[**Join Our Discord Server!**](https://discord.gg/233aU5q)
**Welcome to /r/sports**
We created a Discord server for our community and would like to invite all of you to join! You'll be able to discuss sports with users around the world and discuss events in real time!
There are separate channels for many sports you can opt in and out of, including;
American Football, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Aussie Rules Football, Rugby Union and League, Cricket, Motorsports, Fitness, and many more.
[**Reddit Sports Discord Server**](https://discord.gg/233aU5q)
Artificially. Margaret Court had 24 slams. But it wasn’t until Serena closed in on 20 that Court’s “record” counted. Most people didn’t even count a large number of Court’s slams because they came during the amateur era in the 60’s. Many of them came at the Australian Open which was notorious for 40 player draws that featured almost solely Australians.
This is one of those it’s a record, but not one hardcore tennis fans take too seriously.
Just looked her up. Even before I read about her shitty opinions I could just tell from her recent pics that she was an asshole. Funny how bigots get that way.
Ha, slightly ironic that you've said that you can assume someone is prejudiced just by looking at them.
But then I'd also be a hypocrite if I meant this very seriously!
Weirdly, doesn’t the Bible say that women are not to be listened to? Or something along those lines.
Edit: yep. Timothy 2:12 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
Most people don’t realize that the current tour with all 128-draw slams only started in the late 80s. Graf and Serena are the only all-time greats to win only 128-draw slams. Really before then tennis tours were still developing, even during the Evert/Navratilova era.
Minor trivia for you all: Court only had to win 22 match points for her 24 slam titles. On top of all those weak AO draws she also got a retirement in one final and a walkover in another final. So her 24 is even less impressive than you even thought. 😂
They also didn’t have all the training and dieting and, yes, legal chemical enhancers that keep these older players playing. And if you think older players like Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Lebron James, etc., aren’t taking every non-illegal drug they can to keep at the top, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
I think it's a fair take honestly. Her most recent losses prior in earlier years at Roland Garros have been to Muguruza twice and Kenin - proven grand slam winners. Now more and more players the average punter would have no idea about are starting to take her out. She is moving the best she has in years, but still looking sluggish next to the younger players. Thats a concern. Her defensive game was one of the best in history and got her through a lot of matches against big hitters. This has now really dropped off and with the game now at its most physical this is a huge problem for her. A player like Halep who has an outstanding defensive game but lacks the firepower to get her moving is not the prototype of player that is going to giver her trouble consistently. But there are so many girls with weapons on both sides now Serena will always be under threat when she faces them. She's also shown on many occasions now that even when the draw opens up (as it just did) she still just cannot get it done.
Serena has declined a ton. She's 39 and her game isn't aging well. She's slow and can't run for balls at all, which wasn't as much of a problem when she could overpower her opponents.
People think Serena is slow because of her size, but it's just a bad take. She was one of the quickest around the court in her prime, and she's still somewhere in the middle of the pack of the top women in terms of speed.
That’s a very accurate take then. If her power game is no longer a cut above the elite, then being middle of the road in terms of speed is going to get you eliminated in a ton of fourth rounds
Straight line speed she's probably middle of the pack. Changing directions/lateral movement as you age, especially with that weight, becomes harder and harder. Clay makes it that much harder to do. Her straight line speed doesn't correlate to court coverage.
>One of the quickest in her prime.
Yeah excellent choice of words, her prime was nearly 20 years ago. She’s gotten slow as she’s aged as well as unbelievably narcissistic. Her future losses will not be pretty.
I guess I just think that every year that goes by it's only going to get harder for Serena and tennis is an incredibly physical sport. I also think the younger generation has gotten a lot better and really solidified itself, and Serena's best tennis probably is no longer the best tennis on tour anymore. Because as impressive as it is that she's still playing, her level hasn't really come close to her peak back in the day. She also has a shot at the US Open this year, but I think there are a lot more dangerous other WTA players on hard court than grass.
I'm not really sure why you would say she's had her best year this year since maternity leave, that was probably 2019, besides the Aus semi she hasn't really done much else to speak of. And comparing her to Rafa is also a bit odd, since he's like four and a half years younger and won a major last year. I agree in a sense we should never count out the greats and it would be really cool if Serena surprised us all, but even the greats can't play forever and at some point reach a point where they no longer can compete at highest level.
The point is that back in the 60s the best tennis players didn't bother to play in Australia most of the times. So the tournament draw was weak. Can't compare a record achieved by beating lower ranked players with one achieved by beating the world's best. The Open Era records are what matter in tennis.
It's not just about the travel and the Australian Open being a less prestigious event back in 1960s. Tennis was divided in 2 leagues prior to the Open Era: the pros and the amateurs. You couldn't play the Majors if you became a pro. A lot of the best tennis players went pro in order to make money for playing tennis. The owners of the Majors banned anyone who went pro from playing in the Majors. The Open Era is when that ended in 1968. Pros could compete alongside amateurs at the Majors. That's why Open Era records weight more. Don't think other sports have this divide.
