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THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: SATURday,
JUNE 19, NO. 90
Who does defending champ
Serena want to be?
Denies director Brett Ratner is boyfriend,
says the kissing photo 'was Photoshop!'
Navratilova: 'The Williamses are finding out that tennis cannot
be just a hobby'
By Douglas Robson
Special to tennisreporters.net
 Fred
Mullane/Camerawork USA
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| Serena should dominate Wimbledon,
but is her start burning too bright? |
FROM WIMBLEDON – What a difference
a year makes.
Twelve months ago, Serena Williams strode into Wimbledon determined
to prove her hiccup at Roland Garros was just that and reassert
her dominance. Which she quickly did, by storming to her fifth
major in six tries – a level of hegemony not seen since
Steffi Graf's best years.
But the WTA's most iridescent star faces an altered landscape
as she enters the All-England Club this fortnight. She is top
seeded, as she was last year, but she is no longer the irrepressible
queen. The 22-year-old American sits atop the draw thanks to the
absence of world Nos. 1 and 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters
and the secretive calculus performed by the Wimbledon seeding
committee. But her No. 11 ranking tells the truer story: This
is a player on the fringe of the Top 10.
Or is she?
More than her triumphal return in March at the NASDAQ-100 or last
month's disappointing French Open, Wimbledon is Serena's crucible.
Her smash-mouth game is perfectly tailored for grass. She is the
two-time defending champion. The only other champions in the draw
are sister Venus, who Serena has owned for two years; the oft-injured
Lindsay Davenport, who hasn't won a Slam since 2000; 47-year-old
novelty act Martina Navratilova; and fading Spaniard Conchita
Martinez. What's more, the Belgians are out. The rising Russians
are largely untested on grass. Amelie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati
continue to fight mental demons.
Serena cannot chalk up another unsightly loss to a lack of match
play when she now has four months of competitive tennis under
her belt. Fail to defend here and Serena will hold none of the
four majors over the past year – a sort of "Un-Serena
Slam." Likewise, win, or start getting used to seeing a digit
next to the No. 1.
Either way, with redemption or demise teetering in the balance,
it's just the sort of plot line an aspiring actress like Serena
should relish.
from injury to murder to megastardom
By any measure, it has been a curious,
hectic and even troubling year for the multidimensional American
megastar. Following the '03 Wimbledon, Serena underwent surgery
for a damaged left knee. Though doctors predicted she would be
back within 6-8 weeks, she did not return to the circuit for more
than eight months.
Publicly, both Serena and Venus have had to fully address the
death of their half-sister, Yetunde Price, who was gunned down
in their hometown of Compton, Calif., in September. But it can
hardly have left them unaffected. Venus told Tr.net in April that
"You have to deal with things and life and not just go down.
This is the world, unfortunately. I try to always stay thankful
for all the happy and good times, looking for more."
Davenport, who communicated with the sisters via email during
their hiatus, noted. "The public has probably gotten over
the shock of it. But when it's someone close, it probably really
takes a long time to get over the pain of that."
Serena's time off was anything but idle, as she spent her free
time throwing herself into the Hollywood lifestyle she adores.
The perks of superstardom continued to roll in, even if it seemed
Serena's focus and sense of responsibility to the sport that brought
her fame and fortune wandered. She earned the ire of WTA Tour
officials by repeated pulling out of tournaments at the 11th hour
and skipping key events, such as a November ceremony at the WTA
Championships for the former No. 1's.
But none of that stopped her from inking an estimated five-year,
$40 million sponsorship deal with Nike – the biggest in
the history of women's sports – and signing with the talent-hawking
William Morris Agency, leaving her agent at IMG – Carlos
Fleming, who remains one of Venus' agents – after four years.
It left many wondering if the star was more committed to the stage
than the court. Her erratic play since hasn't made those questions
go away.
Navratilova: 'The Williamses are finding
out that tennis cannot be just a hobby'
"The Williamses are finding out that
tennis cannot be just a hobby," Navratilova told the London
Evening Standard this week. "It needs to be a full-time
deal because it takes such a long time to build up confidence
and so little time to shatter it. … The better players know
they can win, and that levels the playing field a tremendous amount.
The aura of invincibility which the Williams sisters used to have
has gone."
Serena insists her dedication to the game is higher than ever.
"If I wanted to right now, I'd be shooting a movie,"
she said after losing to Capriati at Roland Garros. "I get
several offers all the time. I could really be having that opportunity.
But I'm here. This is what I truly love. There is nothing like
walking out there and winning a match and throwing my hands up.
