Originally posted by Elfie:
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I supported Justine today, but I didn't like the way the crowd was against Serena today. It was like the game between Hingis and Graf a few years ago. Personnally I would never applaud a fault made by a player, that's cruel. I think the audience was against her because 1) she's the number one 2) she had beaten Mauresmo 3) Henin is very popular in France 4) this game was a bit like David against Goliath .I think it's a good thing to see that a good technique can beat powerness, still Serena Williams deserves at least respect.
You are right about that--I hate seeing anyone applauding mistakes like double-faults--Serena was the reigning champion and she certainly deserves respectful treatment. But of course the crowd at Roland Garros would suport Justine--Serena should have expected that!! She's a professional, so she should have just dealt with it.
Another problem is that the father had given a very offensive interview to L'Equipe Magazine just before the tournament that had schocked people. His declarations contribute to make his daughters unpopular, because when you hear them they're not so unpleasant (Serena has cried during the press conference). In this interview he spoke about his childhood in Louisianna. He has suffered from racism as a child but now he sees racism everywhere, in America and Europe. It is as if he was at war with the entire world. For him, people can't stand to see them at the top just because they are black. It is not that simple.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The Williams' father is a strange case. From all accounts he has been a loving father (and there are a lot of really abusive parental relationships in junior-level tennis), but he also says a lot of crazy things (like he decided to have two extra children and raise them to be tennis players when he saw how large the prize winnings were???!!) But I just don't see players like Venus & Serena suffering from racism the way that real pioneers in American sports once did. Arthur Ashe had difficulties finding clubs where he was allowed to play when he was young & Jackie Robinson (he integrated baseball) was also treated horribly. I think that sometimes the Williams' dad overstates the obstacles faced by he and his daughters to simply create a more compelling story. Chanda Rubin is also from Louisiana, I'm sure that she has suffered from racial discrimination to some extent, but yet she is always gracious.
<---borrowed mad face from Elfie