NOT NECESSARILY SPORT by MARC POZZO
Well, well, well, who would have thought that the Springboks could pull a win off against the mighty All Blacks in their own back yard. We all know there is one statistic that really counts in any match…the final score. There’s no comments column on “how you got there.” What matters is that after 80 minutes you are leading on the scoreboard. This 36-34 win in Wellington was one of the greatest wins over their arch rivals and fiercest. It was just the 36th win in 96 meetings for South Africa.
There is one statistic that stands out for me; tackles made. New Zealand 46 vs South Africa 226. This stands out for me. The win came at the right time for them as their championship is back on track with some kind of belief still there. This is particularly true as they travel to take on Australia next week.
I have been listening, reading people’s views on the Serena Williams saga which is still making the papers and news. My take is a simple one. Yes, there is an element of sexism in women’s tennis and in women’s sport in general.
However, this does not make Williams immune when she steps out of line. The accusation of sexism she levelled at the umpire Carlos Ramos for docking her a game for verbal abuse was uncalled for- she called him a “liar and a thief”. This ensured the story would command headlines for weeks to come. To make the pot boil even longer, two of the most senior administrators in the sport endorsed Williams comments and made the issue landed fully in the lap of the chair umpire.
The chief executive of the Women’s Tennis Association, Steve Simon, issued a statement to say he did not feel Ramos was as tolerant to Williams as he would have been to a man. Earlier in the day, the US Tennis Association president Katrina Adams also accused Ramos, and other umpires, of gender bias in a television interview. There are too many voices, too many governing bodies.
The four Grand Slams are the pillars of the sport and they compete for influence along with rule-making body; the International Tennis Federation, the WTA, which runs the women’s tour, and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which runs the men’s. Reform would be welcome, but do not hold your breath. Ramos is an umpire with a reputation for standing up to star players, which is partly why he has been asked to take charge of singles finals at all of the Grand Slams, as well as the Olympic Games.
He would have faced criticism had he not taken action against Williams for calling him a liar and a thief.
There is too much sexism in tennis. But that should not be used as a smokescreen to excuse the behaviour of the 23 time Grand Slam champion.
Then there is the issue of mid-match coaching, which takes us back to where this story began. On-court coaching is allowed at certain times on the WTA Tour, but secret signals from the players’ box are never permissible.
Coaches do it all the time, but it is impossible for umpires to police consistently.
But let’s follow the rules…it’s not allowed generally. I guess this debate could go on and on.
Williams on court behavior was uncalled for and actually the poor person who was effected the most was the winner. Naomi Osaka deserved more, and Serena should be ashamed. Her first Grand Slam and Japans first female tennis player to win a Grand Slam; but sadly her dream headlines have been found on some random sports page not the back page.
Once again, tennis is torn – sport is torn.