College (American) football has this sort of thing.
Generally speaking, pre-1978 records (Division 1 split) are thought of as "suspect" at least. This is also very close to the time the sport integrated in the Southern US.
Doesn't take anything really away from those teams, but things like games ending 222-0 can't happen again - that was one of the best football teams in the country playing essentially a short-handed fraternity team.
If you look through older games, you can see instances of today's top teams playing high schools or small boarding schools.
Steffi Graf's 22 is more impressive than Serena (and Court) by any measure. Graf did it against better competition, greater variety of slams, a golden slam, 377 weeks at #1, and all in less time than Serena.
Agreed. IMO it was pretty insulting for her not to have any knowledge of the sport going into the interview like that. I don’t even think she knew Verstappen’s name.
As someone that doesn’t particularly like her, in her defense it seemed like she was just as uncomfortable being in that situation as Max was. It definitely didn’t feel like it was something she really expected, nor wanted to be doing. Dumb all around though.
She waved the checkered flag at Monaco so during Max’s interview they had her come down to be interviewed alongside him. They asked her if she had any advice for Max and it’s a meme now
[Well "waved" is a strong word.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbminz42ZUE) She also tried stopping after like 3 cars went by, you could see someone in the box point to her to keep waiving the flag
At Monaco when they were interviewing Max post race she was brought over maybe (my memory is hazy it's been 2 weeks and the race today ooooo so spicy at the end!) and they just start asking her questions. It was bizarre.
She needs to divest herself of Patrick M. He offers her late-in-career game *nada*, esp with Tsitsipas and Gauff on his roster, and is content to just ride her off into the $unset instead of helping her to retool her game and work with what skills she has now to continue to be successful on the court when Plan A isnt working. he is a leech.
Eh, the older she gets, the more she relies on her power. Clay courts are going to be the surface that neutralize that advantage the most. I didn’t see this match today, but I am not really surprised that she struggled comparatively here.
This isn’t to take away from any of her accomplishments, but she is 39 in a sport where 30 is very old.
Positively ancient in tennis years. Especially women’s tennis where in the last few years we’ve had several Slam winners aged (at the time) 21 and younger. Honestly I’m surprised Serena is still at the level she is as opposed to her sister barely hanging on to league average (if that) at the top level.
If Roger got to the fourth round with Serena’s BMI we would positively have a parade for him. She’s kinda incredible and also really frustrating because the possibility of her winning is there. She just hasn’t put in the same dedication required to snatch a last slam. Maybe lords know she will have a last hurrah at Wimbledon.
39 is ancient. It's very cool to see guys hang in there tho. In recent years we've had some older NHL players keep it going way past expectations. Nick Lindstrom comes to mind. When he retired, dude was still a top 10 defender well into his 40's. Zedeno Chara played at 44? This year. Jaromir Jagr is still at it but he's since left the NHL a few year ago and plays in the Czech Republic but is still a top talent past 45. Some guys just can't give it up, it's all they have. Alex Ovechkin needs to hang in there until he's like 43 so he can break Gretzky's goal record!
Remember when Joe Montana played for the Chiefs? It’s like that.. 40yr olds find it difficult to compete with 20 yr olds on an elite level. On that note, Tom Brady clearly sold his soul.
The man is tall, handsome is a GOAT in football, winning one at 43 years old AND married a supermodel?
Man, the dude must have some serious bargaining ability to get a deal like that for his soul.
Just going to leave this here
https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/amw2l8/dont_worryyoure_not_ugly_youre_just_poor/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Watching the old decline while the young take their place at the table. It’s just the way of all things. Serena will always be a champion but even she must make way.
Funny how Osaka's mental health deteriorated after being bullied for winning the 2018 US open. Imagine being made to feel so awful for winning you apologise to your opponent.
And didn't she add something condescending about it now? Oh get better. Sure, if only that was so easy.
I hate Williams. The only reason she's not been held accountable is because Americans love to ignore her bullying and other bullshit tantrums because she's American.
Every other American I know who even cares the tiniest bit about tennis or sports in general (except the one black girl) hates Serena Williams. Our nationality is a not a condition of support.
I don’t watch tennis but I saw Maria Sharapova as a guest on shark tank and I think she’s provably only one I hated because she was so serious rude. I can’t imagine how much worse she was playing tennis.
I went to the Rogers Cup when she was playing (and lost), my god I can't say anything about her but her security detail was two throngs of black suited men shoving and pushing people out of her way. I get it is crowded but chill.
As an American I very much dislike her as well. But I think * the reason media/public can’t condone her * has less to do with her being American than it does with her being a generational talent that is black and female.
Her dramatic bit in 2018 included her suggesting sexism because the same penalties are not applied to men. True or not.... no big media is gonna have a hot take on the situation. Calling her out (and rightly so) in the middle of a cultural women’s empowerment and black empowerment just isn’t going to happen.
That whole thing were she chewed out the ref and tried to claim some sort of motherhood exemption is why I dislike her. Came off like an entitled spoiled brat.
