It's funny, but early on in the US Open, me and D were talking about how interesting it would be to have a Williams-free final. At the time, it wasn't because of any particular dislike for them, but we've had all of these other incredibly stories.
Seeing Melanie Oudin come out of nowhere and wow everyone, bust her ass, take down strong players and just be so charmingly innocent and sweet about it all made you want her to win. She lost in the quarter finals, but did so to a 19-year-old, Caroline Wozniacki, who is well-ranked, but another one not expected to have a significant impact beyond a few rounds. She too shows a great deal of appreciation for being there, and she's no slouch in terms of winnings. The other finalist, Kim Clijsters, left the game to start a family, got the bug, and has worked hard to get back into the game. Now she's in the final, and still says that it's all good, because her daughter and husband are ultimately what's most important.
Which bring us to the behavior of Serena Williams. Yesterday, in the semi-final, she gets a warning early in the match for slamming down her racquet and destroying it. Then in her serving game, risking match point to Clijsters, she gets called for a foot fault (which is not new). She verbally assaults the line judge and threatens to shove the ball in her "fucking" mouth or throat or something. The line judge lets the umpire know, who in turn calls the head official or tournament director, and they award a point to Clijsters. Match over.
And it gets worse. Today she put out some half-assed statement that was essentially remorse-free and not an apology. It was a total joke. Even in the press conference last night, she didn't think she was wrong. It was ridiculous.
So you know what? Screw you, Serena. You play tennis for a living and score millions of dollars in endorsements. Little girls everywhere look up to you and want what you have. And you squander it away by being a pissy little brat. What a joke. Tennis doesn't need that.
No matter who wins the final, at least it's people who deserve to be there.
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