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Tapping her potential Best is yet to come for Serena Williams
By Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated
The ranking system for women's tennis has come under great fire lately. Though Martina Hingis is the No. 1-ranked player and thus the top seed here, no one outside of her calling circle gives her much chance to win the tournament. Likewise, no one worth their loge seats believes that there are nine players in the draw better than Serena Williams -- or, for that matter, three better than her fourth-seeded sister, Venus. But the sport needs the players' participation to thrive, so the rankings give players a large incentive to compete early and often. Those who don't are punished. Consider the Williamses, who, as one of my partners in journalistic crime puts it, are "tennis' Kelly girls," temp employees in the occupation of tennis. They miss months to attend fashion school. They contract injuries that prevent them from playing. Sometimes, frankly, they'd just rather take the week off and spend time with their dogs. Of all the players in the top 50, Venus and Serena played the fewest events in 2000. This year they're again on pace to hold that distinction. If spacing out their schedules and playing sporadically prolong their careers, stifle any sibling rivalry, stave off burnout or help sustain their interest in a lifestyle that can be more than a little tedious at times, ultimately it will be for the benefit of the sport. The problem, in Serena's case, in particular, is that it has stalled her progress. A winner here in 1999 who showed herself capable of playing unparalleled tennis, Serena hasn't so much as been to a Grand Slam final since. The long layoffs turn her timing into a game of Where's Waldo? The time away causes the Comedy of (Unforced) Errors she performed Monday night, where she needed three sets to take out someone named Anca Barna. Above all, Serena's low ranking forces her to face other top players earlier than she should. In her past four Grand Slams, she has met her demise in the quarterfinals. We might anticipate an all-Williams final, but Serena will need to beat Justine Henin and Lindsay Davenport just to make the semis. "I need to play," she concedes. "If you see my results, if I played more I definitely would be a better-ranked individual than I am right now." After wiping away Denisa Chladkova Wednesday in a clinical, blink-and-you-missed-it performance, Serena has vowed to clock in more often in 2002. "I'm going to play more next year," she asserted. "Oh, definitely." Then, as visions of Grand Slams danced in her head like sugar-plum fairies, she added: "Maybe more in the earlier part of the year, to make sure I can do well at the Australian Open." Also, she might play more clay events, since in the past she's taken precious few warmups before Roland Garros. "Those two Slams, they are just as important as the rest," she said. Serena's potential to be one of the all-timers is beyond dispute. Even as Venus imposes her will on the field, many still think that the little sister is the more technically sound player. Serena may not cover the court as well, but she hits just as hard, mixes up her shots better and can steamroll opponents as she did Wednesday. As Martina Navratilova said recently, "It's just a question of [Serena] seeing the light and deciding to take this profession seriously." Now, it seems, she finally has. "I've always been serious about my game," she said. "But I think now, maybe I'm a little more serious."
Half volleysAndy Roddick had a smashing Arthur Ashe Stadium debut Tuesday night, but the going was rougher on Wednesday for some of his American contemporaries. Mardy Fish fell in straight sets to Carlos Moya, while Levar Harper-Griffith did likewise against Albert Costa. ... For all you Mailbag readers who keep clamoring, an all-tennis channel is set to launch next summer. Run by former HBO Sports chief David Meister, the channel will feature a mix of early-round match coverage, personality profiles and instruction from tutors like Vic Braden and Brad Gilbert. ... Hingis may be the most disrespected top seed in years, but she sure looked the part Wednesday, beating talented Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya 6-0, 6-2. ... No. 3 seed Davenport romped over Emilie Loit by the same score. ... From the No Respect Dept.: Juan Carlos Ferrero, the fifth seed, has been identified on a drawsheet and in online transcripts as "Juan Carlson." ... Quote of the day comes from -- who else? -- Justin Gimelstob. Battling injuries and shaky nerves, the American won a tough five-setter against Michal Tabara of the Czech Republic. As the two shook hands at the net, Tabara, upset by Gimelstob's multiple injury timeouts, unleashed a loogie in the American's direction. Informed of this, the 6-foot-5 Gimelstob responded: "He'd better not be in the locker room when I get back. Unless he grows about another foot [Tabara is 5-9] by the time I get back in the locker room, he's in trouble."
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim will file daily reports from Flushing Meadows. Click here to send a question to his Tennis Mailbag.
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