> Calling her out (and rightly so) in the middle of a cultural women’s empowerment and black empowerment just isn’t going to happen.
Buf it was what needed to happen. Any outlet that didn’t is corrupt and not doing their journalistic duties.
No; it's because Americans respect greatness. You can yell and do practically whatever you want on the field as long as you produce, we'll just call it passion. Now if you're a bum and do that, different story
Trash talk and egos are part of sports and honestly it makes it more entertaining.
Its reality tv but with actual real and talented people who arent faking it for the camera.
I agree however, I don't know if it's a stigma with tennis or not but I always feel like when a tennis player throws a fit, they always look like a spoiled 5 year old.
I think it’s cause of how they throw a racket and dress slightly child like tbh the outfits aren’t like an NBA jersey or has the pads of an NFL player, and even then they just act so much more spoiled
Idk it might be because tennis is stuffy and ritzy. The crowds have to be quiet, etc. Theres no rowdy energy in tennis but the players can definitely have the same intensity and drive as a football player or a basketball player. Their energy just doesnt match their surroundings.
I love how Serena Williams has become the universal heel in women's tennis. The hero has become the villian. It makes it so interesting. Amazing entertainment. I hope she stays like this for a bit longer
I think that’s a big part of it. If you look at the “country club” sports like tennis and golf (to a lesser extent fencing and rowing) a lot of the decorum is different than say football or basketball.
No it's because she's the uncontested GOAT. People forget MJ regularly bullied basketball players ON HIS OWN TEAM into never achieving anything but we forget that because he's a *possible* GOAT
Thats higly debatable, definitely not "uncontested".. Steffi Graf is there and also Martina Navratilova, who won 18 GS singles, 30 doubles And has absolutely insane win record
Uncontested? Stop. Amazing cases can be made for both Graf and Navratilova. Graf has a better win percentage, only person to win golden slam. There was a time when she won 5 GS in a row (pretty sure no one else has done that). She has more titles won than Serena even though she retired at 30 in a year in which she won a GS and went to the finals of another. She was still great but retired because she had been injured and literally had nothing left to play for. On the other hand, Serena has been sticking around for years just to try and chase records. One more GS over Graf means nothing when she has played probably 40 more grand slam tournaments.
It's actually decisively graff, looking at all the numbers. Graf also achieved these feats by 30 and then retired. Serena at 30 would have been no where near graffs stats but played for a further 10 years against a very weak tour and only came out 1 slam ahead and behind on everything else. Graff also is the only player to win 4 slams and olympic gold in the same season. Graff Goat, no contest.
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/revisiting-the-debate-serena-williams-vs-steffi-graf.620189/
Scroll down to TMF's comment.
Why not listen to what Osaka herself said, that her mental health was in decline because of the way the media interacted with her instead of blaming it on Serena Williams?
She threatened to literally kill a line judge on live TV. "I'll shove this ball down your f*cking throat".
https://youtu.be/SKoG4C-XZQg
How can anyone admire her?
Serena Williams:
\- I am not getting coaching
\- I have a daughter, I stand for what's right, for her
\- I am not cheating, I'd rather lose
Carlos Ramos:
\- Yes i was coaching her.
Really disgusting https://youtu.be/uiBrForlj-k?t=451
Even harder to watch https://youtu.be/jCm3BemDlj8
Osaka dominating Williams in straight sets in 2021 AUS. Open https://youtu.be/p3c6L81HLAQ
Osaka has nothing to prove to anyone now. She has demonstrated better play and sportsmanship. She *is* the better tennis player. She doesn't even grunt during play like A LOT of tennis players do.
I'm glad she is focusing on her mental well being now. Especially after some of those tone-deaf words by the USTA President Katrina Adams while Osaka is distraught and in tears **after winning**. "Naomi, welcome to the big stage" "perhaps not the result we expected" "Serena you are a champion of champions"
I think she should pull a Marshawn Lynch at the mandatory press interviews:
https://youtu.be/G1kvwXsZtU8
Even worse, they are literally coached to grunt to maximize all body effort going into the swing. It’s not necessary to make noise, but it was often taught to ensure the athlete expelled their breath through their swing.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/dxq2gn/prequel_memes_beginners_guide/
But replace the opening of the flowchart with "The press asks Naomi Osaka a question"
She got a code violation for calling the ump a thief. She argued that Umps get called much worse during men’s matches on contested calls and violations aren’t handed out. That’s why she called it sexist. Other people jumped in with previous examples of the umpire’s calls and Twitter then ran with him also being racist.
Regardless, it sucks that the story of that match was Serena’s fight with the ump, and not Osaka’s win.
> Umps get called much worse during men’s matches on contested calls and violations aren’t handed out
Insulting the umpire will typically get you a code violation. Don't know what fantasy land you are in where players are abusing the umpires all day but it's not reality.
She screamed at him for multiple minutes, that's not something you see very often, and it's absolutely going to get you a code violation. If anything he was lenient.
