Breaking out, in what has become characteristic bad sportsmanship, the antics of Serena Williams have damaged the sport of tennis by detracting from an inspirational Samantha Stosur’s maiden grand slam title.
Coining the term ‘white maggot’ in Australia, sporting culture here has historically seen umpire-taunting and abuse as part of the game.
Looking to develop our game for the good of itself and the people involved, respect for the umpire and audience have become part of our grassroots programs, to eventually eradicate vulgar behaviour from our culture.
In the United States, however, such culture is not recognisable, because it simply does not receive media attention.
Line ball calls are reviewed by the booth and decisions are accepted. Coaches move on, players move on and decisions are forgotten.
Blighting a memorable US Open and 9/11 tribute, Williams’ act of frustration may be considered un-American or worse, unpatriotic.
Further to the anguish of sporting romantics, Williams’ refusal to shake the hand of umpire Eva Asderaki after the game, tempered with the concept of ‘what happens on the field, stays on the field’.
This has led to suggestions that Asderaki lost the match for Williams, and Williams lost the match because she could not handle the mental pressures of the grand slam final.
Both aforementioned situations are rubbish.
Winning 6-2, 6-3, Stosur controlled the entire match and simply outplayed Williams. There are no excuses for Williams’ loss and her actions demonstrate a lack of professionalism.
Shadowed by a history of ill temperament, the directed outburst of intimidation, is now the third major on-court outburst by Williams in a US Open.
Coupled with the pressure of performing in front of her home crowd, support in her homeland has surely waned.
Labelled “unsportsman-like conduct” in the NFL and “demonstrative behaviour” in the AFL, such acts are not tolerated, resulting in both, on-field penalties and sanctions in more severe cases.
Raising questions over whether sportsmen should be considered role models for children, tennis players have traditionally been more tame and reliable. This is partially attributed to the concept of individualism in the sport, where team environment have led to the detriment of players in other sports.
Having held the perch of the leading female tennis player over the last decade, Williams will still have her admiring fans but it is disappointing that her outburst has drawn attention away from deserving winner, Sam Stosur.
This highlights the rarity of disrespectful behaviour in tennis.
Losing points during the game has not deterred Williams nor did the $82,500 fine for her major offence during the 2009 US Open. With a significant fine on the horizon, various additional sanctions may include suspension from minor and major tournaments.
Dummy spits will continue to be heavily scrutinised by all observers but this is the only way a sportsman-like culture will be maintained.
Through the public humiliation of Williams, sporting bodies can utilise media outlets to promote good behaviour through the punishment of bad.
It’s just unfortunate that this overshadows the magnificent determination and success of Stosur.
tobyboy
Guest
she was gracious at the end but it was all a bit late by then. and i think this article made a good point on the ruling too - http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/09/13/grand-slam-sam-and-the-world-of-serena-williams/
JVGO
Guest
America is an in your face win at all costs culture in all aspects of life. That's the way it is. Most migrants after independence were European not British. A lot of Irish but heaps of Scandinavians and continental Europeans. This huge mix of different communities contributed to that competitiveness I'd imagine. They are very different culturally and ethnically from Australians. Regarding Serena she is a typical black woman and will not take crap from anyone. Being lectured or put in their place by a whitey is something African Americans will inevitably bristle at, for obvious historical reasons. Most Americans these days will see a black woman standing up for herself as a positive and wouldn't criticise her.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
They are great players. Other than that, what have they done for the game? Serena tried to cheat, she was involved in yet another narcissistic tantrum, and she refuses to shake the umpire's hand. I don't think she is a gracious loser, and this isn't about hating. Rather it's about (at least in my case) refusing to feel affection towards someone who is as unpleasant and classless as Serena.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
No, if you are ranked high enough, you automatically qualify. Good idea though. :D
dc
Guest
Serena may have been gracious and polite in defeat, at the end of the game, but for serious tennis fans, despite all of her trophies, her reputation is severely tarnished. her comments to the officials were way beyond heat of the moment back-chat. she showed no remorse after previous incidents and she should be shamed.
tom
Guest
i saw a gracious loser at the end of the match. engaged with stosur and enjoying her win while waiting for the presentations to commence. This isn't mentioned in the article.I see this article as another attack on the williams sisters. (Some of it in the past has been absolutely out of order.) Haters waiting for the opporunity to launch in to them. Get off their backs and aknowledge the great things they have done and are doing for the womens game.
stabpass
Guest
Well, Australians are known to play hard, but once off the court, ground, dont take it with them. Americans seem to have a different attitude, and take it off the court, the English find the Australian attitude a bit hard to take i think.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
The finely-honed Australian sense of irony strikes again?
