*Ed's Note: The video above is of Serena Williams winning her first Grand Slam title, the U.S. Open, back in 1999 vs. then No. 1 Martina Hingis. Yes, 13 years ago. I watched this video twice just because it was jaw-dropping to watch.*
Not many women can carry the throne like Serena Williams has for so long. Sure, she isn't always ranked number one in the world, but it seems like regardless of rank, she is the best out there when she is in good health. People have taken her for granted far too long, and it's time we appreciate the greatness that is Serena Williams. She has been carrying American tennis for over a decade as well as, or better than, anyone else has in history.
There was no real celebration from Serena Williams at the Australian Open this past weekend; just a small wave to the crowd and a brief nod. She seemed rather serene after taking down each of her opponents that she faced with relative ease. Williams has been saying all along that she’s happy and blessed to be playing after missing nearly eighteen months of tennis over the last year and a half with a right foot injury. But since her return, she has been climbing the rankings and people criticize her every move.
After all, there’s a reason Williams has won thirteen grand slam titles. Yeah, I said thirteen. She is as good as it gets in professional tennis today. The grunts aren't as loud, but the effort is as intense as ever before.
The ranking may not say she is number one anymore, but the followers of tennis and even her opponents all think that she is the best, whether she is ranked number one or not. She is going to get the best effort from everyone she plays, because they know that if they knock her off, the rest of the tennis world is going to take notice.
Coming off an injury-ravaged 18 months, Williams is seeded 12th in Melbourne. The television and newspaper cameras follow her every move, and they can’t get enough of her. Whether they are dramatic questions like, “Were you responsible for the dis song from Common about Drake?,” or love stories like, “Why aren’t you dating anyone and if you are who is it?” Quite frankly, the people can’t get enough of her. Her swimsuit photos go viral as soon as someone can get a picture or her half-naked and everyone is commenting, good or bad.
American tennis hasn’t had a lot to cheer about in the past decade and, quite frankly, Serena, along with her sister Venus, has carried both the women well enough that no one notices that the men’s draw is no longer worth a damn in the United States.
If you pay close attention, you will see that the Williams sisters are a volatile piece of history in the women’s game. They get ridiculed for being masculine, but they have changed the face of women’s tennis forever. They play harder than any one out there. They fight and fight to the final point. They work hard, and will try any and every measure possible to gain an edge on their competition. That is what separates them from the rest.
If you watch tennis now, you hear the young girls grunting and making loud noises like the Serena did in her young days. You see women who have made a trip or two to the weight room, and you see women who are daring in their fashion. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Stay Breezy ~ I'm Out!