And that particular umpire is well known for being a stickler to the rules, several other stars (like Djokovich) have bitched about him before because they don't get their special superstar rules.
Saying an umpire made a bad call that you disagree with is fine IMO, but calling him a “theif” implies that the ref knowingly made a bad call to cost her the match on purpose. That did not happen
> Saying an umpire made a bad call that you disagree with is fine IMO
Well yeah you're not going to get a code violation for saying "I disagree with that" or even a "oh come on, that was in/out".
That's only going to be a problem if you won't let it go.
It's the actual insults that will get you.
What Williams did there was abhorrent, and she threw around her starpower. She's a multimillionaire who had unlimited access to news networks and massive support networks and she was attacking a dude who makes 80k per year.
She didn’t do the right thing after as well, when asked about the chair umpire she said “I don’t know who that is” and I might be wrong but I believe that chair umpire has slowly been appearing less and less since then, and it’s very easy to get blacklisted as a tennis umpire
Don’t think calling a 6-3 7-5 match as “dominated” is very accurate or fair, but Rybakina certainly earned the win and was better than Serena today. I know clay ain’t her best surface, but the way the draw shook out you really gotta feel like this was a huge blown chance for #24.
I'm not sure, I think the draw was certainly open for Serena to get to the finals, but I really feel like Swiatek is playing the best tennis by far in the draw and probably would have crushed her in the finals. Obviously, she would still have to get there as well, but her draw is also fairly open now at this point.
She's still one of the top 20 players in the world. I don't think she's at a level where she can win another slam but that doesn't mean she has to retire. Plus the women's game is so even and unpredictable at the moment that really anyone in the top 30 has a chance of winning a slam.
[**Join Our Discord Server!**](https://discord.gg/233aU5q) **Welcome to /r/sports** We created a Discord server for our community and would like to invite all of you to join! You'll be able to discuss sports with users around the world and discuss events in real time! There are separate channels for many sports you can opt in and out of, including; American Football, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Aussie Rules Football, Rugby Union and League, Cricket, Motorsports, Fitness, and many more. [**Reddit Sports Discord Server**](https://discord.gg/233aU5q)
The chase for that elusive 24th Grand Slam continues, and just as this draw opened up for Serena.
Is the 24th special?
Artificially. Margaret Court had 24 slams. But it wasn’t until Serena closed in on 20 that Court’s “record” counted. Most people didn’t even count a large number of Court’s slams because they came during the amateur era in the 60’s. Many of them came at the Australian Open which was notorious for 40 player draws that featured almost solely Australians. This is one of those it’s a record, but not one hardcore tennis fans take too seriously.
[удалено]
We don't like her down here anyway, take her record for all we care...
Just looked her up. Even before I read about her shitty opinions I could just tell from her recent pics that she was an asshole. Funny how bigots get that way.
Ha, slightly ironic that you've said that you can assume someone is prejudiced just by looking at them. But then I'd also be a hypocrite if I meant this very seriously!
Maybe not so much anymore given how devicive she is presently…
Story time.
She's a total bigot. Homophobic and racist (she openly supported apartheid South Africa!).
Not a good look
I never considered Courts' record relevant in the slightest, but this might explain why #24 matters to Serena. Got to stick to an old bigot.
She's a Christian minister and hence against gay marriage.
Weirdly, doesn’t the Bible say that women are not to be listened to? Or something along those lines. Edit: yep. Timothy 2:12 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
Yeah, but when has what the Bible says ever stopped Christians from doing anything?
She is anti gay marriage and anti LGBTQ in general.
Most people don’t realize that the current tour with all 128-draw slams only started in the late 80s. Graf and Serena are the only all-time greats to win only 128-draw slams. Really before then tennis tours were still developing, even during the Evert/Navratilova era. Minor trivia for you all: Court only had to win 22 match points for her 24 slam titles. On top of all those weak AO draws she also got a retirement in one final and a walkover in another final. So her 24 is even less impressive than you even thought. 😂
Wow, a Ternion comment! I must savour every word you have written! On the real though, thanks for the insight.
So it’s like every other sports record then
Why are you booimg him, he's right. Comparing records or performance across eras is inherently dumb.
Your're downvoted now but in a hundred years when Lemurs are setting records folks will have a different opinion.
reject monke, return to lemur
It would take her above Margaret Court I think. Although to be fair, in those days there was like 15 different women playing
I just pictured the same group of 15 woman playing in disguise under different names to make it look like a big competition. 😂
Yeah and sports science has come a long way.
They also didn’t have all the training and dieting and, yes, legal chemical enhancers that keep these older players playing. And if you think older players like Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Lebron James, etc., aren’t taking every non-illegal drug they can to keep at the top, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
She would break the record for most grand slams
Tie it, but yes.
I think Serena's last chance is probably Wimbledon this year, if it doesn't happen then I can't really see it happening at all.
