Unfortunately, I’ve found that the story receiving most attention from the tournament is the flared temper of Serena Williams following the calling of a foot fault at the conclusion of her semi-final match. I have heard both sides to this story—while all feel she was out of line, some say that emotion is all part of sport, while others argue her actions were completely unwarranted and unacceptable. Granted, all athletes feel surges of passion while competing, but it’s so important to keep those feelings and emotions in check, and to always exhibit calm composure. She was upset, but the situation could have, and should have been handled with a little more grace. Must we review what happened to Oregon football player LeGarrette Blount merely a week ago? Serena- you’re a role model to young tennis players and young people worldwide- you must lead by example, even if you disagree- disagree with class.
The most noteworthy story, which should be receiving the publicity, is of tournament winner, Kim Clijsters. A wild card, unranked, mother two years removed from the sport. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is. This year’s US Open was only her third tournament back in the sport after returning to the sport haphazardly for an exhibition at Wimbledon. Slowly but surely, with quiet determination, she climbed back to the top. Now a wife and mother, Clijsters was able to maintain perspective, silence her nerves and add to her success by focusing on 18 month old daughter, Jada, rather than reviewing every miniscule detail of the game.
What a wonderful tournament the US Open evolved into this year. Some may shy away from watching the sport of tennis with its usual cast of characters and lack of drama, but those same people, I guarantee, tuned in to the this year’s tournament… and what a wild ride it was.
What a wonderful tournament the US Open evolved into this year. Some may shy away from watching the sport of tennis with its usual cast of characters and lack of drama, but those same people, I guarantee, tuned in to the this year’s tournament… and what a wild ride it was.
It's amazing that Kim Clijsters won the U.S. Open the last time she played it too! And she is the only woman to beat both Williams sisters in the same tournament twice. It was good to see her back on the court competing... Is Justine Henin next to come out of retirement?
ReplyDeleteKim is a role model; Serena is a spoiled brat. If just one of her sponsers dumped her, I would immediatly go out and buy something from them. I'm not holding my breath.
ReplyDeleteThe PAC 10 is 10-7 vs. the SEC in the last 11 years. The record speaks for itself; your poll is inaccurate!
ReplyDeleteSerena needs to get her attitude in check. It is never acceptable to threaten someone, especially in front of hundreds of fans. Athletes should not get away with this behavior; most of us would be fired from our jobs if we acted this way.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the Serena incident taking away from the real story - Kim clijster's victory. Clijsters is a respectable athlete and deserves accolade for her performance in the tournament.