Serena Accused of Gamesmanship

[RJD11]

Jon Wertheim:

As for D.'s point about "love her or hate her," here's one sphere in which Williams has really backslid lately: polarization. She's really losing her touch there. Subtly but unmistakably, she is no longer cleaving public opinion. Which is to say: The haters are becoming an endangered species.

Part of this is her doing. Serena's comportment and conduct were darn near impeccable in 2013. Even when goaded into controversy (see: Stephens, Sloane), she didn't veer from the high road. She played a full schedule all over the world -- "supporting the tour," as the old-timers like to say, as if this is a pro bono exercise and not a job. On the one occasion she made some ill-considered remarks about another player, she apologized and moved on.

No one is obligated to like a certain player. In the face of all this, I submit that the dwindling anti-Serena contingent simply looks small. The usual allegations -- she's arrogant! She always shakes the chair's hand first! Four years ago, she threatened a lineswoman! -- just seem so petty in the face of her achievements.



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20131030/serena-williams-mailbag/#ixzz2jGoy75Hs

 

[RJD11]

On the original point, it doesn't matter even if she was feigning tiredness. It's not gamesmanship.

I think ultimately Serena's aim was to get on and off the

court as quickly as possible. That is always what she tries

to do. While luring your opponent into a false sense of security

is a nice strategy, that was not on her mind. She wanted to get

off the court and start her time off.....But She hates to lose

So she'll dig deep and fight to win no matter how tired she is

and how far behind she is.

Jon Wertheim:

I wrote this nearly four years ago, after Williams won the 2010 Australian Open, and tell me it isn't hold up just as well today:

For all of Williams's power and athleticism, it's her ... well, whatever word best depicts her will to win ... that is her true gift. And it was on vivid display in Melbourne. Whenever matches tightened, Williams seemed to flip a switch and turn on her best tennis. Whenever all looked dire -- say, down a set and 4-0 to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the quarterfinals -- Williams fashioned an escape route. Whenever her body started to flag, she found a surge of energy. Anything to avoid leaving the court a loser. Her secret? She shrugs. "If I lose," she said, "I'm going out hard."

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

^^putting up quotes from other people in the absence of anything from you isn't going to cut it on here..

if you've got a problem with people not liking Serena's on court antics like i'm gonna kill you rant at lineswoman and the panic room farce, or that comment about that girl who was gang r@ped a few months ago then you have got a problem with reality and decency.

and people still go on about Federer wagging his finger for 2 seconds at djokovic at the French open. that is really petty..all that stuff serena did, not so petty.

 

[tossip]

this season the media failed to derail Serena,from silly Sloane,that Rolling Stones article,Clijsters and Capriati diss...and Jelena Sergio Garcia Jankovic .

 

[tented]

this season the media failed to derail Serena,from silly Sloane,that Rolling Stones article,Clijsters and Capriati diss...and Jelena Sergio Garcia Jankovic .

And we tried. Boy, did we try. I remember the Derail Serena Media Meeting. We thought we had put together the perfect plan: we told Sloane to beat Serena at the AO, we arranged for Rolling Stone to be there exactly when Serena would be on the phone, we got ahold of Clijsters and Capriati. But, alas, we failed.

There's always next year, though. Even as I type this, plans are in the works to derail Serena in 2014. I won't give away any of the details, but let's just say it involves Serena losing a few matches, Mary Jo Fernandez "forgetting" how old Serena was when she won her second AO ... you get the idea.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

this season the media failed to derail Serena,from silly Sloane,that Rolling Stones article,Clijsters and Capriati diss...and Jelena Sergio Garcia Jankovic .

And we tried. Boy, did we try. I remember the Derail Serena Media Meeting. We thought we had put together the perfect plan: we told Sloane to beat Serena at the AO, we arranged for Rolling Stone to be there exactly when Serena would be on the phone, we got ahold of Clijsters and Capriati. But, alas, we failed.

There's always next year, though. Even as I type this, plans are in the works to derail Serena in 2014. I won't give away any of the details, but let's just say it involves Serena losing a few matches, Mary Jo Fernandez "forgetting" how old Serena was when she won her second AO ... you get the idea.

Hahahaha! Silly media and players always trying to distract Serena. You make me laugh Tossip about a grand scheme to attempt to derail Serena. Why are we discussing this? Serena is a rock usually when it comes to external factors like media and other things. No one whether it is a player or media is stupid enough to think getting in a game of cat and mouse will come out in their favor against Serena. It is why she usually wins because she isn't like Jelena Jankovic infatuated with how she looks on a Jumbotron or worrying more about what the person across the net is doing. The only thing that seemed to frazzle Serena at all was the wind during the US Open final which was stupid, girl just needed to get over that which she eventually did. So Tented, my big idea will be to have 75 mph gusts during any women's final in which Serena is involved next year. Also, we need a big scandal in which Patrick is caught in bed with Vika, and Serena goes off the deep end.