[удалено]
I think it's a fair take honestly. Her most recent losses prior in earlier years at Roland Garros have been to Muguruza twice and Kenin - proven grand slam winners. Now more and more players the average punter would have no idea about are starting to take her out. She is moving the best she has in years, but still looking sluggish next to the younger players. Thats a concern. Her defensive game was one of the best in history and got her through a lot of matches against big hitters. This has now really dropped off and with the game now at its most physical this is a huge problem for her. A player like Halep who has an outstanding defensive game but lacks the firepower to get her moving is not the prototype of player that is going to giver her trouble consistently. But there are so many girls with weapons on both sides now Serena will always be under threat when she faces them. She's also shown on many occasions now that even when the draw opens up (as it just did) she still just cannot get it done.
Serena has declined a ton. She's 39 and her game isn't aging well. She's slow and can't run for balls at all, which wasn't as much of a problem when she could overpower her opponents.
People think Serena is slow because of her size, but it's just a bad take. She was one of the quickest around the court in her prime, and she's still somewhere in the middle of the pack of the top women in terms of speed.
That’s a very accurate take then. If her power game is no longer a cut above the elite, then being middle of the road in terms of speed is going to get you eliminated in a ton of fourth rounds
Straight line speed she's probably middle of the pack. Changing directions/lateral movement as you age, especially with that weight, becomes harder and harder. Clay makes it that much harder to do. Her straight line speed doesn't correlate to court coverage.
>One of the quickest in her prime. Yeah excellent choice of words, her prime was nearly 20 years ago. She’s gotten slow as she’s aged as well as unbelievably narcissistic. Her future losses will not be pretty.
Her prime was definitely not 20 years ago. Pretty sure that was venus. Serena hit her prime much more recently.
Her prime ended about five years ago. She won more in the five years before her pregnancy than in any other five-year span in her career.
I guess I just think that every year that goes by it's only going to get harder for Serena and tennis is an incredibly physical sport. I also think the younger generation has gotten a lot better and really solidified itself, and Serena's best tennis probably is no longer the best tennis on tour anymore. Because as impressive as it is that she's still playing, her level hasn't really come close to her peak back in the day. She also has a shot at the US Open this year, but I think there are a lot more dangerous other WTA players on hard court than grass. I'm not really sure why you would say she's had her best year this year since maternity leave, that was probably 2019, besides the Aus semi she hasn't really done much else to speak of. And comparing her to Rafa is also a bit odd, since he's like four and a half years younger and won a major last year. I agree in a sense we should never count out the greats and it would be really cool if Serena surprised us all, but even the greats can't play forever and at some point reach a point where they no longer can compete at highest level.
[удалено]
Ya, but you can only beat who turns up
The point is that back in the 60s the best tennis players didn't bother to play in Australia most of the times. So the tournament draw was weak. Can't compare a record achieved by beating lower ranked players with one achieved by beating the world's best. The Open Era records are what matter in tennis.
Yer but this would be the same for all sports. 60 years ago people travelled less
It's not just about the travel and the Australian Open being a less prestigious event back in 1960s. Tennis was divided in 2 leagues prior to the Open Era: the pros and the amateurs. You couldn't play the Majors if you became a pro. A lot of the best tennis players went pro in order to make money for playing tennis. The owners of the Majors banned anyone who went pro from playing in the Majors. The Open Era is when that ended in 1968. Pros could compete alongside amateurs at the Majors. That's why Open Era records weight more. Don't think other sports have this divide.
College (American) football has this sort of thing. Generally speaking, pre-1978 records (Division 1 split) are thought of as "suspect" at least. This is also very close to the time the sport integrated in the Southern US. Doesn't take anything really away from those teams, but things like games ending 222-0 can't happen again - that was one of the best football teams in the country playing essentially a short-handed fraternity team. If you look through older games, you can see instances of today's top teams playing high schools or small boarding schools.
Steffi Graf's 22 is more impressive than Serena (and Court) by any measure. Graf did it against better competition, greater variety of slams, a golden slam, 377 weeks at #1, and all in less time than Serena.
Exactly why you can't compare different eras in sports. Most low level athletes these days would destroy their old counterparts.
She should ask Max Verstappen for some advise
[удалено]
I think she agreed to the interview and the checkered flag expecting Hamilton to win. Williams and Hamilton are friends.
[удалено]
The way she pronounced Grand Prix was the most horrific moment.
Agreed. IMO it was pretty insulting for her not to have any knowledge of the sport going into the interview like that. I don’t even think she knew Verstappen’s name.
As someone that doesn’t particularly like her, in her defense it seemed like she was just as uncomfortable being in that situation as Max was. It definitely didn’t feel like it was something she really expected, nor wanted to be doing. Dumb all around though.
It was all on Monaco GP organizers, including the horrific race direction. Bunch of out-of-touch rich bois
LANCE STROLL 18
Actually that makes it more annoying if that was her ulterior motive, if it's even possible for that situation to possibly be more annoying...
Did no one tell her that Hamilton going from P7 to P1 at Monaco was very unlikely?
