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Great news for Suite101 tennis
CNN, NBC, ABC, New York Times, Suite101.com. That's right! Suite101.com will be right there with the media elite of the world covering the Australian Open 2000. Suite101.com will have a Media Representative at the Australian Open from the 19th January until the 31st January, bringing you the latest on what is happening on-court, behind-the-scenes and hopefully getting up close and personal with some of the great tennis players of the world. Contributing Editor for Women's Tennis, Michael Cecilio, will be updating you on all the "gossip" so remember to keep checking this website for the latest articles.
Who ever thought it was all grace and pleasantries on the women's circuit? Long gone are the days when Chrissie Evert led the tour with quiet confidence, sportswomanship and grace both on-court and off-court. This generation of players are unabashed in their words and their behaviour and they are not afraid to talk about each other, regardless of the consequences. Yes, for every unruffled Davenport and placid Seles on the tour, there are about ten Hingises, Williamses and Kournikovas who play the exact contrast - brash, overconfident, outspoken, attention-seeking girls who love the camera and love the press. But has it all gotten out of hand? Cast your minds back to this time last year when Amelie Mauresmo was the centre of attention. Not because of the fact she surprised all by reaching a Grand Slam final. No, it was because of the fact she had outed herself as a lesbian. And who stirred the pot by causing controversy? It was none other than Martina Hingis who claimed Mauresmo was "half a man" for German press. It was one thing to discuss the actual fact that Mauresmo had outed herself. It was another thing to actually poke fun at a player who had done nothing but attain her goal in the sport she had chosen and who had spoken candidly and honestly to the media about a topic which was clearly uncomfortable for the French girl. What added insult to injury was that Hingis was not apologetic after her actions and claimed that she had not done anything wrong to the point of denying she had made the statement (media confirmed that the comments had been made) and in some ways, it dented her momentous victory at Melbourne. There are times when the talk is trash and merely attention seeking. Sometimes it even adds a little spice to the game. The women's tennis tour has never been better and is thriving much better than the men's tour because of the consistent rivalries, both on-court and off, and because of the effervescent personalities which grace the tour. Martina Hingis has developed a keen rivalry with the Williams sisters on-court which sometimes spurts itself off-court. Hingis and the Williamses pride themselves on being the best at what they do and are not afraid to state it. All three are intent on making the media and the public aware of that fact too. The contrasting tennis styles of Hingis and the Williamses make for some incredible viewing and the fact that they are all fighters who don't give up and who have too much pride at stake to lose also makes their matches all the more interesting. What they say off-court is just as interesting. When Venus lost to Martina at the Chase Championships last year, Venus was unwilling to give Martina any credit whatsoever for the win, saying that she had lost because of an injury which had impaired her movement. Effectively, she said that if she had played at her best, she would have won hands-down. Martina does credit the Williamses as her toughest opponents on the tour, but won't let anyone forget that it is she who is #1 and who is the best right now. Quite obviously, Martina takes great pride in being the best and does not want anyone to steal her thunder. Richard Williams, father of the Williams prodigies, predictions that Venus and Serena would meet each other in the US Open final did annoy Hingis as she called him a "big mouth", and was intent on making sure that that prediction did not hold any truth whatsoever.
The copyright of the article Tennis 2000 in Women's Tennis is owned by . Permission to republish Tennis 2000 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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