The world of tennis which used to be white, has sunken to a new tow. Serena Williams was booed before, during and after her match at Indian Wells, CA, last week, in spite of the taunts, boos and verbal threats to her father, Richard Williams, Serena , like a true champion managed to stick to her game and win. Now, this was not a football game, this was tennis, the game where one on one competition is fierce, but one where even a catcall could get you ejected by an usher. An article by sportswriter Mike Lorie on CBS Sportsline.Com is a perfect example of how the media and the mostly white tennis, fans have treated the Williams family since their miraculous emergence on the scene. Lurie's article entitled "Williams family Under Heavier Scrutiny Since Indian Wells, was devoid of facts and based cm innuendos or suspicions that Venus Williams was not telling the truth about an injury that caused her to cancel a match with her sister. And true to form of the media people who've been reporting on Venus and her sister Serena, he placed the blame on their father Richard.
But this is nothing new. 'The attacks against Richard Williams and his two talented daughters began when Venus, the older of his two daughters entered the US OPEN three years ago. Chris Everet and John "the brat" McEnroe were the television commentators that day. They were obviously
Stunned to see a young Black woman, whom they newer heard of, go a lit he way to the finals in her first; professional tournament. As she consistently beat every opponent, Chris Everet, a retired tennis champion made add remarks about her appearance, her style of playing, and predicted that; she wouldn't go far because she lacked the skills to win against better and "professional" players, Venus proved her wrong and did the unbelievable. She went all the way up to the finals, only losing the last match. Still the negative comments kept coming. That's when we heard the first negative spin on her father Richard, who did not attend that tournament. McEnroe also jointed in... he wondered aloud how could Richard Williams think he had the talent to train his daughter, and why didn't he come to the tournament. Then, they predicted Venus would surely lose because her father hadn't allowed her to play junior tennis, like all the other pros. They both made disparaging remarks about the beads in her hair. Then to their absolute horror, they realized Venus had a younger sister who reportedly was planning to go pro the following year. You could hear the fear in their voices. What had happened to their world of white skins and white tennis gear? We got the message bud and clear when somehow they came up with a "quote" from Richard Williams that intimated that he knew about the racism in America, and in the world of tennis, This happened after a European player deliberately bumped into Venus during a change over
of a match. It was clear
that was deliberate, but Everet and McEnroe kept asking for a
replay of the
incident
from every angle...just to
make sure. After the match the offender was not. apologetic: or
remorseful,
but ranted that Venus was arrogant, Venus on the other hand politely
dismissed the incident and refused to
accept the bait to say something offensive. Yes... that first
tournament was foretelling of what was to come.
The
predominantly white fans at the IB
QPEP4 didn't boo Venus that day, but they did what was newer done
before...they cheered for a foreigner to win over an American.
We knew then that the Williams family would be
m for a rocky ride. The negative articles about both Venus and
Serena and
their proud Black father, Richard accelerated as the two sisters
continued
to win
their way to the top. They have never been congratulated for bringing
more interest to the women's
game,
or for bringing the
athletic standard to a higher level We know that if the Williams
family were white,
there would be many articles about their success, their talent and
how they exemplify the American Dream of rising to the top from the ghetto in Comptom, LA. There was only one article that favored Richard Williams last year, wrttten by a Black reporter named Bill Rhodden, in this telling article Mr. Williams was shown in a more favorable light. He talked about the values he taught his girls and the fact that they know who they are, their roots, their history and let it be known that he's not following anyone.
I worked at the IB OPEN fast year
for the express purpose of gaining access to al of Venus and
Serena Williams
matches. I wanted to see them up close and personal and to
meet their father Richard. I also wanted to
see if any of the stories about them were true...were they
realty cocky, was Mr, Williams abrasive,
controlling and overbearing. Well, what 1 saw was a family of
people who were loving, polite to autograph
seekers and especially the mainly Black and Latino workers. I watched
them from my station in the middle of
the tennis center. I saw Mr. Williams stopping to talk to children
and adults in a totally respectful way. When I
Saturday, March 24,2001 America Online: ABDAC Page: 1
Approached him, introduced myself as a fan, he said "God Bless you". I also overheard
White fans yelling insults when the girls 'were playing and worse, I heard coporate people in the suites
Screaming racial insults as Venus, whipped
Lindsay Davenport in the final match to win the title. I also read the newspaper reporting of their matches and
Was outraged to see the continuous negative reporting off1 the events. One stands out in my mind.
Venus had beaten Martha Hingis in a semi-final match, but the newspaper chose to focus on statements by
John McEnroe saying that: Venus and Serena 'were cocky and needed to team humility. Imagine that! This man
who in his heyday as a professional tennis player was known to curse and swear at referees, break his racket
and fall down in infantile tantrums is now given space to rag on the Williams sisters.
But, we're not surprised, racism in the tennis world is just a reflection of the racism that continuously exists in America. However, if you ever get an opportunity to see Venus and Serena play, take it. Not only are they esthetically beautiful in appearance, their game is a joy to behold. When they reach back and come up with a powerful hit that lands between the lines, even the racists gasp in amazement. Now, Venus and Serena do have white fans, some of them from other countries and some from the US. However it seems that there's a gender gap with their US white fans. The younger ones see excellence, power and strength, the older ones only see the color of their skin and treat them like intruders to a private dinner party.
Regardless of whether you ever see Venus and Serena play, please keep
Them in your protective prayers. The incident at, Indian Wells was of great concern, Mr. Williams had to call security twice. The handwriting is on the wall. He's not going to bow to these people and neither are his precious daughters. The anger and envy, negative press and racist fans are not surprising, but we collectively Know the power of prayer...if you are obliged, put them on your prayer list. Bless, Ayesha grice