Remember That Time Navratilova Called Clemens A Meth Addict?
It’s hard to tell if I’m arguing against the masses or with them on this one. Mostly because as far as the Andre Agassi autobio meth / wig / daddy issues bombshells goes … well, it’s unclear who’s even paying attention.
Serena vs. Safina: A Battle Without Honor Or Humanity
I’d like to tell you that this will go down as a battle for the ages. I’d like to tell you that these two women respect each other and that respect drives them. I’d like to tell you that their careers comes down to this season and this season comes down to the final tournament in Qatar. I’d like to tell you where Qatar is on a map.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you any of these things.
Game Points: Do the Williamses Need To Try More Than Four Times A Year?
Well, neither Williams sister made it to the U.S. Open finals and so now seems as good as any time to bring up the fact that the Williams – especially Serena – lollygag their way through small WTA events and earn their keep during the big four Slams. Except that this time around, they didn’t really earn their keep, did they? What follows are two sides of the argument weighing the worth of the season’s other tournaments and the duty that the sisters may or may not have to them.
When Will Tennis Stop Awarding Points Like Donkey Kong Scores?
Imagine that your favorite football team not only earned 1,000 points for a win, but the NFL failed to make you care about it one way or the other. Every once in a while, you’d just be alerted that your team was ranked third in its division. It would occasionally mingle in the vague notion that in a few weeks, depending on how things shake out, your team could be ranked higher (maybe) … and now you see why tennis’ methods for churning up excitement without context has really harmed the sport.
Will The Real Women’s No. 1 Please Stand Up?
The WTA’s top two pupils were skirt-deep in the ongoing dilemma of the sport’s ranking system last week. The 52-week cumulative scoring system has ranked Russia’s Dinara Safina as the top female of the tour going for 17 weeks. Safina usurped No. 2-ranked Serena Williams, despite never having won a Grand Slam title at any point in her career. Wiliams has won two just this year (Wimbledon and the Australian, where she beat Safina in the finals) and 11 singles titles since 1999.
Last week, Williams repeated her familiar cry that she is “the people’s champ” and that no one who is winless in Grand Slam tournaments should be considered the best in the world.
