<p>Isn’t it amazing how Serena Wiliams continues to display the absolute worst sportmanship in professional tennis? Without avoiding being pompous in her victories, she tries that sweet little girl approach and giggles through interview. In defeat, she turns into a callous monster who never credits her opponents and claims to have had an off-day. </p>
<p>Her press conference yesterday was another tragedy. Having being blasted off the court by Justine Henin, she could only tell that her opponent had hit LUCKY shots. Indeed, three dozens of them! She went to claim that she only loses because of her doing; not the opponents. </p>
<p>While it is not hard to applaud the athletic talent and occasional effort on the tennis court, it is truly amazing that such a classless individual might be viewed as a role model for anyone.</p>
<p>She makes it so easy to root for anyone on the other side of the net!</p>
<p>Xig-
I didn’t see this year’s US Open or her interview, so can’t comment on her “need for improvement” media/interview skills, but at least she does own her performance, mistakes, what have you. I remember some golfer (can’t remember who) blaming his poor performance on the ball, the club, the green, the weather— everything but his poor play. Hopefully (please tell me it is so) Serena congratulated her opponent on her win.</p>
<p>The first set was awesome. Henin was clearly in her zone, hitting some sharply angled groundies and Serena seemed to just lose it after the first point of the tie-breaker. Best to give congrats, win or lose, to your opponent and then move on…</p>
<p>I completely agree. She displays this type of ugly behavior at most of her post-loss press conferences. Last night she implied that Justine Henin won the match because she had some “lucky shots.” She rarely acknowledges her own mistakes or congratulates her opponent for playing well. For this reason, Serena is my least favorite woman tennis player. She could look to big sister Venus for some better sportsmanship.</p>
<p>I can’t say too much for Henin’s behavior either: her coach was actively giving her messages throughout the match, including to challenge a line call. Not allowed.</p>
<p>I just saw a few highlights but I completely agreee with Serena. She defeated herself.</p>
<p>She is one of the most ferociously competitive, accomplished female athletes in the world–and you are lambasting her on a public forum for not being nice (girly) enough?? Immediately following bitter losses??</p>
<p>I watched the post match interview… oh well, what’s on the other channel?</p>
<p>Not too much one way or another. She doesn’t handle losing very well and so that makes her what?.. any different than anyone here? We all like to think how we “would” be in a certain situation. Rarely does it happen that we are who we “think” we are, when we are in those situations.</p>
<p>What’s the old Lombardism “they didn’t beat us, we just ran out of time…” and they named a throphy after him. ;)</p>
It has nothing to do with being “girly,” it has to do with good sportsmanship, and acknowledging that your opponent was the better player that day. Most players on the tour give kudos to the winner, even following a bitter loss. Serena doesn’t very often.</p>
<p>I’m sure that Serena has deep seeded animosity against Henin for her and the French public displaying unsportsman like conduct at the French Open a few years back. If you recall, the pro Henin French spectators viciously booed Serena after Henin cheated her. Since then Serena gives Justine credit for nothing. I think that resentment gets in the way of Serena playing her best game against her and being a gracious loser. The interview was funny because it made her look bad. I’m sure that after watching it and the commentary afterwards she will have to be more humble. Losing to Henin is probably like a knife in the gut to her more so than to anyone else. She needs to get her fitness back and run down more balls like she used to. To me, that’s where her game faltered last night.</p>
<p>I thought that was a match worth watching. </p>
<p>Serena got reamed in the NYT today for the lucky shots comments, and the same commentary took note of the prior behaviour of Henin.</p>
<p>Henin did what no one else seemed able to do…to RUN Serena. Its an obvious strategy for someone of her size, but difficult to execute because Serena is always on the attack and hits so many hard to return shots of her own. In any case, Serena wore down and couldn’t perform at her highest level in the second set.</p>
<p>IF Serenas comments were ammended to say that she couldn’t believe the shots that Henin was continually making, I’m sure that description would be fitting.</p>
