Does The Williams Sisters' Rivalry Benefit Women's Tennis?

It has been nearly two weeks since the latest edition of the WTA’s version of Clash of the Titans, as the Williams sisters played in their fourth Wimbledon final of the past decade. This time, baby sister Serena, motivated by a quarterfinal loss in the French Open to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (and possibly the prospect of stopping 5-time Wimbledon champion Venus from hoisting another trophy over her lanky 6’1” frame), emerged as the victor, now in possession of three of the four major titles in women’s tennis.

The Williams sisters have been both a blessing and a curse to the state of the game they love. On one hand, the historical significance of seeing two sisters at the top of the game at the same time (no disrespect to the Bondarenko sisters or the Radwanska sisters but the Williams sisters will be the last time we see this phenomenon) is nothing short of something to marvel at, especially considering the route they took to the top strayed away from the typical privileged middle class pathway that has become commonplace in tennis. When the Williams’ play on a consistent basis, there is no one in the tennis world who can come close to matching their brand of tennis: fluid movement, screaming ground strokes, and powerful serving.

Therein lies the problem; women’s tennis has no worthy adversaries to the Williams dominance. The women’s game is in an uncomfortable time of transition, as past champions have been exiting the game (e.g. Lindsay Davenport’s growing family, Martina Hingis’ cocaine suspension, Justin Henin’s shocking retirement) and young players haven’t matured enough to be able to challenge the Williams sisters beyond an occasional upset. It could be argued that the players who have been at the top of the game during the past year have only been there due to the lack of a powerful force in the game; would Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zvonareva, or Nadia Petrova (among others) have been in the top ten or in the later stages of majors if they had played even a decade ago? While we can never rewrite the past of women’s tennis, we definitely know the future: Venus and Serena Williams.

Comments

[Chaka]

NICE JOB BB <3

[David]

Great Job! Very well written...I look forward to seeing more great things from Venus & Serena

[Laura Brasnan]

These both sister are gift of the God for Tennis.In history this is first time when two sister at the top of the game at the same time.