Venere and Serena: a Family Struggle
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Daddy Richard hoped for it at the US Open, but maybe when looking at the money earned, it was better that things went in this way. In New York, a few weeks ago, the women's final between the Williams sisters was prevented by Martina Hingis, who won over Venus, before being defeated by Serena in the final. In Munich, during the billionaire Grand Slam Cup, a tournament that gathers the 16 best players in the Major trials, the confrontation between the two sisters could not be delayed anymore. The world number one tried once again to contrast what seems to be an evident attempt of monopoly in women's tennis. But Martina's defeat in the semifinal finally allowed the Williams family to enjoy a fratricidal final for the second time in the year (after Key Biscayne).
This time there were a lot of interests linked to the duel between Venere and Serena. Indeed, their rivalry, which was previously seen as a secondary fact, is now beginning to move in the foreground. And thus, what had to be a generous sharing out of titles, according to daddy Richard's rosy prospects, risks to turn into a dangerous boomerang. Mainly after that Serena, the younger sister, won over Venus, for the first time after four defeats. Until the recent US Open, familiar hierarchies were well defined, both in terms of age and titles. When the Williams family expected an important success, for example a victory in the Slam competition, all expectations were for the eldest daughter, who up to now had only won in tournaments of medium importance.
And maybe it is thanks to this psychological aspect, i.e. the fact of hiding behind her sister's cumbersome shadow, that Serena was able to prepare what can be seen as a "coup" at her own home. Her victory over Martina Hingis in New York, in early September, appeared to be the result of a perfect teamwork. In the semifinal, Venus put the young Swiss player under pressure and thus Serena was able to win over a tired out Hingis in the final. A technique typical of bicycle races or other teamworks. Yet, there was a small grain of sand in what was supposed to be a perfect mechanism, that is, the role of the sparring partner. In fact, until when the younger of the two sisters accepted to play this role, thanks also to the hidden direction of their factotum father, there were no problems.
But now their teamwork could begin to totter, above all after two important titles like the Us Open and mainly the most recent victory of Serena over Venus in the final in Munich, an event that seems to have definitively upset equilibriums and agonistic values between the Williams sisters.
That something had deteriorated could be noted already after Serena's triumph in New York On this occasion CBS, an American cable television, managed to film almost a grimace on Venus' face at the moment when her younger sister won her first Slam title with an ace. Now that the Grand Slum Cup has once again upset the place-list of the two sisters, one may really wonder how long the show of the no-problem family set up by daddy Richard, for which it is not important to win but to participate and free oneself from the Los Angeles black ghetto, can last.
In particular after the Munich tournament, the two Williams sisters have become even richer and now it will be not at all easy to deal with their exponential growth and relative equilibriums.
On the other hand, it is not possible to prevent the most skilled player from winning because of superior interests. And thus the toy the whole women's tennis world envies mum Oracene might break down.
The recent controversy at Ferrari is the most classic example. Until when Irvine played the sparring partner role, Schumacher lorded it over everyone at Maranello. Now that the German pilot is knock-out and his Irish teammate is struggling for the title, all past whims and piques sprout up like mushrooms. In sport, too, what really means is to win and it doesn's matter if it is necessary to reverse situations taken for granted. It seems it is time that the "happy" Williams family, too, become aware of that.
 

 

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