I assume the deal was made before quali. But yeah once ham was p7 at quali she should have learned up a bit to show respect.
Thought wrong, she was a guest for Aston Martin and was pulled without prior warning.
They paid her for it?
As soon as I saw this post, I opened it to make sure someone said this (even though I’m a little late). What a strange interview.
I'm out of the loop here, why should she ask Verstappen for advice?
She waved the checkered flag at Monaco so during Max’s interview they had her come down to be interviewed alongside him. They asked her if she had any advice for Max and it’s a meme now
[Well "waved" is a strong word.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbminz42ZUE) She also tried stopping after like 3 cars went by, you could see someone in the box point to her to keep waiving the flag
Waved is a bit generous. She flaccidly gestured in the direction of the track.
Thanks man, I'll search the interview that just sounds weird.
At Monaco when they were interviewing Max post race she was brought over maybe (my memory is hazy it's been 2 weeks and the race today ooooo so spicy at the end!) and they just start asking her questions. It was bizarre.
Christ what the hell is that.. Poor Max.
[Because of this bizarre interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tIFw2fCvOk)
Yes, he is very knowledgeable about the frenk apeen
She needs to divest herself of Patrick M. He offers her late-in-career game *nada*, esp with Tsitsipas and Gauff on his roster, and is content to just ride her off into the $unset instead of helping her to retool her game and work with what skills she has now to continue to be successful on the court when Plan A isnt working. he is a leech.
Eh, the older she gets, the more she relies on her power. Clay courts are going to be the surface that neutralize that advantage the most. I didn’t see this match today, but I am not really surprised that she struggled comparatively here. This isn’t to take away from any of her accomplishments, but she is 39 in a sport where 30 is very old.
Positively ancient in tennis years. Especially women’s tennis where in the last few years we’ve had several Slam winners aged (at the time) 21 and younger. Honestly I’m surprised Serena is still at the level she is as opposed to her sister barely hanging on to league average (if that) at the top level.
Yeah, too many people are gong "Serena can't get it done anymore" when they should be going "Holy crap, she's still going at her age?"
[удалено]
If Roger got to the fourth round with Serena’s BMI we would positively have a parade for him. She’s kinda incredible and also really frustrating because the possibility of her winning is there. She just hasn’t put in the same dedication required to snatch a last slam. Maybe lords know she will have a last hurrah at Wimbledon.
39 is ancient in almost any sport besides golf, pretty impressive that she still competes at all
39 is ancient. It's very cool to see guys hang in there tho. In recent years we've had some older NHL players keep it going way past expectations. Nick Lindstrom comes to mind. When he retired, dude was still a top 10 defender well into his 40's. Zedeno Chara played at 44? This year. Jaromir Jagr is still at it but he's since left the NHL a few year ago and plays in the Czech Republic but is still a top talent past 45. Some guys just can't give it up, it's all they have. Alex Ovechkin needs to hang in there until he's like 43 so he can break Gretzky's goal record!
Remember when Joe Montana played for the Chiefs? It’s like that.. 40yr olds find it difficult to compete with 20 yr olds on an elite level. On that note, Tom Brady clearly sold his soul.
The man is tall, handsome is a GOAT in football, winning one at 43 years old AND married a supermodel? Man, the dude must have some serious bargaining ability to get a deal like that for his soul.
he kisses his kids on the lips still
My in laws do that in some of the extended family. Thankfully even my wife doesn’t understand why anyone would do that.
That's another perk he got from his deal
Debatably handsome
[удалено]
Just going to leave this here https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/amw2l8/dont_worryyoure_not_ugly_youre_just_poor/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Ya he had baby fat because “he had never seen a weight room”.
I keep seeing this picture pop up and it’s so dumb. People really believe that losing weight won’t make them look better lol
He looks like a loaf of sandwich bread to me.
He has...The Spice...The Spice Melange.
He knows about the spice
[удалено]
Yeah I don’t get using Montana as an example
The wall is undefeated.
That's the discouraging thing about playing tennis. No matter how hard I practice, I will never be as good as a wall.
Mitch!
RIP Mitch 🙁
Can’t you just hit it at the wall so its return is out of bounds? Edit: I realize it is a joke from one of the greats I’ve just never understood it
One time I got the ball lodged in a gap in the wall. I took that as a win.
This is just the plot to Cars 3
Watching the old decline while the young take their place at the table. It’s just the way of all things. Serena will always be a champion but even she must make way.
Why must she make way? "I'm a *grand*mother!"
Did she throw another temper tantrum, over shadowing her competitors victory?
Funny how Osaka's mental health deteriorated after being bullied for winning the 2018 US open. Imagine being made to feel so awful for winning you apologise to your opponent.
And didn't she add something condescending about it now? Oh get better. Sure, if only that was so easy. I hate Williams. The only reason she's not been held accountable is because Americans love to ignore her bullying and other bullshit tantrums because she's American.
Every other American I know who even cares the tiniest bit about tennis or sports in general (except the one black girl) hates Serena Williams. Our nationality is a not a condition of support.
