The Tigers Of Tennis

Richard Williams saw this coming. He said years ago that his daughters Venus and Serena would take tennis over. That they would someday rank as the two best players in the world.

They're not there yet but their recent face to face meeting in the Wimbledon semi-finals overshadowed even Pete Sampras' quest for his 13th career Grand Slam title.

Venus, 20, was seeded fifth. Her 18 year old sister was seeded eighth. They are two of the most powerful and feared players on the tour because of their amazing athleticism. For proof, I refer you to a shot Venus hit in her match with Serena. Serena had forced Venus to range far to her left to return a shot. As she scrambled back into position for the expected crosscourt shot, Serena instead hit the ball behind Venus. Most players whose momentum is carrying them away from the ball like this have no shot at the ball. Venus stopped, switched the racquet to her left hand and flicked the ball back over the net. Serena eventually won the point but not before wowing NBC analyst and three time Wimbledon winner Chris Evert. "What athleticism!" she cooed.

But their impact stems only partly from their tennis.

Even though they're the first sisters to meet in a Grand Slam semi-final since the 19th century, that alone would not have made them the subject of ABC's news program "Nightline" as the Williams' Wimbledon meeting did.

The fact that they're sisters who have both risen to the top ten of the tennis rankings is significant. The fact that they came out of the city parks of Compton, California and that they're black and rose to the top ten of the tennis rankings makes them a social phenomemon.

Ted Koppel had Richard Williams as a guest on his broadcast. He suggested that the sisters' emergence was a boon to African Americans who now have tennis players to root for. To his credit, Richard said he hoped Venus and Serena gave all Americans someone to root for.

Tennis has had great black players. Ever hear of Arthur Ashe? He won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But he didn't do for tennis what Tiger Woods has done for golf. Crowds and television ratings soar for any tournament Tiger enters. Can the Venus and Serena do that for tennis?

That his girls might be asked to do that is something even Richard Williams didn't see coming. He might soon.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic