At the moment of glory, no one is as revered as much as the successful athlete. Few people go through as rigorous training and preparation as the world-class athlete. Everything that they do is designed for success. They have another special quality. It is how they prepare mentally and emotionally that help them to make quick decisions, perform flawlessly, under pressure in a highly public forum. This preparation is the basis of this blog. Enter their world.
Prior to her championship doubles match at the U.S. Open, Serena Williams issued this amendment on her blog:
Hey guys!!!
I want to amend my press statement of yesterday, and want to make it clear as possible - I want to sincerely apologize FIRST to the lines woman, Kim Clijsters, the USTA, and tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst. I'm a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I'm wrong.
I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately and it's not the way to act -- win or lose, good call or bad call in any sport, in any manner.
I like to lead by example. We all learn from experiences both good and bad. I will learn and grow from this, and be a better person as a result.
"If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat."
--SerenaWilliams, in the heat of battle at the U.S. Open.
This tirade has been seen thousands of times on YouTube. This meltdown was unacceptable. It was totally out of line and inappropriate. All tennis players, established and aspiring, young and old, amateur and professional are watching. Everyone wants to see where the boundaries are set, where the limits of bad behavior lie.
On Saturday night, in the midst of a tense second set in the women’s semi-finals of the U. S. Open against Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams was called for her second foot fault of the match on a second serve at 5-6, 15-30. Defending champion Williams then walked toward the line judge, screaming, cursing and shaking a ball in the official's direction, threatening to "shove it down" her throat. Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct that gave a 6-4, 7-5 upset victory to unseeded, unranked Kim Clijsters.
When Williams was through yelling, Engzell called the linesperson to the chair. Following a brief chat, Engzell requested that tournament referee Brian Earley come onto the court.
Another discussion ensued, with Williams joining the mix. In the end, Williams was called for her second code violation of the match – this time for unsportsmanlike conduct. As tennis rules dictate, a player’s second code violation is a point penalty.
Since Williams’ point penalty came with the Williams serving at 15-40, the game was awarded to Clijsters. And since Clijsters led by a set and 6-5 at the time, the match was hers.
The U.S. Open officials who have earlier fined Serena for $500 for racket abuse in the same match, reporterd fine her $10,000 and gave indications that further penalties may be imposed on the player after the investigation over the entire incident is over.
“The grand slam rule book allows for an investigation to be conducted by the grand slam committee administrator to determine if the behavior of Ms Williams warrants consideration as a major offence, for which additional penalties can be imposed. This investigation has just now begun,” said referee Brian Earley in a statement.
Reports say that the WTA tour chief Stacey Allaster had reportedly termed Serena Williams’ behavior as both “inappropriate and unprofessional”. John McEnroe, reportedly said that Serena should be suspended for breaching the code of conduct. It had been reported that Williams had reportedly refused to apologize. She seemed quite unrepentant.
However, later, in a statement released by Serena, the player has reportedly said that she should have kept her cool during the altercation.
“Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don’t agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience.”
--Serena Williams, in an apology.
Right after the match, Serena was in denial.
“I haven't been called for a foot fault all year until I got to New York, so maybe when I come to this tournament I have to step two feet back,” said Williams, whose first foot fault was called by a different linesperson in the sixth game of the second set.
“Kim played really well, and I think she came out with a really big plan,” said Williams. “I think that the next time we play I'll know a little bit more about her game, what to expect, and what to do.”
About 20 minutes following her tirade, a composed Williams said she likely foot-faulted.
“I'm pretty sure I did,” said Williams. “If she called a foot fault, she must have seen a foot fault. She was doing her job. I'm not going to knock her for not doing her job.
After the match, Williams did not acknowledge her poor sportsmanship. Asked in her postmatch news conference what she said to the line judge, Williams wouldn't say, replying, "What did I say? You didn't hear?"
Williams also minimized the incident. "I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why she would have felt threatened," Williams said with a smile.
The line judge went over to the chair umpire, along with tournament referee Brian Earley. Williams then went over and said to the line judge: "Sorry, but there are a lot of people who've said way worse." Then the line judge said something to the chair umpire, and Williams responded, "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn't say that." The line judge replied by shaking her head and saying, "Yes."
