Williams Sisters. It is for this reason that we are writing this letter to you in your capacity as overseers for certain aspects of tennis.

To recap, on 7th October 2014, Shamil Tarpischev along with former tennis player Elena Dementieva was interviewed on the Evening Urgant show (a Russian late night show watched by millions). During the show, Ivan Urgant, the host told Elena Dementieva that he once attended an Olympics Games tennis event. He then stated, “Unfortunately, not those Olympic Games, Lena, where you became an Olympic champion. It was the Olympic Games, where Masha Sharapova played with one of those…….” Before he had finished his comments, Tarpischev interjected saying, “Williams Brothers.” After laughing along with Tarpischev, the host continued, “The Williams brothers. Well, because I cannot bring myself to call them… Look at our female tennis players. They are all slim, elegant and simply the sister passed by me. We were walking under the stand and the sister [laughter] passed by me. I treat these outstanding sportsmen with great respect, but when she was passing by me, her shadow fell on me and this shadow disappeared only after about 40 seconds. [Laughter] They are so powerful.” The host then asked Tarpischev for his view and he replied, “It is scary when you really look at them [Laughter].” (See Appendix A for the link to video and the translated transcript).

Granted that the show’s host comments were distasteful and also granted that Elena Dementieva refused to be drawn into the distasteful joke, however it is unfortunate and disturbing that in a public forum watched by millions of people, a high-ranking tennis director could refer to two of the greatest tennis players of their generation as the “Williams Brother”. Tarpischev should know better, after all he is not only a former tennis player and Davis Cup captain and coach but he is also the President of the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Tarpischev’s reference to the Williams Sisters as men is degrading not only to the Williams Sisters, but also to millions of women of African origin. Tarpischev’s comments about the Williams Sisters anatomy serve a white privileged narrative about the sexualisation of the black woman. When the slave masters, the slave traders, the slave makers and the colonialists first came into contact with the African continent, they had a sickening obsession with the black women and unfortunately, this perverted thinking still persists in the second decade of the twenty first century. Tarpischev’s comments also serve a white privileged narrative about the so-called aggressive nature of the black woman, which is often expressed in phrases like “angry black woman.” Tarpischev’s reference to the Williams Sisters as men also serves a white privileged narrative about the ugliness of the woman of color and what better way to express it than to call them the Williams Brothers.

While we are appalled at Tarpischev’s comments, we are equally appalled by the silence of the tennis establishment. A wise man by the name of Martin Luther King once said, “There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.” Unfortunately, the tennis aristocracy, the tennis fraternity and the tennis hierarchy time and time again through its wall of silence have betrayed the Williams Sisters. When Billie Jean King set out to fight for women’s rights in tennis in the 60’s and 70’s, she dreamt of a world where female tennis players would be respected both on and off the court; yet today as the Williams Sisters continuously get dehumanized and publicly humiliated, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) remains silent.

Year after year, the Williams Sisters continue carry the flag of American tennis. When other American players on both sides of the ladies and men’s draw fall by the way side, Serena and Venus Williams have been the last Americans standing. They have brought pride to America, yet in return for their efforts, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) turns a blind eye as commentators, the media and tennis officials tarnish Serena and Venus legacies. As Richard Williams rightly put it, “We had put a black tennis player on the podium of Olympic victory, but when she came down, she was still just another nigger.” In addition, if the USTA can’t stand up for Serena and Venus when they are dehumanized in their won country, what can one expect to happen when they are debased in another part of the world?

The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which is the governing body of world tennis, has failed to act on a vitriolic comment made by one of the Presidents of its member national association. We don’t need to remind you of the ITF Welfare Policy which applies to Covered Persons such as Shamil Tarpischev. For the sake of clarity, the policy states, “Covered Persons shall not abuse his or her position of authority or control, and shall not attempt to or compromise the psychological, physical or emotional wellbeing of any player.” Surely Tarpischev’s reference to the Williams Sisters as men in a public forum could be construed to be an abuse of position because he was invited to the Urgant show in his capacity as the President of the Russian Tennis Federation and unfortunately he used the platform to compromise the psychological and emotional wellbeing of Venus and Serena.     The Russian Tennis Federation also has a responsibility to act. Tarpischev is the president of the RTF so his actions reflect on the Federation.

Since Tarpischev is a member of the International Olympic Committee, it is imperative that the IOC speaks out. According to the Olympic Charter, “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” The charter also stipulates, “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.” In addition one of the missions of the IOC of which Tarpischev is a member, is “to encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women.” Can we then say that the Olympic movement is preserving human dignity when a key Olympic official ridicules two Olympians on a public forum? To what extent is describing the Williams Sisters as men in aid of the promotion of women in sports?

The IOC cannot and must not maintain a wall of silence because of Venus and Serena Williams’ positive contribution towards the Olympic movement. Venus and Serena are not only Olympians, but they are also elite Olympians. They are the most decorated tennis Olympians with four gold medals each. No other tennis player (male or female) has acquired more Olympic gold medals than the sisters.

It is necessary for the IOC, WTA, USTA, RTF and ITF to act swiftly whenever a high-ranking representative behaves in a manner, which brings the game into disrepute. Failure to do so could be deemed to be a latent approval of the act. It is also time for the quintet of the IOC, WTA, USTA, RTF and ITF to break its deafening silence on the continuous humiliation of the Williams Sisters in the public domain by the media, commentators, high ranking tennis officials, fans, fellow players. While the continuous silence towards the ill treatment of the Williams Sisters might appear to be a more convenient option, in reality it sends a wrong message to those on the other side of the color line. The silence of the tennis hierarchy towards the humiliation of the Williams Sisters signals that tennis is a lily white sports with no place for blacks; the silence of the tennis establishment towards the humiliation of the Williams Sisters signals that that female players are second class citizens who should be viewed only as sex objects denominated in beauty and sexiness rather than respected for their tennis talents; the silence of the tennis aristocracy towards the humiliation of the Williams Sisters signals that the Olympic committee got it wrong by making Serena and Venus compete for medals in the ladies tournament; the silence of the tennis authorities towards the humiliation of the Williams Sisters signals that it is impossible for black females to excel in life through their own ability; the silence of the tennis regulators towards the humiliation of the Williams Sisters signals that black women are ugly; the silence of the tennis elite towards the humiliation of the Williams Sisters signals that racism is welcome in tennis.

We therefore call on the IOC, WTA, USTA, RTF and ITF to break its wall of silence and speak out. We call on the tennis hierarchy to investigate Tarpischev’s comments about the Williams sisters and if you believe like us that he has humiliated Serena and Venus; if you believe like us that he has brought the game to disrepute; if you believe like us that black women as a whole have been ridiculed – you should put pressure on him to apologize to Venus and Serena publicly. In the event that he refuses to apologize, then pressure should be put on him to do the honorable thing and resign his position as President of the RTF and committee member of the IOC.

We also call on the IOC, WTA, USTA, RTF and ITF to take a stand against racism in tennis. There should be zero tolerance towards racism. The tennis world can no longer deny that racism is none existence in tennis. The tennis world can take a cue from the football world by putting structures in place to address racism. We implore you to develop a comprehensive anti-racism policy. The anti-racism policy could specify what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and players and officials that breach the rules should be punished. We urge you to consider setting up racial awareness campaigns to educate fans on the need to be racially tolerant. It is clear for all to see that more black girls have started playing tennis due to the “Williams Sisters” effect, so it is important that the tennis authorities prevent these upcoming players from going through what Venus and Serena have had to endure for almost 20 years.

