In a short time (or possibly as you are reading this today), Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova go head-to-head in the Wimbledon semi-finals. To celebrate two of the greatest athletes in the world, the British press has gone a little bit crazy today in an attempt to bring some old-school misogynistic cat-fight drama to the proceedings. The trouble with the “catfight” narrative is that there actually is enough evidence to back it up.
Serena is the greatest female tennis champion of her generation and as she continues to dominate year after year, I have to think that she’ll go down as one of the all-time greats, like Steffi Graf and Margaret Court. Some people think Serena is already there (I’m one of them). But then why does Maria Sharapova make more money? We know why – because she’s blonde and cute and she’s got a model’s body. Nevermind that Serena is beautiful, strong and her athleticism is aspirational – too many companies would rather go with a blonde rather than a strong black woman who dominates in her field. But Sharapova and Williams’ competition is about more than looks and money.
Most of the British press had their catfight dreams come true in 2013, when Serena and Maria were hissing at each other in the press at some pre-Wimbledon events and interviews – I recapped the situation back in 2013. Serena made fun of Maria in an interview and called Maria out for being with her (Serena’s) ex-boyfriend. Maria responded by saying that Serena is a homewrecker, that she destroyed her current boyfriend’s marriage. The back-and-forth was pretty amazing.
The Daily Mail has an epic article about Maria and Serena’s rivalry through the years. It’s a good read because everyone loves a good catfight, right? Except that… all of that stuff off the court doesn’t really matter when they’re on the court. Of the 19 times they’ve competed, Serena has won 17 times. Serena’s coach spent the pre-match press conference basically saying that Serena is a better player than Maria, hands down. Patrick Mouratoglou said about Sharapova: “She does not have a mental block against Serena. Serena simply plays tennis much better than she does. For me, (Victoria) Azarenka is much better than Sharapova. There’s no discussion. Sharapova is a great champion. She has great qualities. She fights incredibly and has tremendous mental strength. But at some stage, her level of play hits a ceiling.” Ouch.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
A Wimbledon thread that’s actually about tennis? Serena is going to win this match.
Serena Williams. Always and forever. Venus Williams. Always and forever.
Williams sisters for life!!!
Always and forever!!!
Read this article last night, and I’ve grown from a believer to a full fledged stan.
I recommend it to everyone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/magazine/venus-and-serena-against-the-world.html?_r=2
Serena, for sure!!!!! She is amazing. I know she has her moments (attitude, temper, etc.) but she is some athlete. I know she doesn’t want to talk about it but I do wish her a calendar-year career Grand Slam.
Never been a fan of Sharapova. She really is an ice queen and I almost love to see her lose!
+1 I’m a big fan of Serena and Venus. Serena kills Sharapova lol
@BangersandMash I read that when it came out. A terrific article and so interesting.
I love the Williams sisters and watch tennis as long as they’re in the tournaments. Chris Evrett got on my sh*t-list many years ago with her racist remarks about Serena’s body type, and I was turned off by almost an entire generation of tennis players when they would imply Serena was masculine or on steroids, etc. And where are they now? They’re gone, Serena’s still here. At 33. Yeah. How sour are those grapes they’re sucking on now?!
Another interesting read about the Williams sisters: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2013/07/02/how-venus-williams-got-equal-pay-for-women-at-wimbledon/
Venus and Serena have been instrumental in fighting for equality between male and female tennis players. Sexes get equal money at Wimbledon because of lobbying by Venus, and Serena more recently spoke out about sexism in center court scheduling. If you weren’t already a fan, this might change your mind!
I like you people. I really do. twitter is in an uproar about Serena winning (and not in a good way), but you people are cool and sensible and like the same things I do, generally (except for St. Ange, but I can try to over look that)..
I grew up idolizing the Williams sisters. There aren’t many visible black female athletes that dominates like she does and my mom used to cover tennis at a magazine (the US Open in particular). So for me she’s always been great and the rest of the world is continuing to catch on to how amazing she is. I agree Sharapova should not be making more money than the undisputed #1. Its ridiculous but again that’s how media works. But she will continue to win and break down walls and I will continue to be a fan
Agreed.
And I take issue also, with just the lack of attention these two infamous women are getting.
THEY ARE ONE OF THE GREATEST ATHLETES OF OUR GENERATION!!!!! PERIOD!!!
No one seems to give a damn, no one seems to make a fuss about them as they should do. For younger generations as well as ourselves to appreciate two strong beautiful black women dominating a predominately “white” sport. Not only race, but sheer athleticism and talent and the elevation they gave to the sport. It’s phenomenal and I wish more and more people could appreciate them.
Can’t stand Serena. And while I really should not have to say it and kinda resent having to mention it – it is nothing to do with her being Black. I can’t stand Roger Federer either. It’s equal opportunities dislike.
