Tennis/Racquet Sport

Unfortunately, I worked yesterday and missed the women’s final between Venus and Serena Williams, but from what I’ve heard, it was a quality affair as befitting the two women who hold more Grand Slam tennis titles (7 & 8 respectively) than any active professional tennis player. In fact, Venus and Serena hold more Grand Slam singles titles than Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, and Jelena Janovic combined.

Despite the above fact, it was the media darlings, the sensational Serbs and camera-commercial maven Sharapova, who attracted most of the pre-tourney attention. As the Williams sisters marched onward toward their historic meeting in their seventh Grand Slam final, the enthusiasm of the talking heads was considerably less than prior to the event when they gushed over Ivanovic and Sharapova. Even the aging Lindsay Davenport, a three-time Grand Slam winner, seemed to create more fanfare than the Williams sisters.

I am not surprised, but neither am I reluctant to comment on the fact that despite their incredible on-court success, the Williams sisters’ off-court benefits lag behind others who have earned far less. It is sad that America doesn’t deem the American Williams sisters as worthy of celebration and commercial bounty as the “-ic”s and the “-ova”s who populate the Sony Ericsson Tour.

Oh, I believe I forgot to mention that Venus and Serena also dominated the ladies doubles championship at Wimbledon. Never in the history of tennis, and perhaps any other professional sport, have there been siblings who have dominated their sport as the Williams sisters have professional women’s tennis.

Perhaps one day Venus and Serena will be properly recognized for the greatness they have displayed on the tennis court. Maybe it will even be this year, as they represent the very country that fails to embrace them in the Olympic Games for the second time.