Over the last twenty years the Williams Sisters have changed the game of tennis. They have acted as positive role models and drawn millions of people to tennis. The have encouraged a new generation of black people to take up the game. Inspite of this, to rephrase Winston Churchill, never in the history of tennis has someone been hated by so many and loved by so few.

Selah.

Ahmed Sule, CFA

For and on behalf of Alatenumo Inc

October 2014

CC:

Thomas Bach – IOC

Nawal El Moutawakel – IOC

Craig Reedie – IOC

John Coates – IOC

Zaiqing Yu – IOC

Stacey Allaster- WTA

Laurence Applebaum- WTA

Matthew Cenedella – WTA

Leah Rinfret- WTA

Francesco Ricci Bitti – ITF

Juan Margets – ITF

Jean Gachassin – ITF
David Haggerty -ITF
Stephen Healy –ITF

Lazarev Alexandrovich – RTF
Selivanenko Evgenievich – RTF
Bokarev Removich – RTF

David A. Haggert – USTA

Katrina Adams – USTA

Tommy Ho – USTA

Gordon Smith- USTA

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on October 26, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Social justice, Sports
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on October 26, 2014

https://zangodare.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/tarpischevs-and-the-williams-sisters/

CONFIDENTIAL: The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen!

by Al Alatenumo

To

Mike Dickson
Hanna Popilevych
Stuart Fraser
Martha Kelner
Alison Boshoff
Laura Williamson

Dear All,

Hope all is well? I’m sending this to letter to you via a secure medium, as I don’t want the contents to be seen by the outside world. So I trust you will not forward it to anyone.

Let me begin by commending the Daily Mail on its excellent coverage of the Wimbledon Championship. I particularly enjoyed reading Mike Dickson’s article titled, “Mystery of Serena Williams’ Wimbledon meltdown deepens… with doubts cast over her ‘viral illness’ explanation.” I also love the photo shoot that Sportsmail did for Eugenie Bouchard . She looks absolutely stunning especially with her infectious smile.

I started writing this letter on the morning of the 5th of July 2014 in anticipation of a Eugenie Bouchard’s victory at Wimbledon, but after her loss last Saturday, I had to make some slight changes. However, the overall message still remains the same i.e. THE QUEEN IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

With Serena’s early exit in the last three Grand Slam tournaments, it is safe to assume that we have now seen the end of the Serena Williams dynasty. Even though Petra Kvitová thrashed Eugenie Bouchard at the 2014 Wimbledon Championship, I strongly believe that we have entered into a new age of tennis with Ms. Bouchard’s recent coronation as the new Queen of the Court after her defeat of Simona Halep in the Wimbledon Semi Final.

Some people suggest that the media and the Daily Mail in particular are overhyping Ms. Bouchard. I see things differently; you are only helping in facilitating the smooth transition of the Queen of Tennis from the erratic and irresponsible Queen Williams to our very own Queen Bouchard.

Ladies tennis is at a crossroads. For the past 15 years, it has been dominated by one family i.e. the Williams family and in particular by one individual i.e. Serena Williams. We can’t continue to allow Serena to dominate the game. I am really sick of seeing her win trophy after trophy after trophy; tennis is no longer interesting.

I believe that Serena is bad for tennis for a number of reasons. She is not a typical 21st century tennis champion. Look at her background? She does not have a middle class upbringing, which is essential for anyone playing the game. Infact she and her sister Venus were raised in the ghetto. I fear that if Serena refuses to retire, people from the lower classes will become more interested in tennis. It’s already happening already. I feel sick when I walk around some tennis courts and I see people who are not well dressed playing. Sometimes I watch parents especially those not from Europe, training their daughters very early in the morning. It’s like every parent wants to produce the next Serena or Venus. I guess they see tennis as a passport out of poverty or out of the ghetto.

Even, when one goes to Wimbledon, one sees all sorts of people coming to the grounds. Wimbledon is not what it used to be ever since the Williams Sisters came to the scene. No thanks to them, certain breeds of tennis fans have been coming to Wimbledon who are neither well dressed nor well spoken. The other day, I saw this guy wearing a T Shirt with the inscription “Serena Rocks” and another lady was wearing a cap with the words “Williamdon Sisters” boldly displayed. I also get irritated when I pass by the images of the Sisters that appear on the Wimbledon Hall of Fame. I still can’t believe that there are ten images of Serena and Venus in the Hall of Fame.

Another reason why Serena is not good for tennis is because she does not have the look of a true Wimbledon Champion. She is not slim, she is not blonde, she is not blue eyed and she does not speak with clarity. When you throw in her temper tantrums and unsportsmanlike behaviour, she makes a very bad role model. Moreover, her style of play is bringing the game into disrupt.  She is also too dramatic. What we need is a tennis queen, not a drama queen. I know some may say I am a racist, but I disagree. After all, my best friend is black and I once dated a black lady. I also supported Wilfred Tsonga when he played against Novak Djokovic a couple of days ago.

Well, enough said about Serena after all she is on the decline and hopefully, she will stop winning Grand Slams. Whoever takes over as Queen of the Court should fit the model of a true tennis champion. That is why I am really excited about Eugenie Bouchard.

When Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final, I thought that it would usher in a golden era in ladies tennis. Unfortunately, I was proved wrong. Since then Sharapova hasn’t defeated Serena and she is down 2-16 in her head to head with Ms. Williams. Although Sharapova has earned more money than Serena can ever dream off, she has failed in her attempt to be the next “Great Hope”. I don’t think Sharapova can end Serena’s reign as Queen because she has been brutalised by Serena and her sister. As your former colleague eloquently put it seven years ago, “Their Russian victim, only 20 but starting to look a weary veteran of the modern crash-bang-wallop game, has been double-teamed and tag-wrestled into submission this year by the ex-ghetto girls, who have held the line for American women in the face of a collapse in firepower.”

Hopefully, the ten-year wait for our “Great Hope” is finally over. I am confident that Eugenie can fill the void. She possesses everything to make a successful tennis queen. First of all and more importantly, she has the LOOKS and there is this innocence in her that you find lacking in recent Wimbledon champions. As Alison Boshoff rightly put it, Ms. Bouchard “Is gloriously blonde with perfectly regular, brilliantly white film-star teeth, a pair of oiled thighs that could crack walnuts.”  Since Wimbledon is the greatest tennis tournament in the world, ideally the Wimbledon Ladies Champion should be a beauty queen. If one takes a roll call of the past Wimbledon Champions since 2004, apart from Sharapova, none of the winners are paragons of beauty. Look at Serena Williams. Look at Venus Williams. Look at Petra Kvitová. Look at Amelie Mauresmo.  Look at Marion Bartoli.  Infact John Inveradle of the BBC got it right when he said of Bartoli, “You’re never going to be somebody like a Sharapova, you’re never going to be somebody with long legs, so you have to compensate for that.”

Second, unlike Williams, Eugenie Bouchard has class. She comes from a middle class background and speaks good English. It is essential that Wimbledon Champions are eloquent. Many of my friends were not impressed with Kvitová and Bartoli’s victory speeches. Serena is no different; sometimes I have difficulty understanding her deep Compton accent.