You don’t have to like her that’s your right. My thing is unlikable athletes get endorsed all the time.
@bangersandmash totally agree. They have dominated tennis since they arrived on the scene
Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players ever, hands down, and deserves all the accolades she gets (and does not get, for whatever reason). Yes, I find her abrasive at times, but come on, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were total jackasses and they made loads in endorsements. Why should it be different for Serena?
I read that article- Ick. Cannot imagine an article about two male players ever focusing on their love lives. However was happy to see Warwinka(so?) lose after reading about him dumping family and now dating a 19 yr old. A bit hypocritical, but don’t care this am!
I still can’t believe any 19-year-old would be interested in Stan. He’s abandoned his wife and daughter twice, in very publicly distasteful ways. He’s not even a looker … but of course, Radek Stepanek has quite the reputation on tour and he looks like a bit like a monkey. Yikes.
What?! I had no idea!! I so loved Stan. That’s gross.
Serena will win. Sharapova apparently hasn’t beaten Serena in 10 years! I do wish there were more great female players as it makes the women’s game more interesting. Watching Serena outplaying her oponent is boring. The mens game is more popular as there’s 3-4 players who are dominating and playing great matches.
Agreed but that Watson vs Serena match was pretty good.
The women’s game has always been like this. Two women at a time at the top of their game until retirement, swiftly replaced by another two women. Rinse and repeat.
It’s an odd thing. The men can have anywhere upto 6 players at the top of their game, plus the occasional wild card to upset the apple cart.
Rarely happens with the women.
“Serena will win”. And if she doesn’t, (because that day will come), the sky will fall. It’s just another Tuesday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlhOUyy4wbs when Serena beats Maria. It will be a headline and lead story everywhere when Maria ends the streak.
Everything French dude said about Maria was true. In fact, he was a little too kind. Maria was in the right place at the right time (The Big Babe tennis boom) and often wins titles against weaker competition. But she’s like a poor man’s Venus athletically and a poor man’s Vika in variety. There are always one or two VERY dominant players in any era. But you normally still have secondary, multiple Grand Slam winners in any generation. So @LAK, it’s been worse than even you say at times in the last decade. You could point to Maria never defending her titles as an example. Or the series of #1 players who couldn’t back up a GS win, didn’t win/couldn’t win a grand slam or even get to a final. Remember the “no one can serve to save their lives” era a few years ago? I cried when Francesca Schiavone won the French. I was so happy for her and she actually WON it. There was a string of dismal WGS finals where the contest was to see who would implode the least. There are players that I respect, like, and watch like Vika and Radwanska and a few others. But my real hope is with this next generation of US women and other youngins. Not just because I’m a homer. But because players need targets to aim for and competition, real competition, to improve. Serena ain’t that target, LOL. She hasn’t been for anybody for almost 20 years. I hope a group of young and very talented players will elevate things a bit.
Serena is an unstoppable power house, love her. It’s a shame she does not get all the endorsements she deserves. But I will say this atleast Maria is a good player, Anna Kournikova make a truck load of money and she was a terrible player.
Yeah, I don’t even really follow tennis, but the AK thing always bothered me, that she got so many opportunities for her looks instead of her talent.
That AK thing was an embarrassment. The men making decisions about what sells continue to discredit their own industry,
I was going to say that. She was a blank-faced non-entity in the game, but still the most famous of all of them. Still makes me cheesed.
It’s not a tennis rivalry when one person won 17 out of 19 times. This is some old rehash about their love life.
It’s more interesting to discuss why sharapova makes more money in endorsements than arguably the best female tennis player of all time who has been consistently outclassing her for a decade. but of course daily mail won’t write about that…
This!!! At this point Serena’s only competition is herself, she outclasses every female player.
Side note I miss the old days of women’s tennis when there were great rivalries.
The Daily Mail an abomination.
See, I think that Serena would have more endorsements/sponsors if she did not have a
loose cannon personality. I will never deny her talent, but I can see companies on pins and needles when she talks.
Its crappy but that is the way it is. Maria can get away with it because of the reasons Kaiser stated. Crappy. Yes. But it is what it is.
“it is what it is” is the exact problem. So Serena doesn’t always come across “Lady like”, big whoop. Her massive talent outweighs that and quite frankly I think it’s sexism and racism all in one. How dare Serena be so great, so unapologetic, and so..black!??
While I mostly agree that she is facing sexism and racism Serena’s comments about the Steubenville rape case were despicable. While I think she is a stellar athlete I honestly can’t look at her the same ever again.
And how many hot headed white male athletes have a billion endorsements?
Well put @livealot
Also what loopy said, there are far far worse behaved male players in tennis it doesn’t stop them from having huge endorsement deals.
