Serena Williams picked up a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the third round of the French Open on Saturday, but her post match comments will be remembered more than her win.
Serena said she doesn’t like the circus around her, and that she feels like “one of those girls on a reality show that has all the drama, and everyone in the house hates them because no matter what they do, like, drama follows them,” and then started some drama by letting the cheat word slip out.
Serena’s right. There’s no way Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez didn’t know that the ball hit her. But it’s not her fault that Serena didn’t get the point.
In a perfect world Sanchez would’ve raised her arm or somehow acknowledged the infraction, but she didn’t. So be it. You don’t see offensive lineman telling the ref to watch them because they’ve been holding all day. Pitchers don’t complain about getting calls two inches off the plate. It’s the officials job to uphold the rules, the players are only supposed to follow them.
This is what happens when you’re black playing in a European tournament. The rules do not apply to you unless you break them. Serena, you and your sister, Venus are the GREATEST OF ALL TIME not only in Women’s tennis but in the game itself. You’ve shown time after time that no matter how they treat you in professional tennis-you guys WIN. Keep winning. I’ve been a fan since you guys were 14 years old and I will always be one.
I wouldn’t say the “black” part but it kills me that these people can dismiss cheating when it’s against someone they don’t like…Just watched a documentary about a disputed goal in the world cup final of 1966, hello?! People, which is it gonna be?
The Spanish girl shows no integrity, but Serena is supposed to suck it up and move on?
This is cheating so let’s just call it that. The hamfisted analogy between tennis and football doesn’t work here – different rules, different game.
I can’t believe that whoever wrote this post is saying Serena shouldn’t have been upset about this. This is ridiculous. I’m not Serena’s biggest fan, but the girl *knew* the ball hit her arm and she was dishonest about it. If that’s not cheating, what is?
C-H-E-A-T-E-R!!! Serena didn’t let it slip out she said it with proper conviction because that is what it was. All Sanchez has managed to do is put herself on Serena’s radar more than she was before. If they ever meet again Serena will aim to destroy her for her cheating ways…”I hit that ball rather hard. She know that ball hit her”
The umpire should have awarded the point to Serena, but one thing you learn in tennis, just as soon as you start to compete, is that life isn’t always fair. In an umpired match, the chair umpire is the sole judge of facts, and in this case he saw it wrong. You want to talk about rules? Calling someone a cheat is a code violation – will you all be calling for Serena to be fined? How about where Serena apparently said: “I’m going to get you in the locker room for that, you don’t know me.” – code violation, unsportsmanlike conduct. If the threat was of physical violence, immediate default.
All in all, I’d say on balance the referee was generous to her. Care to guess why?
It’s entirely possible that Maria Jose wasn’t aware whether or not the ball hit her arm/wrist in all the excitement of avoiding the ball Serena clearly aimed right at her. Replay your recordings.
The umpire gave two ‘benefit of the doubts’, he could have given Serena both a warning for ‘unsporting’ conduct AND awarded her the point. The wisdom of Solomon. He chose to ignore the aiming the ball problem and toss the point over.
It will still probably happen that Serena will be asked to explain herself to the WTA, given that she was aware that her comments would be picked up on the microphone and broadcast worldwide. Another fine is almost inevitable after her “Well she better not come near the net again”, and “I’m going to get you in the locker room for that, you don’t know me”, threats and calling her opponent a ‘cheat’. And Serena will yet again claim that she is being victimised.
Let’s all be honest here, the vast majority of the WTA players have had to put up with Serena’s cheating ways for years and years, so it’s really rich of her to cry ‘foul’ when she is, in fact, the world’s worst offender.
Just accept that there will be some bad calls due to human error but be grateful that they are increasingly rare these days.
As for Ricardo’s comment “This is what happens when you’re black playing in a European tournament”, oh please! Everyone playing Roland Garros in in some minority or other. Happily, in Europe, racism based on colour is on the verge of extinction (unlike other continents). It has absolutely no bearing on this controversy. It’s a pretty low and distracting argument to suggest otherwise.
Regardless of all the above, Serena’s problems with the WTA aren’t going to be helped by this fiasco, that’s for sure.
Steve Arkwright, Martinez Sanchez is a cheat, and you are a liar. Serena Williams does not cheat; she has too much integrity, and too much ability. I would speculate this is due to her upbringing and her religious beliefs. What is your lying, poisonous comment due to?
alkh3myst:
First I would like to point out religious beliefs have very little to do with integrity, but this is irrelevant.
The point is, calling someone a cheat and saying things like “she better not come to the net again” ARE unsporting conduct and hence code violations. Steve Arkwright is not lying about this. It doesn’t matter how much you love Serena, it doesn’t change the facts.
Yes, Martinez Sanchez was wrong, and yes she acted unsportingly. However this doesn’t make Serena exempt from the rules herself.
serena u are a great and wise woman. don’t be discouraged by such stupids comments frm those who are not your fun. its just that they can’t take it wen u gals win all the time. i love u and yr sis venus. u have shown the world that u have an extraodinary ability of success. u are the winner of french open 2009 and i see u winning wimbledon 2009. kip it up lov ya