Third, Bouchard is a marketing gold mine. Since tennis competes with an array of other sports for viewer’s attention, it is important that we have a champion that is highly marketable. Fortunately, Ms Bouchard ticks all the boxes. More importantly, she is from North America, so this should attract viewers throughout the Western world.  I know some might say, “But Serena is also from North America”; well, Serena and her sister Venus are not originally from North America and are not the sort that will generate interest among tennis fans, the media and sponsors. With Bouchard’s marketability, she will hopefully attract the right people back to Wimbledon. After a few years into her reign we should begin to see more people from the rich suburbs visiting Wimbledon and fewer visitors from the ghetto.

Fourth, Ms. Bouchard has a twin sister called Beatrice. If we can get Beatrice to play tennis it will be a classic case of having two Eugenie’s for the price one. Any benefits coming from Eugenie’s coronation as Queen will be multiplied by a factor of two. Infact we could have two Queens of the Court. The possibilities are endless. Imagine watching the Bouchard’s Sister at Centre Court rather than the irritating Williams Sisters. Perhaps we can start a twitter campaign to urge Beatrice to join the WTA Tour using the hash tag #BeatriceWeNeedYou.

Before I close, I would like to address the “Trophy vs. Beauty Debate”. I am not really concerned if our new Queen of the Court wins Grand Slam titles or not. I am more interested in her becoming the richest and most attractive sports woman in living memory.  Some may complain that it’s not fair that Serena Williams earns much less than some players who have won fewer titles. Tough – life is unfair. Tennis should be about beauty and not ability. I mean what is the point of winning 17 Grand Slam titles if you don’t have the looks.

On another note, I have come up with a novel way for seeding female players and awarding Grand Slam titles. I would be grateful if you could publish my proposed system on your website and newspaper. The name of this system is the Beautability Seed Ranking Model (BSRM®).

BSRM® is a ranking system, which is based on a hybrid of a player’s beauty and tennis ability. Unlike the existing WTA ranking system that gives significant weighting to a player’s tennis prowess, under the BSRM®, more weight will be given to a player’s beauty. For instance, if Serena Williams defeats a beautiful player at the Wimbledon final, instead of giving the Venus Rosewater Dish to Serena, the All England Lawn Tennis Club could apply the BSRM® system as per below:

Ranking points for the winner: 2,500 points

Ranking points for the more beautiful player: 8,000 points

Ranking points for the less beautiful player: 3,500 points

Maximum/minimum point for the more beautiful player = 10,500/8,000

Maximum/ minimum point for the less beautiful player = 6,000/3,500

That way, Serena will get a total of 6,000 points – comprising of 2,500 points for winning the match and 3,500 points for coming second in the beauty contest. The beautiful and sexy losing finalist will get a total of 8,000 points and will be crowned Wimbledon Champion. We can even award extra points for a player’s proficiency in English.

With this system in place, it will almost be impossible to have a Wimbledon Champion that is not beautiful. According to my back testing model, if this system had been applied from 1999, Serena Williams would have won only 2 Grand Slam titles. Likewise, Eugenie Bouchard would have been the current Wimbledon Champion and Bartoli and Kvitová would never have been crowned Wimbledon champions.

Finally, many thanks for taking the time to read my letter and my proposal for moving tennis forward. Once again, I plead with you to keep the contents of this letter confidential, as I don’t want people to accuse me of being a Serenaphobe or a racist or a misogynist.  I look forward to a new era of beautiful Wimbledon Champions.

The future is bright; the future is Eugenie.

The Queen is dead, long live the Queen!
Kind Regards.

Al Alatenumo
July 2014

alatenumo@gmail.com

or

c/o suleaos@gmail.com

cc Paul Dacre

This content of this letter is confidential, private and intended for only the addressee.

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on July 11, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Sports
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on July 11, 2014

https://zangodare.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/confidential-the-queen-is-dead-long-live-the-queen/

What THEY Said About Serena

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on September 12, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on September 12, 2011

https://zangodare.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/said-serena/

Wimbledon has much to teach a Britain : A Rejoinder

This letter is a rejoinder to Sir Max Hastings article published in the Daily Mail titled : Wimbledon has much to teach a Britain that, in all walks of life, has an insidious obsession with exalting losers

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2009297/Wimbledon-teach-Britain-obsession-exalting-losers.html

===========================

Dear Sir Max Hastings,

Wimbledon has much to teach a Britain that, in all walks of life, has an insidious obsession with exalting losers: A Rejoinder

I read with interest your article titled Wimbledon has much to teach a Britain that, in all walks of life, has an insidious obsession with exalting losers which was published in the Daily Mail. In the article, you argue that Britain has a ‘morbid, dogged, deeply damaging preoccupation with exalting losers’.

I would just like to draw your attention to two statements that you made in the article.

First, you discuss the fans reaction to Serena Williams defeat on Centre Court, in which you state “..on Monday, a cheer rose round the Centre Court on news that Serena Williams had been beaten next door on Court No 1. I do not think this represented racism — simply dislike for the Williams sisters’ crushing, brutal style of play.” Second, In supporting your premise that passionate hunger for success is indispensable, you give an example of the success of the Eastern Europeans in the tennis circuit in which you write “today’s international tennis circuit features scores of East Europeans for whom the game offers an alternative path to gangsterism by which to escape from their own pretty ghastly countries into a better and wealthier life”.

Your assumption that the crowd’s reaction to Serena’s defeat had nothing to do with racism fails to take into consideration the distinction between conscious racism and unconscious racism. While the crowd might not have cheered Serena’s defeat due to conscious racial prejudices, the question to ask is could the crowds cheer be a manifestation of a more dangerous form of racial prejudice i.e. unconscious racism?

What is the difference between conscious racism and unconscious racism? Are there traits peculiar to each class of racism? Conscious racism occurs when a person commits a racial act fully aware of the implication of his/her action, whereas unconscious racism occurs when the perpetrator of the racist act lacks an awareness of the effects of his/her action on other people.  While conscious racism can be described as spoken, acknowledged, direct, exposed and not so subtle, unconscious racism is often unspoken, denied, indirect, hidden and subtle.

People who practice unconscious racism often use flimsy excuses to reassure themselves such as  ‘some of my best friends are black’; ‘I am dating an Indian, so how can I be racist’; ‘ I can’t be racist because I send aid to Africa’; ‘I am not racist, you are just playing the race card’ or ‘you don’t behave like other Eastern Europeans that I have worked with’.

Why could the Centre Court Crowd attitude towards Serena be construed to be an act of unconscious racism? To answer that question, one needs to go to the genesis of the event. To recap, Serena recently had a near death experience, but due to her love for the game, she decided to participate in the 2011 Championship. As a consequence of competing in just one event prior to showing up at Wimbledon, Serena was not match fit and she eventually lost in the fourth round to Marion Bartoli in Court One. When the results of her defeat was relayed on the big screen at the Centre Court, as you rightly pointed out the crowd gave a big cheer to salute her exit (showing her no sympathy despite of her near death experience).