Of course Serena is a great champion. And I am sure there are sexists and racists out there who are anti- Williams because they are black. But as I said above, that is not why I and quite a few others don’t like Serena- Venus is more pleasant. Billie Jean wasn’t “ladylike” either and I loved her. Black people, white people, men, women, Gay,straight, disabled, able bodied, Jew, gentile, young, old etc etc etc.. Some are nice; some aren’t. I’m not going to pretend to like someone because they fall into a particular group- that’s just patronising.
Sports are filled with hot-heads and criminals and no one thinks twice about giving them endorsements. But Serena isn’t considered docile or lady-like and suddenly she’s a loose cannon and risky investment. She’s being held to a different standard for obvious reasons.
Loopy and renee are right. The women are held to a much higher standard. It takes a major scandal for a male athlete to lose sponsorships and deals, and they’re offered them at a much lower talent level than Serena.
@luca76 I agree that the Stubenville Rape Case comments were horrible, let’s be honest though; Serena has been dominating tennis for more than a decade now and those comments just came a few years ago. So what was the reason before that?
@WTF absolutely agree those comments aren’t the reason why she’s been discriminated against and passed over by sponsors I just think they should be remembered.
That’s about the size of it and anyone who denies is willfully blind, at best.
@Tiffany This^^^^^ x 10000
Thanks Susan. I was looking at it from a free market standpoint. Companies are entitled to pay their money to whichever athelete they like. Hothead, white male athelete brings in money. Same can be said for black atheletes as well. I mean, Ray Lewis got an endorsement from Disney after going on trail for killing a man. That will be the bottom line always unless some big scandal hits or they stop making them money. And that is what it is.
To insinuate that I was sexist and racist, what I typed was not a hit against Serena. She is a loose cannon sometimes when she speaks. And companies can be afraid of that.
Except she doesn’t have a loose cannon personality, especially in comparison to the other women on the tour. For years, the biggest criticisms leveled at the Williams sisters is that people felt they didn’t play each other very hard, and of course that the Williams sisters were ‘too muscular’.
Companies are allowed to sign whoever they want to endorse them, and we are allowed to criticize them for passing up the GOAT for a lesser player, who happens to be white and more traditionally pretty.
I agree Bridget. Federer or Nadal do it, they are passionate. Serena is seen as not. I am glad to see other takes on it because I believe she gets a bum deal when it comes to endorsements. The topic of male/ female atheletes is so polarized there is never agreement.
I personally love Serena’s fiery personality. Means she cares about her game and doesn’t want to lose. But anyone can lose IT once in a while. Yet in the game of tennis, the women are not supposed to scream, grunt, shake their fists, yell obscenities, have muscles, or be any shade other than white. Docile, demure snowflakes in blond ponytails. Come on!
I love that she’s ferocious. She’s far from perfect, but as an athlete she is peerless. And we want her to be sweet and dainty and polite?!?
I don’t think you watch sports a lot, fights happen all the time, males or females. Serena is not a loose cannon. Katie Hopkins is a loose cannon, Charlie Sheen is a loose cannon. Serena has a lot of passion but because she is black and muscular I guess you see her as threatening.
Yup.
She threatened a lines person with her racquet while screaming obscenities at her on national TV, if you want to call that something that “happens” in sports and claim she shouldn’t be called to task for it because of her skin tone, I think you’re the one who’s bringing race into it.
Two words: John McEnroe. Can’t be more loose cannon than that and he got endorsements from here till next week. Let’s be blunt…the Williams Sisters are not “sweet, quiet and unassuming”, aren’t cute and blond and have powerful, athletic bodies, not the lean and lithe that is idolized.
Actually Venus is sweet, quiet and unassuming, and why shouldn’t she be? Just because she’s a kick ass athlete doesn’t mean she can’t also be her own sweet self. Johnny Mac was a jackass and he’ll be the first to admit he was way out of line more than once. And don’t re-write history, his career and pocketbook suffered terribly due to his shit attitude. It took him a long time to reform his image and craft his current career as an on air commentator.
@TIffany I was not calling you racist or sexist,
…I’m agreeing that the free market standpoint from which you speak is valid and flawed in a sexist and racist way.
The more we call it out the more we can change things instead of accepting it. (“It is what it is”)
Plenty of male athletes have “loose cannon” personalities. That doesn’t stop them from raking in millions in endorsements or just getting paid better in general. This is definitely a situation where underlying social issues regarding sexism and racism intersect in such a way that it becomes impossible to avoid the obvious.
Serena is already an all-time great, no question. Love her on and off the court. Currently watching Garbine Muguruza vs Agnieszka Radwańska and OMG GARBINE.
IKR? GM is crushing it right now.
Was! Things change quickly!
@Alyse – indeed! That came out of nowhere!
And back again!!
I cursed Garbine.
I don’t care about all of this old drama, but not surprised it would be brought up. I didn’t think it was much of anything even when it happened, though. Hoping for a nice two set Serena victory today and then another on Saturday.