Joey Joe Joe
Guest
People should wake up if they think Aussies are saints on the sports field. We are America junior. Our sportspeople can be just as bad as theirs.
The Bush
Roar Guru
The Yanks do tend to have a rather shocking attitude towards sport. Didn't that moron LeBron James refuse to shake hands after losing once and then told the media after the match that he "doesn't shake hands when he loses" or words to that effect because he's a "winner". Or that sprinter that lay down on the tracks? And have you seen the way the coaches yell at refs during baseball - makes Association Footballers look tame... Having said all that, those in Glass Houses (i.e. Australians)...
stabpass
Guest
Well, i did not want to expand on it, but you can take soccer hooligans out of the equation, and maybe because rugby, hockey, cricket and tennis are considered upper middle class or upper class sports, whereas in America there is less of a class society. In Australia, all those sports, with maybe the exception of rugby are considered available to all and sundry.(generally)
TomC
Guest
'English have (generally) such a reserved, polite, fair attitude to sport.' Maybe a handful of journalists do. I don't know if the general population does. There are a lot more football hooligans than fair journalists, so far as I can tell.
Football Fan
Guest
that was in 2005! and hewitt was the underdog ;)
Alfred Chan
Expert
2005 Australian Open Final - Marat Safin def Leyton Hewitt Crowd did not boo Safin. They simply went insane whenever Hewitt scored a point. Lots of support for Safin too. Australian's love to support the underdog.
Football Fan
Guest
do you really think it would have been any different here with an aussie in the final?
stabpass
Guest
Why has America got such a in your face, win at any costs mentality to sports, (generally) when the country was primarily born out of English immigration, and we know the English have (generally) such a reserved, polite, fair attitude to sport.
TomC
Guest
New York sporting crowds are notorious for their booing. I expect Stosur was prepared for it when she came out on court. But I absolutely agree that $2000 was a ridiculous fine. One of the articles I've listed above makes the point that it probably would have been better not to fine her at all, if they were only going to give her a slap on the wrist. I mean, if you tell someone their behaviour is wrong, but you're not going to do anything about it, its basically the same as condoning bad behaviour.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Serena had a tirade and should be sanctioned; she is an individual and needs to be treated as such. Her tirades are less an indictment on tennis and the USA than they are a reflection of her own flaws. However at the end of the day Stosur played well and hammered Serena to the point where she lost control as she had no answers to the Aussie, and this is the most important point for me.
jameswm
Guest
It's not only Serena. The local crowd started booing Stosur, and yelling out just as she was about to hit the ball. It did settle down after a while, but some of the crowd were aas boorish as Serena. I can't believe the fine - $2,000. That's about as big a financial hit for Serena as buying a cup of coffee is for us. She must be poorly advised - that behaviour just maker look like a spoiled prat used to having her own way. The Williams sisters can be nice, but geez they (she) can lose control. Still.
TomC
Guest
I agre with a lot of this, but for the sake of completeness I think it should be pointed out that the overwhelming reaction from the US media has been strong condemnation of Williams' behaviour, so I'm not sure it's totally true to say that respect for the officials 'doesn't receive media attention'. Here are some examples: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/12/mary-carillo-serena-williams-behavior_n_958750.html http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/sports/tennis/williams-fined-2000-for-outburst-but-avoids-harsher-punishment.html http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/09/foxs-carlson-wonders-if-serena-williams-outburst-had-racial-undertone/1 Incidentally, that last one by Carlson seems kind of loopy.