In the last couple of years, I along with some of my friends have watched a number of matches involving the sisters at Centre Court and we have noticed that the crowds are rarely receptive to the sisters.  Several reasons have been given for this lack of receptiveness towards the Williams including as you have pointed out their ‘crushing, brutal style of play’. Others cite the sisters’ arrogant attitude, while some state the sisters’ dominance over the last ten years. If these excuses are valid, then one would expect other players (past and current; male and female) with similar attributes to be treated in a similar fashion by the crowd.

However, an analysis of the crowd’s receptiveness to other players with the above-mentioned characteristics reveals an asymmetric bias against the Williams.

Let us look at the issue of Serena and Venus style of play. Players such as Martina Navratilova, Andy Roddick and Rafa Nadal have a similar style of play as the Williams, which most commentators fail to describe as crushing, brutal and aggressive, yet the Wimbledon crowd does not dislike Martina, Andy and Rafa. Why should Serena and Venus be treated differently?

Let us look at the issue of Serena and Venus attitude. Players such as John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova were known for their temper tantrums, outburst and complaints, yet the Wimbledon crowd does not dislike John and Martina. Why should Serena and Venus be treated differently?

Let us look at the issue of Serena and Venus dominance. Players such as Pete Sampras, Steffi Graf, Roger Federer, Martina Navratilova and Bjorn Borg at some point in their careers dominated the Wimbledon Championships, yet the Wimbledon crowd does not dislike Pete, Steffi, Roger, Martina and Bjorn. Why should Serena and Venus be treated differently?

Going back to your comment on the crowd’s reaction to Serena, the above evidence suggests the comment to be half true. You are correct in that the crowds reaction to her defeat was not a case of conscious racism, however it is more likely that the crowds reaction was a case of unconscious racism.

While I find your comment on the crowds reaction to Serena to be half true, I find your comment on the prevalence of East Europeans in the tennis circuit disappointing. To suggest that the game of tennis offers Eastern Europeans ‘an alternative path to gangsterism by which to escape from their own pretty ghastly countries into a better and wealthier life’ amounts to stereotyping, underplays the success of Eastern European tennis players and insults the people of Eastern Europe.

I have often wondered why a number of commentators from the West find it difficult to attribute success by people from the developing and emerging economies to hard work and determination.

Similar arguments have been used to justify Kenya’s excellence in the long distance races, which has often been attributed to the notion that the marathon offers Kenyans an escape route out of poverty.

Similar arguments have been used to justify Brazil’s excellence in the football, which has often been attributed to the notion that football offers Brazilians an escape route out of poverty.

Similar arguments have been used to justify Jamaica’s excellence in the Olympic sprints, which has often been attributed to the notion that athletics offers Jamaicans an escape route out of poverty.

Britain has a lot to learn from the Eastern European’s success in the tennis circuit. Unlike in Britain where tennis is regarded as an elitist sports, Eastern European countries have encouraged the development of tennis at the grassroots; this therefore fosters a competitive environment where the best tennis players from all parts of the country are unearthed. Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms when telling Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association: “unless you start ‘looking around in the ghettos’ you would never break free of the narrow-minded elitism that prevents tennis from progressing in this country”

In conclusion, if we are to eradicate the last vestige of racism in this society, we will need to tackle, defeat and eliminate unconscious racism.

Ahmed Sule, CFA

suleaos@gmail.com

July 2011

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on July 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Race, Social justice, Sports
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on July 13, 2011

https://zangodare.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/max-wimbledon/

Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Wimbledon and the Justice of Roosting Chickens

Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Wimbledon and the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections On the Crowds Attitude

Towards Serena Williams at Centre Court

by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

suleaos@gmail.com

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article titled  “Cheryl Cole and the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections On England’s Attitude Towards Accents”. In that paper<<http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/cheryl-cole-and-justice-roosting-chickens>>, I asked whether Cheryl’s removal from the American X factor due to her accent was a case of the chicken coming home to roost as a result of England’s low tolerance for African, Asian and most other non-English accents.

Well nearly a month after Cheryl Cole was ousted from the American X-factor due to her accent, could Britain have just experienced another case of the ‘chicken coming host to roost’?

On the 1st of July 2011, thousands of tennis faithful stormed the Wimbledon Centre Court to watch home favourite Andy Murray take on the Spanish matador Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of The Championship. To the disappointment of the 15,000 fans that trooped to the Centre Court, Andy Murray succumbed to the firepower of Nadal despite winning the first set. The collective mood at Centre Court on that day was a combination of sober reflection, frustration and resignation. As a consequence of the defeat, Britain has to wait another year for its 75-year search for a British male Wimbledon champion.

In the aftermath of Murray’s defeat, the mood at Centre Court was very different from the mood a couple of days earlier when 13 times Grand Slam and 4 times Wimbledon winner Serena Williams lost her fourth round match against Maria Bartoli of France.

What surprised many commentators and me on that day was the reaction of the Centre Court crowd to Serena’s defeat. Despite the fact that Serena’s match took place on a different court i.e. Court One, the crowd at Centre Court erupted in a huge cheer when the result of Serena’s defeat was flashed on the Centre Court large screen.

The end-of-match cheering at the Centre Court against Serena was not only unfortunate but also distasteful. Having watched several matches over the years involving Serena and Venus at Centre Court, I know that the Centre Court crowd has never warmed up to Serena or her sister Venus. If Serena lost at Centre Court and the crowd started cheering her defeat this would be understandable as fans are expected to be partisan when watching a match; however collectively cheering an athletes defeat, which takes place on a different court, is uncharted territory in Wimbledon (especially as Serena was  not playing against a British opponent).

Considering Serena’s contribution to the Wimbledon Championship in the last decade in addition to her recent near death experience, the crowds reaction at Centre Court is in bad taste and disrespectful to the four time Wimbledon Champion. Have the crowd ever reacted in such a fashion to other Wimbledon greats like Steffi Graf, Roger Federer, Martina Navratilova , Pete Sampras and crowd favorite Maria Sharapova?

Perhaps if the Centre Court is to end its 75 year wait for a Wimbledon male British champion, the crowd may have to learn how to show respect to past champions and great competitors such as Serena who have contributed to making the Wimbledon Championship the greatest tennis event in the world; otherwise every July, the chickens will continue to come to Centre Court to roost.

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on July 2, 2011  •  Permalink
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Book Review: Come To Win

Come To Win

Author  Venus Williams

Reviewed by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

HarperCollins Publishers

Hardcover: 357 pages

The game of tennis has produced its fair share of worthy champions in both the men and ladies circuit. A number of these champions such as Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, Serena Williams, Boris Becker, Martina Navratilova etc have written autobiographies chronicling their journey from fresh tennis upstarts to multiple Grand Slam Champions.

In writing “Come To Win”, which was released during the 2010 Wimbledon Championship, Venus Williams, the seven times Grand Slam champion takes a different route from her other professional colleagues. Unlike the autobiographies of her other professional colleagues, “Come To Win” is a compilation of Venus interview of forty-six successful people in which she documents the contribution of sports in their various professional careers. The people interviewed are achievers in a variety of fields including politics, business, medicine, sports, science, arts, and media. Venus essentially seeks answers to the following questions: How can sports help you in your profession? What principles that inspired you towards success as an athlete are helpful in your career? Are the skills learnt in sports transferable? What role did sports play in your development as a child?

