Why I'm Relieved Serena Williams Withdrew From the French Open

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Serena Williams was forced to withdraw from the French Open on Wednesday because of an Achilles injury. She pulled out of the tournament just an hour before she was to face Tsvetana Pironkova.

I'd love to see Serena tie homophobe Margaret Court's record as much as the next gay. Yet I must confess that I find myself almost relieved when she exits a major anymore. Her presence seems like an ordeal for everyone involved -- most of all her increasingly injury-prone self, but also her team, the officials, her opponents and even the commentators. And the ensuing drama brings out well-meaning people who adore her but know nothing about tennis so insist on bending over backward to make excuses for her that she doesn't need and probably doesn't want: 

The catsuit incident at the 2018 French Open was "elitist" -- "Serena Williams has had her hair, body, and clothing picked apart for years"; "Serena Williams is being singled out ... again" -- never mind that Anne White was also chastised for the same thing decades ago without incident

She alone was a victim of post-pregnancy discrimination when she wasn't seeded at the 2018 Wimbledon and then initially seeded according to her ranking at the 2018 U.S. Open, even though no one ever said a word about the issue when Victoria Azarenka returned from having a child

That coaching violation versus Naomi Osaka that Serena insists never happened? Her fans also say it didn't happen but even it if had it "shouldn't have been a rule in the first place. (Cue the WTA altering the rules to accommodate her.)

And as for that foot fault during 2019 Australian Open, her fans believe it was "ridiculous" to call it on her because it was match point. (That's why she ended up losing to Pliskova.) 

Everything is a conspiracy against this poor woman in the eyes of these very vocal Serena-come-lately types.

Since returning from giving birth to her first child, Serena has made it clear that she's only playing to get the majors record. Yet even though she's the one saying this we are bombarded with articles with headlines like "Serena Williams' latest quest for 24 ends at French Open, but does it really matter?" while her fans troll the internet night and day complaining about how "unfair" it is for her to have to win more -- "She's already the greatest!" -- insisting that the establishment has put undue pressure on her and are guilty of moving the goalpost on Serena because she's a woman of color. Huh? As a hardcore Steffi Graf fan and close follower of pro tennis since 1977 I can tell you with no hesitation that the Grand Slam record has always been spelled out in two parts: all-time versus Open Era. 

I was there when Graf was going for the latter and once she passed Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, was hoping she'd at least tie Court on the former. Ultimately, Steffi ended up retiring just after turning 30 with 22 majors and not a single person ever said it was "unfair" that she wasn’t considered superior in the record books to Court. (FYI: Serena is now nine years Graf's senior and has one more major to show for it.)

‘Open’ and shut up: The conspiracy is that no one ever talks about Open Era now that Serena is the leader. But as this graphic shows, this isn't true. And the reason people are focused on 24 is because she's set her sights on this new goal

I also remember when Serena finally tied Chris and Martina's record of 18 at the 2014 U.S. Open -- it was a BIG DEAL, despite what these revisionist Serena fans are telling you, with everyone saying "18 s in her head" each time she faltered in the runup to finally reaching her goal -- and the two legends came to Flushing Meadows to present her with the trophy. (As an aside, Martina recently made a point I had never thought about: Because there wasn't much of a pro tour for the women before the Original Nine in 1970, there really isn't a need to differentiate the Open Era from earlier, whereas Rod Laver missed many majors while playing the pro circuit. But I suppose acknowledging this now would only devalue the record Serena does currently hold, so best not to think about it.)

Serena's sycophants have also taken to saying Court's record "doesn't count" because 11 of her 24 titles were at the Australian Open, which had a depleted field and smaller draws back in the day. First of all, a record is a record. If a record doesn't mean anything, then why is Serena dying to break it? And what they neglect to mention is that Court also won 12 majors that weren't at the Australian Open -- including the calendar year Grand Slam, something Serena has yet to do. One Serena fan went so far as to say Court wasn't even "that good," completely unaware of the fact that the Aussie great's physical prowess and aggressive style of play set the stage for today's game. (Watch YouTube clips of her -- she's frighteningly formidable.)

Secondly, if we are going to start assigning asterisks to tournaments, then everything could be thrown into question. Do Chris Evert's French Opens not count because there were no great clay-court players back then? Do majors where Rafael Nadal was injured not count for Federer and Djokovic? The list of potential exceptions is endless. What's most telling about this line of reasoning -- and perhaps best highlights how little these fair-Williams fans know about the history of the game -- is that you NEVER heard anyone make excuses for Pete Sampras or Roger Federer when they were chasing Roy Emerson's all-time record, and half of his 12 majors were also Down Under. These warped arguments are constant, relentless and exhausting for lovers of the sport.