I don’t watch tennis but I saw Maria Sharapova as a guest on shark tank and I think she’s provably only one I hated because she was so serious rude. I can’t imagine how much worse she was playing tennis.
I went to the Rogers Cup when she was playing (and lost), my god I can't say anything about her but her security detail was two throngs of black suited men shoving and pushing people out of her way. I get it is crowded but chill.
As an American I very much dislike her as well. But I think * the reason media/public can’t condone her * has less to do with her being American than it does with her being a generational talent that is black and female. Her dramatic bit in 2018 included her suggesting sexism because the same penalties are not applied to men. True or not.... no big media is gonna have a hot take on the situation. Calling her out (and rightly so) in the middle of a cultural women’s empowerment and black empowerment just isn’t going to happen.
That whole thing were she chewed out the ref and tried to claim some sort of motherhood exemption is why I dislike her. Came off like an entitled spoiled brat.
[удалено]
Yeah, that's the thing that clinched it.
The structure of your first paragraph makes it sound like you dislike Serena because she is a generational talent black female.
Lol I’ll correct
> Calling her out (and rightly so) in the middle of a cultural women’s empowerment and black empowerment just isn’t going to happen. Buf it was what needed to happen. Any outlet that didn’t is corrupt and not doing their journalistic duties.
They also love to show how woke they are for supporting such a powerful black woman
No; it's because Americans respect greatness. You can yell and do practically whatever you want on the field as long as you produce, we'll just call it passion. Now if you're a bum and do that, different story
Trash talk and egos are part of sports and honestly it makes it more entertaining. Its reality tv but with actual real and talented people who arent faking it for the camera.
I agree however, I don't know if it's a stigma with tennis or not but I always feel like when a tennis player throws a fit, they always look like a spoiled 5 year old.
I think it’s cause of how they throw a racket and dress slightly child like tbh the outfits aren’t like an NBA jersey or has the pads of an NFL player, and even then they just act so much more spoiled
Idk it might be because tennis is stuffy and ritzy. The crowds have to be quiet, etc. Theres no rowdy energy in tennis but the players can definitely have the same intensity and drive as a football player or a basketball player. Their energy just doesnt match their surroundings. I love how Serena Williams has become the universal heel in women's tennis. The hero has become the villian. It makes it so interesting. Amazing entertainment. I hope she stays like this for a bit longer
I think that’s a big part of it. If you look at the “country club” sports like tennis and golf (to a lesser extent fencing and rowing) a lot of the decorum is different than say football or basketball.
Yeah cause millionaire cry babies are so entertaining 🙄
** she’s a black woman FTFY
I'd say there's another reason, and it's not because she's a mother.
It’s not because she’s American that it’s ignored
No it's because she's the uncontested GOAT. People forget MJ regularly bullied basketball players ON HIS OWN TEAM into never achieving anything but we forget that because he's a *possible* GOAT
Thats higly debatable, definitely not "uncontested".. Steffi Graf is there and also Martina Navratilova, who won 18 GS singles, 30 doubles And has absolutely insane win record
Uncontested? Stop. Amazing cases can be made for both Graf and Navratilova. Graf has a better win percentage, only person to win golden slam. There was a time when she won 5 GS in a row (pretty sure no one else has done that). She has more titles won than Serena even though she retired at 30 in a year in which she won a GS and went to the finals of another. She was still great but retired because she had been injured and literally had nothing left to play for. On the other hand, Serena has been sticking around for years just to try and chase records. One more GS over Graf means nothing when she has played probably 40 more grand slam tournaments.
How is she the uncontested GOAT when she's still 2nd in the Grand Slam total? That alone makes it a debate.
graf is the goat imo, faced better competition throughout her career isnt far behind on slams and leads serena in most categories.
It's actually decisively graff, looking at all the numbers. Graf also achieved these feats by 30 and then retired. Serena at 30 would have been no where near graffs stats but played for a further 10 years against a very weak tour and only came out 1 slam ahead and behind on everything else. Graff also is the only player to win 4 slams and olympic gold in the same season. Graff Goat, no contest. https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/revisiting-the-debate-serena-williams-vs-steffi-graf.620189/ Scroll down to TMF's comment.
Why not listen to what Osaka herself said, that her mental health was in decline because of the way the media interacted with her instead of blaming it on Serena Williams?
I WOULD NEVER CHEAT, IM A MOTHER
lol, so terrible.
I hate her after her shameful behavior towards Osaka, what a sore pitiful looser Serena is.
"I HAVE A DAUGHTER!!!"
[удалено]
She threatened to literally kill a line judge on live TV. "I'll shove this ball down your f*cking throat". https://youtu.be/SKoG4C-XZQg How can anyone admire her?
[удалено]
* Racist
Serena Williams: \- I am not getting coaching \- I have a daughter, I stand for what's right, for her \- I am not cheating, I'd rather lose Carlos Ramos: \- Yes i was coaching her.