Some of the people Venus interviews include Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group), Bill Clinton (former US President), Denzel Washington (Oscar award winning actor), Philip Knight (Nike co-founder and Chairman), Irene Rosenfield (CEO of Kraft Foods), Billie Jean King (multiple Grand Slam Winner), Condoleezza Rice (former US Secretary of State), Jack Welch (former CEO of General Electric) etc.

All these people interviewed share two things in common- First, at one point in their lives, they were actively engaged in some form of competitive sports activity. Second, they are all motivated, confident and successful individuals who have applied the skills learnt from their earlier sporting activities to their professional careers and day-to-day living.

The book is divided into eight parts, with each part containing a series of interviews. Venus begins each interview with a quote from the interviewee, followed by a short biography and then the interview. Though the format of each chapter is not in a Q&A format, however, each chapter spells out how the contributors got involved in sports and how the lessons learnt playing sports have helped in their careers.

This book would be of benefit to a number of people. For instance parents can learn the importance of getting their children actively engaged in sports. Denzel Washington notes that as a result of his own active engagement in sports, he encourages his children get involved in sports as it keeps them busy. He say “when you are young, you want to fit in somewhere…you are going to fit in with the stars, the jocks, the Goths, the drug heads…I just felt it was important for my children to stay busy”.  Sports also improve children’s self-confidence and self-esteem, it teaches them humility and mitigates against child obesity. Some of the contributors note a link between sports involvement and academic achievement as children learn from sports, the values of discipline, focus and persistence, which are essential in academics excellence.

Another useful information that comes from the book is the beneficiary impact of sports on females. Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay notes that sports can give little girls confidence. Furthermore, women who have engaged in sports often develop a competitive spirit which enables them to thrive in a competitive business world that is often dominated by men. Soledad O’Brien, the CNN journalists also notes that sports helps ladies to get comfortable with their bodies. She says “I really feel comfortable in my body, and I think sports got me there. I never had any of the eating-disorder type issues a number of my friends had because I believed my body had a totally other purpose”

The contributors also discuss other lessons from sports, which they have been able to apply to their careers. Some of these lessons that I found noteworthy include:

  • Sports help in developing soft skills such as teamwork, managing people, managing and maintaining various relationships and understanding other people’s perspective.
  • One learns how to accept losses and learn from the losses to improve performance. A number of the contributors note that they learnt more from their losses than their victories.
  • Execution and strategy are important in both sports and business.
  • Discipline, preparation and extra effort are all key ingredients for success.
  • Sportsmanship and integrity are very important in business and sports. Winning at all costs is not winning.
  • In sports and in life, there will always be another chance to prove yourself.
  • Unspectacular preparation yields spectacular results.

There are also some very remarkable quotes such as “When you win, don’t crow. When you lose, don’t cry” – Bill Bradley; “If you don’t know how to lose, you will never know how to win” – Jack Welch; “if you don’t do your absolute best, you can’t expect to achieve anything different from what anybody else has done”- Sarina Bratton; ….”Golf is a lot like life. You get breaks you don’t deserve, both ways. You have to learn to make the most of the good breaks and shake of the bad ones” –Bill Clinton

The book also details a number of skills developed in sports, which are transferable to other areas of life. Skills such as focus, teamwork, persistence, resilience, continuous improvement, discipline, hard work, sportsmanship, visualization, coping with pressure etc are all discussed in detail in this book.

In conclusion, I recommend getting this book as it helps improve one’s understanding of management, helps one learn about the relevance of sports in business, day-to-day living and in the workplace. It would also help one understand the importance of sports in a child’s development. If you are not currently engaged in any sporting activity, this book may even inspire you to get your jogging shoes and start running or get involved in other forms of sporting activity.

With this book now published, the world still awaits Venus autobiography; however, producing an autobiography could be a bit challenging for Venus as sister Serena has written her own autobiography (see

https://zangodare.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/serenareview/ for my review of Serena’s book), which could contain events that are likely to overlap with what Venus would want to say. Only time will tell whether Venus will write her autobiography in the foreseeable future.

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on August 18, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on August 18, 2010

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In Order To Save English Football We Need To Learn From Richard, Venus and Serena Williams

An Open Letter To The Board of The Football Association

by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

Dear Sirs,

27 June 2010: FULL TIME: Germany 4-1 England – South Africa.

“England’s World Cup is over. Slowly, blinking, we get back to our lives. Whatever you use to block out the pain and disappointment, just know that it can’t possibly get worse than this. Know that England were lucky that Germany only scored four. “- Daily Telegraph

“England’s worst World Cup finals defeat in history is sealed…. England was appalling. And anyway, when you boil it down, England played well for 54 seconds out of 90 minutes. A terrible show, an embarrassment, and an especially pathetic defensive performance.”–Guardian Newspaper

3 July 2010:  Serena Williams df Vera Zvonareva: 6-3 6-2 – Wimbledon

“There’s Serena counting the number of times ‘Williams’ appears on the roll of honour board. They have won the title nine times since 2000: Venus with five, Serena with four. Not even Roger Federer can match that sort of dominance”

– BBC

The above comments from the press clearly highlights the contrasting fortunes of the English National Football Team (ENFT) and the Williams sisters, who are coached by their father Richard Williams.

Since Venus and Serena came onto the Grand slam tennis scene in 1997/1998, they have amassed a combined total of 20 Grand Slam single titles, 12 Grand Slam double titles and 3 Olympic Gold medals. During the same time frame, the English football team has not won any major football tournament in any part of Europe or the world, besides the Rous Cup (a discontinued competition that featured the Scottish and English football teams). One has to turn back the clock 44 years ago to England’s 1966 World Cup triumph before one can read, learn or watch any history of England’s success at the national football level.

Are there any explanatory factors for the contrasting fortunes of the English national team relative to the Williams Sisters?  What makes the Williams tick? Are there lessons that the ENFT can gain from the Williams? Can the English team coach apply some of the coaching techniques of Richard Williams? Should the Football Association engage the services of the Williams in order to improve the performance of the English football team? These questions are worth considering and I will try to answer some of them in the subsequent paragraphs.

In order to put the successes of the Williams into perspective, it is important to understand where they are coming from. Legend has it that in 1978, after learning that the 1978 ladies French Open final champion Virginia Ruzici had received a pay cheque of £40,000, Richard Williams, who was amazed at the value of the prize money said to his wife Oracene “we need to have two more babies and turn them into tennis champions”. Within three years after making that statement, Venus and Serena were born in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Richard and Oracene who had no prior tennis playing or coaching experience were determined to learn the game of tennis for the sake of their daughters. In the midst of poverty, racism danger and criticism, Richard Williams, a self-taught tennis coach has been able to turn his daughters into multiple Grand Slam and Olympic champions.

Ghost of 1966

If English football is to move forward, it is important that the players, the public at large, the media and football authorities should put the achievement of the 1966 World Cup triumph behind them. Admittedly, the 1966 victory was quite a remarkable feat, especially when one considers, that since the inception of the World Cup in 1930, only eight nations have ever won the title. However, in the word of Apostle Paul it is time to “forget what is in the past and strain toward what is ahead”. In this regard, lessons can be learnt from Venus and Serena.