<p>How sad that classy, sportsmanlike behavior is now deemed “girly.” I suppose that means that Roger Federer is “girly”? I am always amazed at how people will excuse atrocious, ungracious behavior from an athlete–anything goes, apparently, on the field of play. At least some people are willing to draw the line at dog fighting.</p>
<p>I’ve followed tennis since the days of Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. The competitive fires burned as intensely in those two women as in anyone who ever stepped onto a tennis court, yet the thought of Serena-like behavior out of either one is unthinkable. I don’t care for Justine Henin much either, mostly because of her behavior in that match with Serena at the French a few years ago. That, however, does not excuse Serena’s behavior during and after last night’s match. Serena should take a lesson in comportment from her older sister, whose intensity, exuberance and style are a pleasure to watch.</p>
<p>And now it’s time to settle in and watch Venus against Jelena Jankovic. Go Venus! What a delight that she’s had such a super summer!</p>
<p>She threw her rackets? She used foul language on court? On TV? She spit? She runs around LA in her undies like Britney Spears?</p>
<p>No? </p>
<p>Oooooohhhhh…she wasn’t quite gracious enough in bitter defeat. Oooooh.</p>
<p>“Ugly American: Serena Williams” is the polite way to express disatisfaction?</p>
<p>Sorry but the thread title is less sportsmanlike than any post-game comment of Serena’s.</p>
<p>Serena is far from an Ugly American. She’s a phenomenal athlete–one of the most brilliant female athletes of our time. Talk about grace. She has endured all kinds of unsportsmanlike behavior, including horrific taunts regarding her physical appearance. Chrissy Evert and Roger Federer wouldn’t begin to know what that feels like.</p>
<p>Cheers, I am sorry if the Ugly American title offended you. This said, I won’t take none of my comments back. </p>
<p>The post-game behavior of Serena Wiliams has been the same for the past years. She is positively giddy when she wins and … herself when she loses. Please take the time to comparing her behavior after her win over the French Bartoli and after losing to Henin. Athletes show true class in defeat; it is easy in victory!</p>
<p>For the record, the fact that she NEVER credits her opponents was widely reported in a special segment during the last Wimbledon. Obviously, it was not as noticeable when she was winning most of her matches or losing to … her sister. </p>
<p>IMHO, one can applaud the athlete and find the person worthy of criticisms. Those people make millions and they should be held to a minimum standard of courtesy, even after a loss. Do you think Serena treated the reporters well? What did you think about her opening and ending comments? After all, she wasn’t trading barbs with Henin. </p>
<p>My point remains that she might be a great athlete but an entirely horrible role model for millions of aspiring tennis players. Being ultra competitive and “ferocious” on the court does not excuse one from a modicum of civility, especially in a sport where sportmanship is supposed to rule and where there are no physical contacts except for a handshake and a tap on the shoulder. And then we wonder why we have thousands of young brats running around our athletic fields exhibiting similar behavior.</p>
<p>Ugly American, that she is! And, no, this is has NOTHING to do with her physique, but everything with the attitude.</p>
<p>I saw a replay of part of the press conference. She was obviously not in a “happy place”. That said, though, my H and I both think that the talking heads were quick to jump on her “lucky shots” comment. She started out saying that Henin won because she “played better” than Williams did; Williams said that she had made a lot of bad shots, and Henin had some lucky shots. Although she didn’t fall over giving lots of love to Henin, it just seems like we’re always looking for dirty laundry, too.</p>
<p>I must be getting old. I really don’t care how Serena behaves after a loss, whether she is a good sport or not. I also don’t care if she tells the press to go to he**. I just want to watch great tennis.</p>
<p>I am not a Henin fan, but Serena deserved to lose that match and she deserves to lose the respect of tennis fans with her post match comments. Venus showed much more sportsmanship following her win tonight, but Jelena Jankovic really showed class in crediting Venus for pulling out the 3rd set tiebreak and wishing Venus luck. Her smiling face throughout the match was a pleasure.
All that said, I’d rather watch the men any day. Federer is pure class and we are grooming some wonderful Americans right now in John Isner and Donald Young. I miss Sampras, Todd Martin, and Tim Henman (played his last Grand Slam match last Friday), but I think Isner will be my new hero. James Blake had an awesome Open as well and his match with Haas was so good except for the result.</p>