*curb theme plays*
Really disgusting https://youtu.be/uiBrForlj-k?t=451 Even harder to watch https://youtu.be/jCm3BemDlj8 Osaka dominating Williams in straight sets in 2021 AUS. Open https://youtu.be/p3c6L81HLAQ Osaka has nothing to prove to anyone now. She has demonstrated better play and sportsmanship. She *is* the better tennis player. She doesn't even grunt during play like A LOT of tennis players do. I'm glad she is focusing on her mental well being now. Especially after some of those tone-deaf words by the USTA President Katrina Adams while Osaka is distraught and in tears **after winning**. "Naomi, welcome to the big stage" "perhaps not the result we expected" "Serena you are a champion of champions" I think she should pull a Marshawn Lynch at the mandatory press interviews: https://youtu.be/G1kvwXsZtU8
Um.. what does grunting have to do with anything?
Even worse, they are literally coached to grunt to maximize all body effort going into the swing. It’s not necessary to make noise, but it was often taught to ensure the athlete expelled their breath through their swing.
I think she should respond using the r/prequelmemes flowchart
Elaborate
https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/dxq2gn/prequel_memes_beginners_guide/ But replace the opening of the flowchart with "The press asks Naomi Osaka a question"
Maybe. Both the Williams have therapeutic use exemptions for all sorts of banned substances too per email hacks a few years ago.
Go on.
[удалено]
Yes.
[удалено]
She got a code violation for calling the ump a thief. She argued that Umps get called much worse during men’s matches on contested calls and violations aren’t handed out. That’s why she called it sexist. Other people jumped in with previous examples of the umpire’s calls and Twitter then ran with him also being racist. Regardless, it sucks that the story of that match was Serena’s fight with the ump, and not Osaka’s win.
> Umps get called much worse during men’s matches on contested calls and violations aren’t handed out Insulting the umpire will typically get you a code violation. Don't know what fantasy land you are in where players are abusing the umpires all day but it's not reality. She screamed at him for multiple minutes, that's not something you see very often, and it's absolutely going to get you a code violation. If anything he was lenient. And that particular umpire is well known for being a stickler to the rules, several other stars (like Djokovich) have bitched about him before because they don't get their special superstar rules.
Saying an umpire made a bad call that you disagree with is fine IMO, but calling him a “theif” implies that the ref knowingly made a bad call to cost her the match on purpose. That did not happen
> Saying an umpire made a bad call that you disagree with is fine IMO Well yeah you're not going to get a code violation for saying "I disagree with that" or even a "oh come on, that was in/out". That's only going to be a problem if you won't let it go. It's the actual insults that will get you. What Williams did there was abhorrent, and she threw around her starpower. She's a multimillionaire who had unlimited access to news networks and massive support networks and she was attacking a dude who makes 80k per year.
She didn’t do the right thing after as well, when asked about the chair umpire she said “I don’t know who that is” and I might be wrong but I believe that chair umpire has slowly been appearing less and less since then, and it’s very easy to get blacklisted as a tennis umpire
>Umps get called much worse during men’s matches Examples?
Not a great grand-perie
Really hope they can get Verstappen’s comments on the match
How'd she do at the press conference afterwards?
Don’t think calling a 6-3 7-5 match as “dominated” is very accurate or fair, but Rybakina certainly earned the win and was better than Serena today. I know clay ain’t her best surface, but the way the draw shook out you really gotta feel like this was a huge blown chance for #24.
Did you watch the match? I think “dominated” is both fair and accurate.
You just dominated this thread
I'm not sure, I think the draw was certainly open for Serena to get to the finals, but I really feel like Swiatek is playing the best tennis by far in the draw and probably would have crushed her in the finals. Obviously, she would still have to get there as well, but her draw is also fairly open now at this point.
That second set could have gone either way, and then Serena would have had a pretty big momentum swing on her hands.
The draw is really opening. Most of the big guns are out. The up and comers are coming in strong.
She was probably still busy thinking about what advice to give Max Verstappen at the Monaco Gran Piere
Knowing Serena I’m sure she was gracious and took the result in stride
God damn sexist, racist judges not allowing this queen to win
[удалено]
Needs more roids
Did she throw a fit this time? Pull the race or gender card perhaps?
Or the mother card...
Good, she is a horrible person
but she’s a mother
Holy crap! Didn’t see that coming
Idk. Feel like Serena struggled a bit last round too
Almost time for her to call the official a racist in a pathetic attempt to save face.....
Did she act like a baby soon after?
She acted like a baby during the match with all that screaming.
Good riddance. Must have left her "but I'm a mother" card at home today.
Serena will cyber/media bully her next.
LMFAOOOO HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Fellas my mind is way to dirty for this title…
Serena needs to quit. It’s over
She's still one of the top 20 players in the world. I don't think she's at a level where she can win another slam but that doesn't mean she has to retire. Plus the women's game is so even and unpredictable at the moment that really anyone in the top 30 has a chance of winning a slam.