Despite winning titles year in year out, Serena and Venus never dwell on their past victories and accomplishments. Rather, they focus on winning their next match, next Grand Slam, or next tournament. For instance, Serena has always nursed the ambition of emulating her tennis mentor Billie Jean King. When Serena equaled Billie Jean King’s record of 12 Grand slam titles with victory at the 2010 Australian Championship, her next target was to surpass it. Serena worked hard at this and finally achieved it at the 2010 Wimbledon Championship. With that in the bag, Serena has set sight on other hurdles that need to be scaled. A couple of years ago, Serena said “I can’t become satisfied, because if I get satisfied, I’ll be like, “Oh, I’ve won Wimbledon, I’ve won the U.S. Open. Now can I relax.” But now people are really going to be fighting to beat me.”. It is only when the ghost of the 1966 triumph is banished, that can ENFT would be able to move forward and work towards achieving its desire to be world beaters.

Stage Fright

Another problem plaguing the English football team is its inability to perform at the highest level. The English team does well in qualifiers for major tournaments and also in the early rounds of tournaments like the European Championship and World Cup. However, as they progress further in the tournament and the weaker teams get eliminated, the ENFT are often unable to scale the hurdle once they are drawn against a top seeded football team. For instance, since the 1986 World Cup, the ENFT has been eliminated in the World Cup by top seeded teams like Argentina in 1986, Germany in 1990, Argentina in 1998, Brazil in 2002, Portugal in 2006 and Germany in 2010.

Furthermore, of the 19 FIFA World Cup Championships that have taken place around the world since 1930, the only competition won by the ENFT was the 1966 competition, which was hosted in England.  The mark of true champions is their ability to win matches outside of their comfort zone.

In contrast, the Williams sisters even though they are Americans, have still been able to win 16 of their 20 Grand Slam single titles and 10 of their 12 Grand Slam double titles outside of their home country, the United States. In addition, the Williams are comfortable playing other top seeded players during tennis tournaments. On many occasions, they have won tournaments by defeating higher rated players. For instance, during the 2007 Australian Open, an unseeded Serena defeated the 27th seed, the 16th seed, the 11th seed, the 5th seed and the 1st seed on her way to winning the Championship.

Moreover, the sisters are accustomed to playing in hostile terrains and in front of partisan crowds. In 2001, Serena Williams still won the Indiana Wells tournament, despite being jeered by a hostile crowd throughout her finals match. At the 2003 French Open, the crowd jeered Serena Williams during her match against Justine Henin. One contributory factor to the Williams’ ability to overcome other top seeded players and win championship on courts outside of their comfort zone is due to their mental toughness resulting from their father’s teachings.

Consistency of Management

Another contributory factor to the Williams sisters’ dominance in the last decade is the fact that they have maintained the same coach since the beginning of their careers. This consistency has enabled the sisters to perfect their tennis style. In contrast, the English National Team has had 8 managers since the commencement of the sisters’ professional career in 1994. This translates to an average managerial change every two years for the English National team since 1994.

The Football Association, the press and the public needs to realize that frequent managerial change is counter productive as it results in frequent changes in football strategy and players could be confused with the different football philosophy that each new manager tends to bring to the team. Furthermore, when there are frequent changes in the management of the team, it often results in changes not only in the backroom coaching staff, but also in changes in the team composition and playing style. The Football Association should be patient with managers and give them enough time to develop the football team.

Professionalism vs. Celebrity Lifestyle

Like the Williams sisters, many of the English team players are celebrities who are known throughout the world. As a result of this celebrity status, it is not unusual to see these stars adorn the front pages of newspaper.  However, it is important for sportsmen and sportswomen not to forget that they are professionals. Furthermore, as professional sportsmen and women, these athletes act as role models for millions of fans around the world, so they are expected to behave in a manner worthy of their status.

Though the Williams sisters have on some occasions failed to live up to the expectation required of a role model (like Serena’s outburst against the line judge during the 2009 US Open), by and large, compared to a number of the English team squad members, they have been able to properly align their professional career and status with their celebrity lifestyles.

For instance, despite being involved in committed relationships, Venus and Serena do not allow this relationship to affect their professional careers. During professional tournaments, their boyfriends take a backseat as the girls are focused on winning during these tournaments. Furthermore, during Grand Slam tournaments, the sisters do not attend social functions except for pre-tournament events organized by the tournament co-coordinators. Venus Williams in referring to her attitude during tournaments says, “I don’t come to tournaments to make friends, to go to parties, to hold conversations. I come to be the best, and I’m not mean and cruel and dirty.” Surely, this kind of focus is what makes these sisters worthy champions.

Unfortunately, this same level of professionalism is not adopted by a number of the English players. It is not unusual to read headlines in the press about English players engaging in appropriate behaviour. If the headline is not about a captain having an affair with his teammates girl friend, then it is about a player engaging the services of a prostitute; if it is not about a player dating an ex-lap dancer that looks like his wife, then it is about players going on a ‘booze bender’ shortly after a humiliating defeat. During the 2006 World Cup, members of the English team were allowed to bring their wives and girlfriends (WAGs) to the tournament. The WAGs presence at the tournament generated headlines in the press as photographers tracked their social and shopping activities.  Some analyst, attribute England’s departure from the 2006 World Cup due to the distraction caused by the ‘WAGs’. If English football is to progress, the team will need to emulate the Williams professionalism and focus.

Conclusion

From the above comparative analysis, it is clear that if English football is to be saved from mediocrity, the Football Association, the manager and the players may have to study and employ some of the strategies used by the Williams. Perhaps, the F.A could contact Richard Williams and seek his advice on how to turn the English football team into a world-class team. I believe that Richard would be more than willing to help.

In case you are having second thoughts about engaging with the Williams, imagine what an English National Team comprising of say six Venus’s and five Serena’s and managed by Richard would achieve. Surely the World Cup and European Championship would no longer be a fantasy, but would become a reality.

So when Venus, Serena and Richard Williams arrive at Heathrow Airport next year for the 2011 Wimbledon Championship, please send a taxi to bring them over to Soho Square for a chat , before they head off to SW19.

Yours faithfully,

Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

suleaos@gmail.com

Friday, August 13, 2010

Cc

Mr. Roger Burden- Chairman – The Football Association

Mr. Alex Horne- General Secretary – The Football Association

Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP –   Minister for Sport

Mr. Fabio Capello- England Team Manager

Mr. Steven Gerrard – England Team Captain

Mr. Richard Williams

Miss Venus Ebony Williams

Miss Serena Jameka Williams

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on August 13, 2010  •  Permalink
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The Determination of a Black Princess

Review by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

On the Line (Queen of the Court-UK Edition)
By Serena Williams with Daniel Paisner
Grand Central Publishing

Hardcover: 272 pages

Determination, determination and determination. These three words come off each and every page of Serena Williams’ autobiography entitled ‘On the line’, which was released in September 2009 during the US Open Championship. The autobiography is an honest account of Serena’s journey, from her humble beginnings as a three year old struggling to grip a standard sized tennis racquet on the Compton tennis courts, to her triumph as an eleven times Grand Slam winning tennis icon.

The youngest of five children, Serena grew up along with her other sisters in Compton in Los Angeles. Her father Richard and her mother Oracene were hardworking African Americans who had a desire to make a better life for their children. As parents, they instilled in their children strong values and motivated them to believe in themselves.

