The Williams Era

The tennis punditry's hand wringing about the lack of successful "American" (male) tennis players in this year's Wimbledon tournament has obscured another amazing run by Venus and Serena Williams. While their inexorable march through the tournament has been adequately covered by the press since the round of 16, their achievements remain strangely disconnected from the bemoaning of the absence of (white) American players in the late rounds of Grand Slam tournaments. The slanted coverage of the Williams sisters is as much about gender discrimination as it is about racism. The press usually pays more attention to the men's game than the women's game. Male stars (regardless of their racial backgrounds) receive more attention than female stars. During a July 1st interview of John McEnroe on the "Mike and the Mad Dog" radio program on the New York-based WFAN radio network (wfan.com), McEnroe implored Chris Russo, the show's host to "move on to the men" after apparently talking too long about Venus and Serena's domination of the women's draw. And yet, one cannot discount the ways race shapes the media's coverage of the Williams sisters, not only in the usual tales about their superior "athleticism" instead of their intelligence, but also in the ways their successes are underplayed by commentators. Nowhere was the tennis press's resentment toward the Williams sisters more evident than during the NBC coverage of the historic 2005 Wimbledon Final when Venus defeated Lindsay Davenport in a three set thriller. While Ted Robinson, the play-by-play commentator rightly credited both players for their amazing efforts, Mary Carrillo, the lead analyst for the match, rarely summoned up the energy to comment on Venus's gutty effort. In the latter stages of the match, particularly during the amazing third set, Carrillo was literally silent during the points that Venus won while she somehow awakened from her sleep to praise every successful point by Davenport. Her silence was so pronounced that I wondered if she had left the broadcast booth. Carillo's commentary (and lack thereof) implicitly encouraged spectators to root for Davenport, presumably the only "American" worth pulling for that day.
The racial and gendered-inflected coverage of Venus and Serena is rooted in the fact that the Williams sisters are confident athletes who do not apologize for the success. As a selfish tennis fan, I would like to see them play and dominate every tournament so that they could approach the greatness of legendary players such as Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Billy Jean King. But spectators do not have the right to demand that athletes stand and jump when they desire. Like other black superstars who refuse to play the role of the deferential athlete, the best they usually receive from sports commentators is tepid congratulations. They refuse to play the part of the deferential black star who is grateful to the predominantly white sporting press for paying them attention. Neither do they apologize for enjoying the pleasures of the lucrative celebrity life. Although Venus has recently received credit for her efforts to equalize prize money for female and male tournament winners, more often than not, the sisters remain targets of an undercurrent of resentment by the sport's media establishment.
During the first week of this year's Wimbledon, the pundits on ESPN and NBC lamented the now routine early round exits of leading U.S. players Andy Roddick and James Blake. Meanwhile, Venus and Serena steamrolled their opponents without dropping a set in both the singles AND doubles competitions. But those of us who bemoan the disappointing play of Roddick and Blake should ask themselves this simple question: without the Williams sisters where would U.S. American tennis be? If it wasn't for the efforts of Oracene Price, Richard Williams, their parents and coaches (who themselves have ruffled the sport's establishment on more than one occasion) and of course Venus and Serena themselves, there would be NO noteworthy performances in Grand Slams by U.S. men or women. Since 1999, they have won a combined 14 Grand Slam tournaments (8 for Serena, 6 for Venus).
I am pulling for for a sixth all-Williams Grand Slam final. I hope they play a great three-set match that will go down in tournament history. While the tennis press is quick to frame Roger Federer's achievements in historical terms, and the golf press tracks Tiger Woods' historic dominance, the Williams sisters are seldom discussed as historical figures in the history of their sport. After more than a decade of stellar tennis, a celebration of their historic careers is long overdue. Perhaps an all-Williams final at this year's Wimbledon will prompt a discussion of what could rightfully be described as the "Williams Era."