Congratulations, Serena!
(sigh, once more)
Posted on 01/30/2010 2:58:33 AM PST by mlizzy
Serena Williams has made it back-to-back Australian Open crowns after defeating Belgian comeback queen Justine Henin in the women’s singles final at Melbourne Park on Saturday night.
Williams, the top seed, took her fifth Australian Open singles title with the 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory over former world No.1 Henin, who was playing her first major in 20 months after retiring in 2008.
The victory is the 12th Grand Slam singles title of Williams’ career, and the American now equals compatriot Billie Jean King in sixth place on the all-time women’s Grand Slam singles title list.
There is no correlation between talent and character.
Serena is giving up twenty to thirty pounds to some of the other women and still beating them. Same basic deal as Sea Biscuit or Secretariat winning the Preakness with a 180-lb rider. There are and have been athletic stars with much worse personality problems; Billy Martin comes to mind rather easily...
If you hit the ball well within the lines, you don’t have to threaten line judges to win...
Serena is a brilliant talent (could have been the best ever in the game), but doesn’t stay fit, plays only when she wants to, and continues to whine that the reason she and her sister weren’t accepted into the pack was because they were black. I’d love to root for Serena; she almost always wins, but she’s annoying on too many levels (for me anyway), however, she could change I imagine. Her sister, Venus, has and is more likable (and easier to root for) because of it.
“Serena is giving up twenty to thirty pounds to some of the other women and still beating them.”
You mean bulking up with steroids is a handicap? LOL That’s a new one. By that logic women should beat men all the time.
Venus and Serena are the Jekyl and Hyde of women’s tennis. Can the gracious lady really be the sister of the arrogant bully?
Has anyone ever suggested that Serena undergo chromosome testing? The media totally trashed a teenager whom they claim has excessive male hormones or genes or whatever.
This Serena person looks very male over and above the obvious use of anabolic steroids (”obvious” in the sense that everyone claims Barry Bonds used with nary a bit of proof just because he developed a lot of muscles).
????? Didn't she won last year's US-Open over the Danish girl???
That ain’t a lady, that’s a dude.
Serena has taken time off tennis, and plays only the tournaments she wants to, and is not at all as fit as she once has been. If she took tennis seriously “full time” (she always gives 100% on the court, however), there would be absolutely no one that could beat her. As it is, she wins most everything she plays. Don’t know if she takes steroids. It looks as if she does, but she’s never been called on any misuse of drugs. And I don’t know about the chromosome testing. She looks pretty much like a female to me, albeit over-muscular and bulky.
Gag. Enjoy your trophy, animal. Try not to shove it down a line judge’s throat.
I like Venus.
Serena is basically plus-size and apparently determined early on that if the pounds were going to be there one way or another, she’d rather have them be muscle than fat. You have to assume that 99.9% of all women with her genetic makeup would look like Priscilla Pig past age thirty. I’ll take Serena, you can have Priscilla.....
“hope Federer and Murray heat things up a bit (enough to be considered news, anyway).”
If will only be news if Federer loses.
“If you hit the ball well within the lines, you don’t have to threaten line judges to win...”
Ah, you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Serena’s outburst in the US Open wasn’t about a line call — it was a (ridiculous) foot fault call.
In fact, the Williams sisters are almost unique in rarely arguing about line calls, or even using their permitted challenges.
Most people don;t remember this incident, in 2003 between Henin and Serena -— and Serena has the sportsmanship not to bring it up:
She said, she said
Serena cries foul, but Henin-Hardenne offers no apology
Posted: Friday June 06, 2003 10:48 AM
PARIS (Reuters) — French Open finalist Justine Henin-Hardenne was unrepentant on Friday after being accused by Serena Williams of “lying and fabricating” during their acrimonious semifinal at Roland Garros.
The Belgian’s 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, victory on Thursday exploded in controversy midway through the third set when Henin-Hardenne appeared not to follow normal tennis etiquette and allow Williams to replay a first serve.
A tearful Williams said later: “I was a little disappointed with her. It wasn’t the turning point of the match, I should have still won the game. But to start lying and fabricating is not fair.”
Henin-Hardenne, who faces compatriot Kim Clijsters in Saturday’s final, said on Friday she felt comfortable with what happened.
“I wasn’t ready to play the point. The chair umpire is there to deal with these kind of situations. I just tried to stay focused on myself and tried to forget all the other things.
“It’s her point of view but that’s mine now and I feel comfortable with it.”
The incident occurred at 4-2, 30-0 on Williams’s serve in the third set.
Unseen by Swedish umpire Stefan Fransson, Henin-Hardenne raised her hand to indicate she was not ready to receive and Williams then served into the net.
Williams had hoped Henin-Hardenne would tell the umpire she had raised her hand and allow the American to replay her first serve.
The Belgian said nothing and Fransson did not intervene, forcing Williams to play her second serve. She lost the next four points to lose the service game and, eventually, the match.
“I didn’t have any discussion with the chair umpire,” Henin-Hardenne said. “He didn’t ask me anything.
“I was just trying to focus on playing the returns. She saw me and she served. It was her decision to serve. I just tried to stay focused on the second serve.
“But one point in the match doesn’t change the outcome.
“We must not forget how intense the match was, how beautiful it was, how it’s good for women’s tennis.
“It’s very important to concentrate on the positive things from the match and try to forget this kind of incident.”
Henin-Hardenne’s victory means for the first time since the 2002 Australian Open there will not be an all-Williams final at a grand slam between Serena and elder sister Venus. Serena’s loss ended her run of four straight grand slam triumphs.
“I hope other players will believe in their chances when they have to play Serena,” Henin-Hardenne said.
“The Williams sisters are doing a great job for women’s tennis ... but it’s good to see different faces at the end of the tournament.”
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