I read the article in the Daily Mail earlier and it was the usual sexist garbage you would expect. Reducing two of the world’s greatest female athletes to “cat fight” rivals over a man.
Serena and Venus FOR-E-VAH! Them girls dont get their due for a NUMBER of reason, But the tea has been SCALDING this year so I’m gonna chill
On a More superficial question: Ive been trying to figure out since the French Open , what exactly did Serena Do to her brows?? any ideas? I Don’t think is a tattoo… ?
I don’t know. They’re sticking straight out. Someone trimmed them badly, methinks. Back to square one with those!
Like 3d Right?? it’s been driving me CRAZY cause they have an Oddly Thick thing going that they used to not Have
@QQ Yeah, def 3-D. It’s really weird. Maybe she needs a hot comb to lay them flat? (Kidding.) Anyway, I’ma get her a brow brush and gel for her birthday.
i can’t with Maria if you could put a muzzle on her too much grunting have to mute the sound. Serena is fabulous and still at the top of her game.
No one seems to have a problem with Maria’s ‘unladylike’ mega-decibel grunts. Hm, I wonder what the difference is?
Hands down, Serena Williams is the best tennis player EVER! I just love her. She’s determined, driven and an incredible athlete. Sharpova has pretty hair, I guess…..that’s all I got.
I’ve never seen Maria get up in a line woman’s face and threaten to shove a tennis ball “down her f@@king throat.” Serena can be super nasty. Sometimes it’s just about attitude.
And that’s why I would never hope for a win by Serena. As soon as she gets mad she starts threatening people. What kind of person does that?
Meh.
It was hilarious sports entertainment. She lost her cool and regretted it later. At least she was capable of apologizing, unlike most anyone else. She paid her fine and moved on. We all should, because she’s was classy before and has been classy since. She’s not there to make friends, she’s there to make her opponents pay. Go Serena!
It is so sad that Serena does not get the credit she deserves. Her mental is on another level. I have seen her come back from championship so many times.
Am so glad everyone knows the real reason why Sharapova makes more money than Serena. Businesses are missing out big time on using Serena
Male athletes can be off the wall–from Aaron Hernandez threatening to rip off someone’s head and “f*ckin kill them” to Ray Lewis to Richard Sherman–all is forgiven in the media when it’s a male athlete even after a trial. How many articles were pinned about how “sad” Hernandez’s situation was not the fact he was a FREAKIN MURDERER? But if it’s a female it’s “REMEMBER THAT ONE TIME SHE DID THAT ONE THING OMG SO UNPREDICTABLE” playing into the stereotype of “unstable emotional female haha she must be on her period”.
We’re supposed to be lady like, demure, never talk trash, be good at our sport and (perhaps the “most important”) still be desirable to men. Of course.
Word. “She says stuff sometimes!” We’re talking about elite athletes playing their game at their highest intensity. Since when do we also have the expectation that they also behave as though they’re at a job interview all the time?
Because it’s a good way to denigrate someone in polite society without having to say what you really mean.
John McEnroe.
OK, I read the artikle and I still don’t understand why they imply that Maria is an ice queen? Is it because she is blond or because some jerk supposedly said so?
I think, Serena can only be compared to Steffi Graf, everybody else are not even in their league. Masha did beat Serena once in Wimbledon and Rollan Garros though. But these days she has even more problems with her 2nd serve than ever. She had a shoulder trauma past spring and lately had to change her technique entirely. Furthermore, she throws high for serve and would have problems with wind.
Anyway, I think that Maria is definitely more marketable than Serena – be it because one of them has model looks and the other does not? or because Serena seems more rough around edges? May be.
So, why is she, as you say, ‘more marketable’? Doesn’t being one of the greatest tennis players of all time make it’s own market? No? Then, why?
Serena, FTW, forever. Like, DUH.
I’m watching the game, they are really going at it meouwwwwwwww but Sharapova couldn’t over come the Serena Machina
” I have to think that she’ll go down as one of the all-time greats”. You think? Serena and Venus Williams are living Legends.
Can we PLEASE get some Drake and Serena gossip coverage here??
Shhh, the adults are trying to have a conversation.
Well, now my comment doesn’t make sense.
Lots of talking about ‘tennis’ without talking about it at all. Unfortunately, the two sisters have had to become used to pettiness, as you mentioned. Call me again when Maria actually wins something.
Serving a nice cuppa tea, aren’t you, Jo!
Lol. I love it!
I’ve got the whole kettle, good lady!
I always like how between women it’s a “catfight,” but between men it would be a “sports rivalry.” Amazing the difference semantics can make.
It’s a bore and an insult that the competitions between athletes–between genders–is couched in that sexist junk.
Well, Serena’s winning streak continues. Maria should just accept that.
Serena beat the girl 17 times… this isn’t even a rivalry at this point.