To me, it's worth it."
Still, there is ambivalence. Serena admitted she would trade in
her Nikes for an equal amount of success on the big screen. "For
sure, if I could make some movies and make a hundred mil, that
would be awesome," Serena says. "That would be great.
I would love that."
What has carried over for Serena is her deep reservoir of self-belief,
despite some sloppy play. Serena has always been a great fighter.
But now her fire is tempered with a new perspective she says being
away from the game has given her.
"I'm more mature now," said Serena, who has the same
steely-eyed look even if her aura of invincibility is under attack.
"I really realize that this is what I really want to do.
I enjoy being in tennis. I love it."
Denies director Brett Ratner is boyfriend,
says the kissing photo 'was Photoshop!'
In addition to getting her priorities
right, Serena has added some stability to her social life. She
has been linked romantically to Brett Ratner, a Hollywood director/producer
with credits such as "Rush Hour" and "The Family
Man," a fact confirmed by members of Serena's entourage.
Ratner accompanied Serena to Roland Garros and was in the players'
box at all her matches, jabbering and laughing with Serena when
watching Venus play, and looking like a concerned boyfriend during
Serena's matches.
"No one ever even asked me if we're dating or not,"
Serena said in Paris, apparently hoping to deflect interest in
the relationship. "We're just really good friends,"
she claimed with a slight giggle, explaining she met Ratner a
couple of years ago through mutual friend, Chris Tucker, the comedic
actor.
Her acting credits aside, Serena doesn't really do demure well.
When asked about magazine photos showing the two puckering up
for an imminent kiss, Serena said with a big laugh: "That
was Photoshop!"
In other words, Serena is still Serena. She's still the effervescent
personality that likes to push the fashion envelope and poke fun,
punctuate her statements with hearty laughter and seems incapable
of putting her pink cell phone down. But this is a more realistic
and mature version of the bead-headed girl who stunned the tennis
world by winning the '99 US Open as a 17-year-old.
"They love to love you and they love to hate you," said
Serena of the crowd that rattled her last year and that has greeted
her in 2004 with a mixture of boos and cheers. "It doesn't
even bother me."
WEEKS GO BY WITHOUT SEEING EACH
OTHER
Is maturity a bad thing for a player
who seemed impervious to psychological pressure, even when beating
up on her older sister? That's unclear. But certainly, as with
her competition, her relationship with Venus has evolved. The
sisters remain best friends, but as they have grown up they are
no longer the inseparable tandem they were when they first came
on tour. Both still have an official residence in Palm Beach Gardens,
Fla., but Serena spends as much time as possible at her pad in
Beverly Hills. And, since they seldom play the same tournaments,
they can go weeks or months without seeing each other in person.
Venus, 24, said she had not seen Serena in five weeks when she
bumped into her at the hotel where they are both staying in Paris.
"I don't necessarily feel like I haven't seen her because
I always talk to her," said Venus, who keeps in constant
contact by cell phone. "I never feel like she's far, even
if she's across the world. But it's nice to see her. It's more
fun."
The multi-millionaire Serena said she'd prefer to spend more away
from Florida, which she called "boring." But "I
can't spend too much time in LA or they try to get me for taxes,"
she added.
In Paris last month, the two shared a hitting partner; practiced
together, dined together and even attended a Sting concert. But
that doesn't make a possible sister showdown in the Wimbledon
finals palatable.
Though they have met 12 times during their careers – Serena
holds a 7-5 advantage and has not lost to her sister since the
'01 US Open final – their matches have at times been sloppy,
awkward and joyless. "It's hard," said Serena, "but
when we play each other it's just like, 'This is a Grand Slam.'
I want to win. She wants to win. We both want to win. Unfortunately,
only one can win."
Whether the extended break for both sisters – Venus was
out with a stomach strain for six months after losing to Serena
in the finals of Wimbledon – will shake up the psychological
stranglehold Serena has had on her sister remains to be seen.
Serena will have to raise her game from what she's shown so far
to snag another Slam, and Wimbledon is ripe for the taking.
But dominate? That may not ever happen again. Most players who
have taken an extended break from the tour have rarely been able
to capture more than an isolated Slam or two.
However, Graf won '99 Roland Garros after months away and Monica
Seles captured the '96 Australian Open just six months after a
more than two-and-a-half year break following her stabbing in
1993. Both were considerably older than the 22-year-old Serena.
And as Serena sternly enlightened reporters who questioned her
commitment on the eve of her return in March: "First and
foremost, I am not most people."
And therein lies the question Wimbledon could help answer. Who
does she want to be?
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