Serena’s journey to the game of tennis began three years before her birth. In 1978, after watching the French Open champion Virginia Ruzici collect a cheque of $40,000, Richard Williams, who was surprised at the amount of prize money, became determined that he would produce daughters that would become global tennis icons. He told his wife: “we need to make two more kids and make them into tennis superstars”. Serena began her tennis training at the age of three, playing alongside her sister Venus under the watchful gaze of her self-trained father and mother. Her training regime involved training several hours a day on the dilapidated courts of Compton.

As the youngest of her siblings, Serena was used to having her way and was very naughty and rebellious. She sometimes struggled with her self-image as a youngster, as she did not feel she was on a par with her other sisters in terms of style, fashion and flair. Her sisters, however, were always caring and treated her like a princess.

The Serena story is incomplete without discussion of her relationship with her sister and tennis double partner Venus, who she describes as her best friend. Serena writes that in spite of her family’s belief in her capability during her formative years, outsiders, including players and the media, focused their attention on Venus. As a result Serena lived under Venus’ shadow for a long time. However, the underestimation of her abilities only motivated Serena to prove her detractors wrong. When a journalist suggested that Serena would only amount to a ‘footnote in Venus’ career’, Serena kept it the article, later stating: “I promised myself I’d never forget that article, that one day I’d prove the reporter wrong. It was a cruel thing to say, but I turned it into some more of that silent fuel”.

In spite of the one year and three months age difference between the two sisters, Serena describes Venus as being very protective of her. This is still evident today, as demonstrated in the recently concluded 2009 US Open in which Venus rose to Serena’s defence in response to the media questioning Serena’s outburst against the umpire during her semi-final game with Kim Clijster. Besides seeing Venus as a protector, Serena also sees Venus as a motivator. She writes: “Without Venus to lead the way, it would have taken me longer to get to where I wanted to be”.

If there is one defining characteristic that defines Serena, it is her resilience in the midst of adversity. For instance, during the final of the Indiana Wells tournament, despite being jeered by a hostile crowd throughout the match, Serena was able to overcome their verbal taunts to win the championship. “If Althea Gibson could fight her way through far worse, I had an obligation to fight through this. And not just fight – I had an obligation to prevail”, she writes with regards to her feelings during the match.

I had the opportunity to see a sample of Serena’s resilience in the midst of adversity during the 2007 Wimbledon Championship when she defeated Daniela Hantuchova despite collapsing in pain earlier in the match due to a serious calf injury.  What really amazed me in that match was her will power and determination to win the match even when the odds were against her.

When her boyfriend jilted her in 2002 she felt dejected. However, rather than play the sympathy card, she channeled her energy into her game, which resulted in her achieving her legendary Serena Slam between 2002 and 2003, winning the French, Wimbledon, US and Australian Championships in succession.

She also had to overcome a personal tragedy in the form of the loss of her elder sister Yetunde who she describes as having a giant heart.  This loss, coupled with a career threatening injury, resulted in a lack of motivation to play the game of tennis, culminating in a spate of inconsistent results between 2004 and 2006.

After entering the tennis wilderness for the first time in her career, Serena experienced a Damascus Road encounter during a trip to West Africa in November 2006. Like Obama, Mohammed Ali, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X before her, the visit to Africa enabled her to appreciate her heritage. “It put me in full mind of my heritage and my responsibility to that heritage”, she notes. Her visit to the notorious Cape Coast Slave Castle in Ghana was very meaningful to her. “I came away thinking I was part of the strongest race in human history. Someone else might have been depressed by what I’d just seen, but I chose to find the power in it, to be lifted by it”, she states regarding her experience at the castle.

Her return from the trip marked a turning point in her life both on and off the court. As she puts it, “Really, my entire mind-set changed as a result of that trip… there nothing that can break me. On the court. Off the court. Anywhere”. Since the trip her career has continued on an upward trajectory both on and off the court.

So, what lessons can be we learn from Serena? First, the road to success is often marked with sweat, blood and tears. Second, focus and determination are key ingredients to success.

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on November 4, 2009  •  Permalink
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on November 4, 2009

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Myths and Facts Regarding Venus and Serena Williams

By Ahmed Sule

Ever since Venus and Serena turned professional in 1994 and 1995 respectively, they have set the tennis world alight. Between them they have won a total of fifteen Grand Slam ladies single titles and seven Grand Slam women doubles titles in addition to several other titles including two gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

However, despite their contributions to the game of tennis, the sisters are one of the most underrated, unappreciated and disliked figures in the game and have been subject to various negative commentaries and debates from a cross section of tennis pundits, players and fans.

This paper discusses some of the most common myths regarding the Williams sisters and separates the facts from falsehood.

Myth#1: The Williams sisters’ recent success is due to the retirement of top grade players like Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters etc.

Fact: Even when these players were on the circuit, the Williams sisters were still winning championships. Here are the facts: Justin Henin career started in 1999 and ended in 2008, during that time, Venus won six Grand Slam women’s title, while Serena won eight Grand Slam titles. Furthermore, Serena also has a superior head to head win/loss ratio against Justin Henin of 7 to 6. During Kim Clijsters playing career Serena and Venus won eight and five Grand Slam titles respectively. Serena also has a 7-1 win loss record against Kim

Myth#2: Matches between Serena and Venus are fixed.  This issue has been subject to intense debate among tennis lovers and was recently mentioned by Elena Dementieva at the recently concluded 2008 Wimbledon Championship.

Fact: The sisters have met in the final of seven Grand Slams in the last nine years. The matches between the sisters tend not to be as exciting as against other opponents they meet in the final. However, there is a reason for this and it is definitely not due to match fixing.

In the black society, the family structure plays a significant role in the development of the individual and community. There is a strong family bond that is very difficult to break by people, issues and circumstances external to the family. This is prevalent in most black communities including Africans, African Americans and Caribbean’s. If you look at a number of black personalities you will notice the role family plays in their lives. For instance, Tiger Woods always looked up to his father for support when competing in key tournaments. Lewis Hamilton’s father and brother make it a point of duty to attend every race that he competes in. At his recent victory at the British Grand Prix, Lewis mentioned that his family was of such help to him in winning the race. Furthermore, Barack Obama (the presumptive Democratic nominee in the forthcoming US election) always emphasis the importance of family values and has the strong backing of his family. Without the family structure in the black society, it is difficult for the black community to stand.

As a result of the above, sibling rivalry is not usually encouraged in the black community as family comes first. So when the Williams sisters meet in a final, both players undergo a lot of emotional pain, as they do not want to see the other hurt should one of them win. It is therefore difficult for each of them to be motivated to play at the highest level of their game. Infact, I as a black man who was at Wimbledon to watch the final, felt uncomfortable supporting any of the sisters in the final as I understood the pain that each of the sisters would be going through during that final.  When Venus won the match, she was very cautious in her celebration as she did not want to upset her little sister. Furthermore, their father had to fly back to America during the final as he could not bear the sight of seeing his two daughters competing in the final of the Wimbledon event.

It is for this reason and no other reason that the matches between the sisters does more often than not does not often meet up to the expectation of the crowd.

Myth#3: Venus success at Wimbledon is due to the short two week break between the French Open and Wimbledon.

Fact: Venus like other players in the circuit competes in both the French and Wimbledon Championship; as a result, she faces the same level of fatigue that other players are subjected to. Infact, it is even tougher for Venus as she also competes in the doubles at Wimbledon. For instance, in this years Wimbledon, Venus and Serena had to play almost every day during the fourteen day Championship as they ended up playing 13 matches each despite the fact that they both competed in the French Open two weeks earlier.

