Serena Williams is the epitome of low class. I'm glad tonight happened the way it did, a very high profile tirade that will extend beyond the typical tennis fan, because she's managed to skate past it for years, despite one juvenile comment after another following losses. She never gives the opponent credit, merely whining that the opponent was lucky. It's always been a stuffy attitude, no threat of playful warmth.
Prime example was the 3 straight losses to Justine Henin in grand slam quarterfinals a couple of years ago. It was delicious. Serena was increasingly frustrated with every loss and her comments similarly plummeted to lower and lower depths.
Watch the replay of tonight's explosion. The threat sentence is obvious, as obvious as the pointed finger. Dozens of fans behind the linesman heard it. You can see their stunned and disgusted reaction, particularly in the faces of the women in the lower seats.
Serena better not lie about what she said, that's my prime advice. Too many witnesses will counter, and I wouldn't discount the possibility of a recording.
In her press conference, Serena tried to cover her typical tendency with praise of Clijsters. But she returned to true form when asked about an apology to the lineswoman. Serena was taken back by the question, saying something like, "Linesmen are yelled at all the time. This was no different."
I'll wager that attitude will change within days, once an agent tells her that reputation and endorsements are at stake. Then we'll get a robotic apology with fancy insincere words and phrases.
The hidden reality: Tonight's result demonstrates the pathetic depths of women's tennis, a player who hadn't touched a racket in 2+ years reaching the final. The Russians choke routinely with big leads. Other Top 10 or 15 players have no big weapon or consistency. It's a farce compared to a decade or more ago. The Williams sisters take advantage of the sorry competition to rack up more majors than they should have despite part time attendance. And can you imagine the fury in the Williams camp tonight, especially the father, both sisters taken out by a new mom.
A Dolphin connection means squat. I've watched and rooted tennis majors dating prior to Shula's tenure in Miami, so who gives a flip about a month or two of publicity driven ties?