Still, all of this nonsense would be worth it if I thought Serena increased the popularity of tennis overall. But I have the distinct impression these people are just admirers of hers -- which is understandable given her talent and star quality -- and frankly real tennis fans are at the point that they can't wait to be rid of them even at the expense of the greatest player of all time. 

In Reversal, Billie Jean King Says Margaret Court Arena’s Name Should Change

Billie Jean King was definitely late to the LGBTQ rights party. But God bless her for finally diving in head first on this touchy topic, saying Friday that the Australian Open’s Margaret Court Arena should be renamed because of Court’s derogatory comments about gay and transgender people.

“If I were playing today, I would not play on it,” King said at a news conference three days before the tournament begins. King, who won her first Australian title 50 years ago by beating Court in the final, said, “I personally don’t think she should have her name anymore.”

Is it the “Battle of the Sexes” effect? I like!

The New York Times reports that King has often defended Court, and the arena, and her shift on Friday was her strongest criticism to date. King said she originally supported giving the arena Court’s name, a move that was made in 2003.

“I was really for her to have it,” King said. She then paused. “I think it’s really important if you’re going to have your name on anything that you’re hospitable, you’re inclusive, you’re open arms to everyone that comes,” she continued. “It’s a public facility.”

Over time, King said, Court’s comments about gays and lesbians “really went deep in my heart and soul.” “I was fine until lately when she said so many derogatory things about my community; I’m a gay woman.”

The Gray Lady writes that King’s remarks appeared to catch tournament officials off guard.

As controversy mounted over the name of the arena last year, the host federation maintained almost complete silence in the face of calls for the name to be changed because of Court’s remarks about gay people and gay marriage, which recently became legal in Australia after receiving overwhelming support in a public referendum.

“Tennis Australia, along with the rest of the tennis family, proudly live the values of equality, inclusion and diversity,” said Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley.

Tiley announced that King had been named “Australian Open Woman of the Year,” and spoke of her legacy as a pioneer as she sat beside him at the podium.

But when King was asked about Court’s name on the arena, she said: “I know it’s not as easy as people think, but I personally don’t think she should have her name anymore. I think if you were talking about indigenous people, Jews or any other people, I can’t imagine the public would want somebody to have their name on something. Maybe because of our community, the L.G.B.T.I.Q. community, people might feel differently. But we’re all God’s children. We are all God’s children, so I probably don’t think it’s appropriate to have her name.”

Hear! Hear!

To be honest I was with Old Billie Jean initially, and would have been fine with Court's name being on the arena if she would just STOP TALKING. She's of a different generation, so if she had said "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman" during the cultural shift, fine. But she just will not let go -- telling out Aussie player Casey Dellacqua that her son "needs a man" in his life (Dellacqua and her partner are expecting a second child in April) and calling transgender children "the work of the devil" -- and blurts this stuff out even when no one is asking her. It's aggressively homophobic rather than passively so. What message does it send to the world at large to honor someone who behaves this deplorably?

UPDATE:

Full statement HERE.

John McEnroe Tells Margaret Court Where to Shove Her Homophobia

John with activist/photographer son Sean, who told the Gray Lady he "identifies as a straight man"

Frankly, I'm loath to give neanderthals like Margaret Court any more attention than she's already getting. But when the "self-appointed commissioner of tennis" goes to the trouble of recording a video making a fool out of her, I'm gonna share!

Watch HERE.

John thinks he knows where Court's anti-gay hate comes from.

THIS is worth a read -- I hope I don't catch lesbianism at Wimbledon next month!

Weekend Tennis Roundup

I know things are already under way in Paris, but for the record:

Stan Wawrinka warmed up for the French Open by retaining his home Geneva Open title on Saturday, beating Mischa Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The top-seeded Wawrinka clinched by breaking serve with a fierce forehand crosscourt pass to beat left-hander Zverev’s advance to the net. Wawrinka’s first title in 2017 is the 16th of his career, and the seventh on clay including the 2015 French Open. The Swiss is the No. 3 seed at Roland Garros, and first plays the 152nd-ranked Josef Kovalik of Slovakia. 

In the Battle of the Might Have Beens: Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France won his first title on clay when he defeated Tomas Berdych 7-6 (2), 7-5 in the Lyon Open final on Saturday. Tsonga dropped just three points behind his first serve, hit 13 aces, and saved both of the break points he faced to down his third-seeded Czech opponent. Tsonga's victory came a day before the French Open starts in Paris. No Frenchman has won the Roland Garros title since Yannick Noah lifted the Mousquetaires Cup in 1983.

Samantha Stosur outlasted Daria Gavrilova in an epic all-"Australian" final in Strasbourg, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. I'd like to see Sam build on this in Paris -- she should have won her first Slam there in 2010 -- but I'm not holding my breath.

Sam joined a long list of people who thinks Margaret Court is an idiot.

UPDATE: And now Andy Murray has spoken out for equality.