Myth#4: Venus Williams is ineffective in other courts besides Wimbledon

Fact: Wimbledon is the greatest Grand Slam event in the world and if a player can excel in it by winning it five times, then she must be regarded as one of the greatest players of all times.

Venus has won a total of seven Grand Slam ladies singles title out of which two were won outside of Wimbledon. She has also won two mixed double titles at the Australian and French Open. She has won seven Grand Slam ladies double titles, out of which four were won outside Wimbledon. She has also won two Olympic gold medals in the ladies single and ladies double event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In total, Venus has won thirty seven single ladies titles out of which twenty two of these were won on hard courts, seven on clay, and five on grass (Wimbledon) and three on carpet surfaces. These victories clearly demonstrate that Venus is not only effective at Wimbledon, but she is effective on other surfaces.

Myth#5: The Williams sister have had an easy ride because they have spent a significant amount of time outside tennis (through injury or to pursue other interests), which gives them an advantage when they resume back.

Fact: The sisters have obviously had their fair share of timeout of the tennis circuit which has been often been due to either injury or to pursue other interests outside of tennis such as fashion, acting etc.

However, for sportsmen and women, it is often difficult to make a comeback after sustaining an injury or spending time out of the sports that they excel at. This is due to two reasons, first the other competitors would have been playing regularly (during the absence of the top sportsman or woman) and have the opportunity to hone on their skills and improve on their weak areas.  Second, the returning sports person will be a bit rusty upon return. Therefore, the absence of the Williams sisters outside of the tennis circuit actually puts them at a competitive disadvantage relative to their other peer. How the sisters are able to come back after a long lay out is a testament to their tenacity. In 2006 for instance, Serena was out of the tennis circuit for most of the year due to injury; as a result, her ranking plummeted from number 11 to 139. However, she made a comeback and despite entering the 2007 Australian Open as an unseeded player, she won the tournament by crushing the top seeded Maria Sharapova in two straight sets in the final.

Myth#6: The Williams sisters have made the ladies tennis game boring through their use of their power serves and aggressive approach to the game. They grunt like animals and perhaps should just compete in the men’s circuit.

Fact: The Williams sisters are not the only female players that make noises when they play; as a result, it is unfair for them to be singled out for condemnation. It is on record that Maria Sharapova, who is adored by most tennis loving fans, has the loudest grunt in women’s tennis of around 100 decibels. What generates this noise is the sudden release of energy and as offensive baseliners, it is only natural for the Williams sisters to shout.

Furthermore, players such as Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and crowd favourite Sharapova all make use of power in their game. The Williams play to their strength, so no one should begrudge them for that.

The headlines listed below have been used by the media to describe most of the sister’s successes on the court:

“Venus, Serena ride ‘power tennis’ into semis”
“Venus & Serena Williams power into Wimbledon semifinals”
“Williams sisters power through”
“Venus Williams’s Power Proves Too Much for Seles”
“Venus Williams too strong for Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova”
“Venus powers into Wimbledon final”
“Venus too strong for Brit”
“Venus Williams too strong for Clijsters”
“Williams Too Strong For Sharapova”
“Williams too strong as injury undermines Mauresmo”
“Sweet and sour for Zheng as Serena powers on to the final”

However, listed below are the headlines used to describe the successes of other tennis players:

“Sharapova rallies to reach WTA semi-final”
“Wimbledon: Maria Sharapova sets new trend”
“Sensational Sharapova wins Australian Open”
“Jankovic wins battle worth the money”
“Brilliant Sharapova hammers Henin”
“The Magnificent, Delightful, Ivanovic Wins French”
“Maria Sharapova raises her game”
“Hantuchova wins second tour title”
“Ivanovic loving life at number one after barely breaking sweat in first round clash”
“Serbian sensation Ivanovic rockets into third round”

The headlines attributed to Serena and Venus often ignores the fact that these girls are great athletes and skilled tennis players. Rather than making the ladies game boring, the sisters have raised the bar of ladies tennis, which has resulted in other ladies having no choice but to improve. This has made the game more exciting.

It is time for the Williams sisters to be appreciated for their intelligence, knowledge of the game and skills rather than being described as physically strong and powerful.

Myth#7: The Williams sisters do not take the tennis game serious enough as they usually take time out of the circuit.

Fact: The Williams pursue other interest outside of tennis such as acting, fashion etc. Infact Venus has her own fashion range and recently completed a degree in fashion. The sisters do not have a one-dimensional attitude towards tennis and are well rounded individuals who have a life outside of tennis. However, despite all of these other interests, the sisters still take their game of tennis much more seriously than most of the other players in the current circuit.  This is evidenced by their longevity as they have been around for over a decade and while those who started with them have since retired, the sisters are still waxing strong and have no intention of leaving the sports in the foreseeable future.

Myth#8: The Williams Sisters have an undue advantage relative to other ladies due to a) their style of play and b) time taken out of tennis.

Fact: The offensive baseline style of both sisters is just one tennis strategy among many other strategies that could be adopted. As a result, there tennis style has its advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of their style is available to be exploited by opponents adopting other strategies.
Rather than having an undue advantage, the Williams sisters more often than not have had to face several significant obstacles on the path to greatness.

For instance, they have often played tennis matches in front of hostile crowds. For instance during a semi-final match at the Ericsson Open at Indian Wells, Serena was booed throughout her match against Kim Clijsters. Furthermore, during the 2003 Semi Final French Open match between Serena and Justine Henin, majority of the crowds laughed and jeered at Serena’s whenever she made a mistake, furthermore, she was even booed whenever she made double faults. The hostility of the crowd left Serena weeping and she said after the match “It was just a tough crowd out there today, I’m not used to crying. It’s a little difficult. All my life I’ve had to fight. So it’s just another fight I’m going to have to learn how to win. I’ve got to just keep smiling.”

Furthermore, Venus was recently diagnosed with anemia. As a result, she did not participate in many competitions prior to the commencement of the 2008 Wimbledon Championship relative to her peers. However, despite her condition, she was still able to win the ladies title for a fifth time.

Myth#9: The sisters have not made much contribution to the game of tennis

Fact: Apart from their contribution on the court as exemplified by the various titles won etc, they have also made contribution off the court.

Being African Americans, the sisters have succeeded in attracting a number of black people around the world to the game of tennis. Their success has also generated interest among people from less privileged backgrounds who previously had seen tennis as a game dominated by the affluent in the society.  As a result, the game of tennis is better of with the diversity that the sisters have brought to the game.

Venus Williams played a major part in ensuring that ladies got equal pay with men at the Wimbledon Championship, by continuing with the work of earlier pioneers such as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. In 2005, Venus met with officials of the French Open and Wimbledon arguing that ladies should be paid the same as men. She then wrote an article in the Times in 2006 titled “Wimbledon has sent me a message: I’m only a second-class champion” in which she argued that the inequality diminishes the value that the tournament places on ladies. Eventually, the pay disparity at Wimbledon was cancelled.

Ahmed Sule

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by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on November 3, 2009  •  Permalink
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Posted by Ahmed Olayinka Sule on November 3, 2009

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