December 2, 2008
Serena vs. Venus simply lacks rooting interest
After the flurry of forehands, big rallies, blistering
backhands . . . after 2 1/2 hours of the kind of entertaining tennis that few other women on Earth can muster, who really felt victorious last night?
Venus? Not really.
Serena? Uh, nope.
The folks who watched?
Once the match is over, does anyone ever walk away from Venus vs. Serena on a natural high?
For the record, after a tough straight-sets win, Serena is going to the semifinals of the U.S. Open and Venus is going shopping on Fifth Avenue. But when it's an all-Williams affair in tennis, nobody really comes away with a reason to thump their chest. That includes the millions who witness a match that always sounds more gripping than it turns out.
No doubt, Venus and Serena put on a two-sister show complete with power and grace and smarts for the 18th time since they turned pro. You could see why this was easily the most anticipated match of the tournament and might wind up the most entertaining. Lots of people were happy to be holding tickets to the family "feud" and to see the two best attractions in the women's game. But be honest. Something was missing at Arthur Ashe Stadium, something that no spectator sport can afford to be without: emotion.
Yes, whenever siblings play, and there's no rooting interest among a crowd that cherishes and cheers them both - "Let's go Serenus?" - the event feels a bit hollow. All the thrill of true competition gets sucked right out of the place. Once again, there was no villainess or heroine, no real underdog, nobody who "needed it more," no sentimental favorite, no home team and no visiting team. There was no compelling reason for anyone to take sides. Nobody could even state a case for one sister being cuter than the other.
"She's the only player I care about," Venus said.
"I obviously want the best for her in that situation," said Serena, after Venus missed a batch of big points.
Can you name another game on the planet where nobody really cares who wins or loses?
Is that what sports is all about?
The atmosphere at Ashe was understandably missing an edge, and while that certainly didn't affect the quality of play, it did make the place seem antiseptic. People didn't root for one sister to fail; only for the match to go three sets. Since both are American, there's no provincial tug of war. And what further complicates matters is the public persona of Serena and Venus is so likable and easy to embrace. There's no Cain vs. Abel here, just a pair of sisters who carry themselves honorably and elevate the sport like no women since Martina and Chrissie.
Speaking of which, that was a spirited match. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova made folks take a side. People rooted for one or the other because Chrissie was so girl-next-door and America's sweetheart while Martina was this distant Czech, even though those characterizations were baloney. One way or another, fans identified with either Evert or Navratilova for reasons that were real or manufactured. Same for Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati, when they tangled as teenagers. But who can bond with Serena over Venus, or vice versa?
Well, you can't. You can't take one over the other. When they play, you're in limbo, just like Richard Williams and Oracene Price, the proud parents, along with everyone else in the Williams camp. You just go to see good tennis and be entertained, nothing else.
"I don't really care who wins," Richard Williams said recently. "And I don't even watch them play anymore."
The emotional tone of their matches is set by the sisters. There's no tension between the two players, unlike other matches. Venus vs. Serena is free of gamesmanship and nasty stares and intimidating gestures. It was mildly shocking when Serena let loose a few scrams and fist-shakes after a handful of big points, including the one that claimed the first set, and when Venus requested a replay challenge on match point. The only other match in this tournament that might compare is a possible Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, and while those two rivals are as friendly as they can possibly be, their professional relationship is tense because of the stakes.
But Venus vs. Serena?
How can you root against one when, deep inside, you suspect they root for each other?
Mixx it!
Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.
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