 

[tossip]

this season the media failed to derail Serena,from silly Sloane,that Rolling Stones article,Clijsters and Capriati diss...and Jelena Sergio Garcia Jankovic .

And we tried. Boy, did we try. I remember the Derail Serena Media Meeting. We thought we had put together the perfect plan: we told Sloane to beat Serena at the AO, we arranged for Rolling Stone to be there exactly when Serena would be on the phone, we got ahold of Clijsters and Capriati. But, alas, we failed.

There's always next year, though. Even as I type this, plans are in the works to derail Serena in 2014. I won't give away any of the details, but let's just say it involves Serena losing a few matches, Mary Jo Fernandez "forgetting" how old Serena was when she won her second AO ... you get the idea.

Hahahaha! Silly media and players always trying to distract Serena. You make me laugh Tossip about a grand scheme to attempt to derail Serena. Why are we discussing this? Serena is a rock usually when it comes to external factors like media and other things. No one whether it is a player or media is stupid enough to think getting in a game of cat and mouse will come out in their favor against Serena. It is why she usually wins because she isn't like Jelena Jankovic infatuated with how she looks on a Jumbotron or worrying more about what the person across the net is doing. The only thing that seemed to frazzle Serena at all was the wind during the US Open final which was stupid, girl just needed to get over that which she eventually did. So Tented, my big idea will be to have 75 mph gusts during any women's final in which Serena is involved next year. Also, we need a big scandal in which Patrick is caught in bed with Vika, and Serena goes off the deep end.

...:snigger..:clap..she is the Rock of Gibraltar...and Janky loves the jumbotron..maybe Ebony Smooth stirred the pot in Instabul..:cry

 

[colleen66]

^^putting up quotes from other people in the absence of anything from you isn't going to cut it on here..

if you've got a problem with people not liking Serena's on court antics like i'm gonna kill you rant at lineswoman and the panic room farce, or that comment about that girl who was gang r@ped a few months ago then you have got a problem with reality and decency.

and people still go on about Federer wagging his finger for 2 seconds at djokovic at the French open. that is really petty..all that stuff serena did, not so petty.

My problem with reality and decency is when individuals try to exaggerate the reality and decency claims they make. I was not aware that Serena threatened to kill anyone. She threatened to shove a ball down someone's m---f--- throat in the heat of a match. Her comments about the rape case was just that, her comments and opinion (she was not the only one to have those opinions, but hey, freedom of speech and all that yada yada yada). Recently a young man was killed because he was wearing a hoodie and was walking out at night. A jury found his killer not guilty and even blamed the victim for his own death. While many found this to be an injustice, many others did not have a problem with this verdict. They also had their comments and opinions to which they are entitled to (even if the comments are idiotic). As for the great panic room "farce"......it was full of sound and fury and signified nothing. The tennis powers had no problem with what occurred, only people with their own opinions (no facts, mind you) of what really happened. Speculation of wrong doing is good enough for "reality and decency" to prevail, I guess. I have no problem with people not liking Serena's on/off court antics (the 5 or 6 standard they pull out of the bag every few weeks) that span over 14-16 years; I just have a problem with the exaggeration of how horrid these antics were. I am also a huge fan of decency.

 

[RJD11]

^^putting up quotes from other people in the absence of anything from you isn't going to cut it on here..

if you've got a problem with people not liking Serena's on court antics like i'm gonna kill you rant at lineswoman and the panic room farce, or that comment about that girl who was gang r@ped a few months ago then you have got a problem with reality and decency.

and people still go on about Federer wagging his finger for 2 seconds at djokovic at the French open. that is really petty..all that stuff serena did, not so petty.

I don't have a problem with people not liking Serena. I have been

dealing with them on msg boards for many years. They have the

right to like or not like anyone they want, as do I. Serena is a human

being and subject to all that entails. She makes mistakes like all of us

But hers are on a world stage unlike the rest of us. If she does something

there is nothing to say but acknowledge it and move on as I have done

when she made the mistakes. But haters don't do that. They hold on to it

for years and years and unfortunately the truth becomes blurred as with you

and your " i'm gonna kill you rant " statement. Serena never said She was

gonna kill anyone. Haters never let the truth get in the way of good jab.

The truth is She broke the rules in anger, was fined the largest fine ever

handed down and put on probation. She paid the price that was set and did

the time. Case closed. She even did more by matching the fine and giving

it to charity. She was never given any credit for that because the haters

were to busy crucifying her and calling for more punishment when what She did

was not as bad other players have done. The epic temper tantrums of JMac and

and Conners are looked at as funny footnotes in Tennis. Andre Agassi actually

swung his racquet and hit a tennis ball at someone. No one said he tried to kill

anyone. Another had their spouse come down and slap an official. Where were the

assault charges and hatred for them. Nope, they laughed at that too. But

Serena should be banned for life. The double standard in place and aimed at her.

