Serena Back at Wimbledon
SHE’S BACK – although I can’t say she’s better than ever. Even she says she didn’t play well. But she’s still kicking ass in the court. Yes, yes, one half of the tennis prodigy Williams – Serena, in particular – is back. And what did she do after winning a match in Wimbledon?
She cried.
“I’m not a crier,” Serena Williams said. But she’s obviously getting maudlin in her old age (okay, she’s not that old, but compared to those 15-year-old wunderkids . . . well, you get the drift). After beating Aravane Rezai of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, Serena had tears of joy streaming down her face.
I didn’t expect to have any emotions,” she said. “But it was definitely so emotional for me because, you know, throughout the last 12 months I’ve been through a lot of things that you guys don’t even know about. It’s just been a long, arduous road. To stand up still is pretty awesome.”
Serena’s not the only one affected by her Wimbledon return. Britain’s Elena Baltacha admits to tearing up as she watched Williams, a player Baltacha idolizes, on TV.
“Just to see that side of her because she’s a very strong personality, very dominant,” she said. “To see her break down, it just shows what it actually means to her. It actually brought a tear to my eye. But I thought ‘You’ve got to snap out of that, you’ve got a match to play.”
Serena Williams first made jaws drop at the tender age of nine. By then, she’s won 46 out of 49 tournaments, claimed proud Daddy Richard Williams. By age 14, sisters Venus and Serena can officially say that they’re professional tennis players.
Serena made her pro debut in 1995, at the Bell Challenge in Quebec, Canada – being only fourteen years old at that time, she was not allowed to compete at the World Tennis Association. She was defeated by an unknown and subsequently spent 1996 training, neither participating in TWA nor in non-TWA matches.
Her debut in the Tennis World Association in Moscow (1997) was met with critics claiming that she isn’t as talented as older sis Venus, especially considering Serena was defeated by a high-ranking player in the first round, whereas Venus was steadily climbing the ranks. Serena’s luck soon changed after beating Mary Pierce – who ranked seven in the world – only after two sets. After defeating Monica Seles (ranked number four in the world), her most difficult opponent to date, critics started labeling her as the next rising WTA star. Serena finished her first season with the WTA with an impressive ranking of 99.
By the end of her next season, Serena would have garnered a ranking of 21. The Williams’ sisters impressive talents and the fact that they were African-American – considered a rarity in the tennis world – made them both formidable players. They were forces to reckon with, ending up dominating the female-side of the tennis world.
The sisters quickly became celebrities, with Serena being known for her powerful game, her strength, and even her flashy fashion sense. In 1999, she won her first U.S. Open Grand Slam tournament, as well as the U.S. Open Grand Slam doubles tournaments and the French Open. In 2000, she won her first Wimbledon match, as well as a gold medal from the Olympics for doubles tennis. Serena won the 2001 World Tennis Association Championship. In the 2002-2003 season, she ended up claiming all four gland slam titles, including the 2002 U.S. Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. In July 8, 2002, she finally ranked as the number one player in the world, according to the WTA. Other titles include Wimbledon (2003, 2009, and 2010), the U.S. Open in 2008, and the Australian Open (2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010). In 2003, at the peak of her career, Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year, she won the ESPY award for female tennis player of the year and female athlete of the year, and the Laureus World Sports Academy named her Sportswoman of the Year.
It remains to be seen whether or not Serena would win her fourth Wimbledon title this season, but one thing’s for sure: I wouldn’t mind ending my career after such an amazing run. Serena Williams is surely the ideal role model for young women everywhere. She defied stereotypes, proved a whole lot of people wrong, and did what she did best with determination and passion. Think she’ll win this year’s Wimbledon?
References:
ñ Answers.com. (2011). Serena Williams: Biography from Answers.com. Available: http://www.answers.com/topic/serena-williams. Last accessed June 25 2011.
ñ The Washington Post. (June 23 2011). Venus, Serena Williams make strong start at Wimbledon after injuries. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/venus-serena-williams-make-strong-start-at-wimbledon-after-injuries/2011/06/22/AGgX5DgH_story.html. Last accessed June 25 2011.
ñ Richard Evans | Fox Sports on MSN. (June 21 2011). Serena sheds tears in Wimbledon return. Available: http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/Serena-Williams-Wimbledon-emotional-after-first-round-win-062111. Last accessed June 25 2011.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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