And then the rape incident. When I first heard about that my first thought was

empathy for the girl and what she went through. Serena spoke without thinking

it through and her statement was not in good taste. A mistake. But I never

read anywhere that Serena blamed the girl . But that was what She was

indicted for. However She apologized and met with the parents but as usual thats

never enough for haters. And that had nothing to do with Tennis and neither

incident had anything to do with this thread when they were so rudely brought

into it. The bottom line is like I said, Serena is human and makes mistakes and I

as a fan acknowledge them and move on as She is most defined by her Tennis

which is what I like her for. Maybe you should read those " quotes from other

people " I posted. Especially the part about haters becoming an endangered

species.

 

[tossip]

this season the media failed to derail Serena,from silly Sloane,that Rolling Stones article,Clijsters and Capriati diss...and Jelena Sergio Garcia Jankovic .

And we tried. Boy, did we try. I remember the Derail Serena Media Meeting. We thought we had put together the perfect plan: we told Sloane to beat Serena at the AO, we arranged for Rolling Stone to be there exactly when Serena would be on the phone, we got ahold of Clijsters and Capriati. But, alas, we failed.

There's always next year, though. Even as I type this, plans are in the works to derail Serena in 2014. I won't give away any of the details, but let's just say it involves Serena losing a few matches, Mary Jo Fernandez "forgetting" how old Serena was when she won her second AO ... you get the idea.

you are part of the tennis media....:lolz:..you Peter Bodo or Matt Cronin...which one is you...:lolz:

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

^^putting up quotes from other people in the absence of anything from you isn't going to cut it on here..

if you've got a problem with people not liking Serena's on court antics like i'm gonna kill you rant at lineswoman and the panic room farce, or that comment about that girl who was gang r@ped a few months ago then you have got a problem with reality and decency.

and people still go on about Federer wagging his finger for 2 seconds at djokovic at the French open. that is really petty..all that stuff serena did, not so petty.

My problem with reality and decency is when individuals try to exaggerate the reality and decency claims they make. I was not aware that Serena threatened to kill anyone. She threatened to shove a ball down someone's m---f--- throat in the heat of a match. Her comments about the rape case was just that, her comments and opinion (she was not the only one to have those opinions, but hey, freedom of speech and all that yada yada yada). Recently a young man was killed because he was wearing a hoodie and was walking out at night. A jury found his killer not guilty and even blamed the victim for his own death. While many found this to be an injustice, many others did not have a problem with this verdict. They also had their comments and opinions to which they are entitled to (even if the comments are idiotic). As for the great panic room "farce"......it was full of sound and fury and signified nothing. The tennis powers had no problem with what occurred, only people with their own opinions (no facts, mind you) of what really happened. Speculation of wrong doing is good enough for "reality and decency" to prevail, I guess. I have no problem with people not liking Serena's on/off court antics (the 5 or 6 standard they pull out of the bag every few weeks) that span over 14-16 years; I just have a problem with the exaggeration of how horrid these antics were. I am also a huge fan of decency.

you have lost the plot..this is just unfettered dribble. :huh: :spacecadet:

 

[RJD11]

^^putting up quotes from other people in the absence of anything from you isn't going to cut it on here..

if you've got a problem with people not liking Serena's on court antics like i'm gonna kill you rant at lineswoman and the panic room farce, or that comment about that girl who was gang r@ped a few months ago then you have got a problem with reality and decency.

and people still go on about Federer wagging his finger for 2 seconds at djokovic at the French open. that is really petty..all that stuff serena did, not so petty.

My problem with reality and decency is when individuals try to exaggerate the reality and decency claims they make. I was not aware that Serena threatened to kill anyone. She threatened to shove a ball down someone's m---f--- throat in the heat of a match. Her comments about the rape case was just that, her comments and opinion (she was not the only one to have those opinions, but hey, freedom of speech and all that yada yada yada). Recently a young man was killed because he was wearing a hoodie and was walking out at night. A jury found his killer not guilty and even blamed the victim for his own death. While many found this to be an injustice, many others did not have a problem with this verdict. They also had their comments and opinions to which they are entitled to (even if the comments are idiotic). As for the great panic room "farce"......it was full of sound and fury and signified nothing. The tennis powers had no problem with what occurred, only people with their own opinions (no facts, mind you) of what really happened. Speculation of wrong doing is good enough for "reality and decency" to prevail, I guess. I have no problem with people not liking Serena's on/off court antics (the 5 or 6 standard they pull out of the bag every few weeks) that span over 14-16 years; I just have a problem with the exaggeration of how horrid these antics were. I am also a huge fan of decency.

So am I Colleen..... your " unfettered dribble " was quite clear

...and Quite true. Good post