Williams already had been give a code violation warning when she broke her racket after losing the first set. So the chair umpire now awarded a penalty point to Clijsters, ending the match.
"She was called for a foot fault, and a point later, she said something to a line umpire, and it was reported to the chair, and that resulted in a point penalty," Earley explained. "And it just happened that point penalty was match point. It was a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct."
When the ruling was announced, Williams walked around the net to the other end of the court to shake hands with a stunned Clijsters, who did not appear to understand what had happened.
"I used to have a real temper, and I've gotten a lot better," Williams said later. "So I know you don't believe me, but I used to be worse. Yes, yes, indeed." Really? Worse than this? Really?
Serena also overshadowed and tarnished the achievements of Clijsters. In only her third tournament back after 2 1/2 years in retirement, the 26-year-old Belgian became the first mother to reach a Grand Slam final since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon 1980.
“I never really expected to be beating Venus and beating Serena,” said Clijsters, who upset Serena’s sister, Venus , in the fourth round. “You try and you try to bring your best tennis, but you don't expect things to be going this well this soon.
“That's why I, knock on wood, just try to stay focused and not lose my rhythm that I've been having over these last two-and-a-half, almost three weeks that we've been here. Just trying to keep that going until the whole tournament is finished.”
"The normal feelings of winning a match weren't quite there," Clijsters said. "But I think afterwards, when everything kind of sunk in a little bit and got explained to me about what happened, yeah, you kind of have to put it all in place, and then it becomes a little bit easier to understand and to kind of not celebrate, but at least have a little bit of joy after a match like that."
Clijsters hadn't competed at the U.S. Open since winning the 2005 championship. Williams came into the day having won three of the past four Grand Slam titles, and 30 of her previous 31 matches at major tournaments.
One could see this meltdown coming. When Williams hit backhands into the net on consecutive points at 5-4 in the first set, Clijsters had broken her for the second time and taken the opening set. Upset, the American bounced her racket, caught it, then cracked it against the blue court, damaging the entire frame.
When Williams walked to the changeover, she clanged it against the net post and was given a warning for racket abuse by the chair umpire. That would prove costly at match's end.
"I mean, the timing is unfortunate, you know," Clijsters said. "To get a point penalty at the time, it's unfortunate. But there are rules, and you know, like I said, it's just unfortunate that it has to happen on a match point."
Simply put, this is an ugly incident that tarnishes what should have been a special match and championship for Kim Clijsters and, thus far, remarkable career of Serena Williams. Serena has lost a championship and the respect of many. The U.S. Open organizers and the WTA officials should come down hard on Serena to ensure that others are not tempted to berate an official and to send a strong message to all elite athletes about their increasing boorish behavior.
Serena, the way to move forward from this and learn is to acknowledge the behavior and suffer the consequences, real consequences, not just a slap on the wrist. Everyone, let’s take this opportunity to take the high road.
--Melanie Oudin, talking with Good Morning America after being eliminated from the U.S. Open.
Oudin finally was sent packing by 9th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. Oudin had upset Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova to get to the quarters while garner a huge fan base who fell in love with her youth and energy. American tennis has been given a shot in the arm by Oudin's run and her personality.
Though she finally seemed overwhelmed and outmatched by Wozniacki, we should see much of Melanie Oudin in the future, due to her considerable talent and typically strong mental approach to the game. However, it was her coach who took the blame for the loss.
"I'll take the blame," said her coach Brian de Villiers. "I didn't prepare her mentally, didn't explain to her how this would be a long, tough match and how she needed to be patient. And then her legs weren't there, and she got irritated with herself ..."
Consequently, Oudin produced 43 unforced errors and only 11 winners.
“I try to pretend that it's not like Arthur Ashe Stadium playing Maria Sharapova. I try to just pretend it's any other match, even just practicing. Sometimes I tell myself I'm just practicing at my academy at home and I'm just playing one of my friends.”
--Melanie Oudin, discussing her approach to her matches.
The 17-year-old from Marietta, Georgia staged another upset Monday afternoon at the U.S. Open, extending her surprising run to the quarterfinals with another come-from-behind victory, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 over 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova. Oudin once again upset a more-seasoned, higher-ranked opponent.
Oudin, the 70th-ranked player already had wins over No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 29 Maria Sharapova, a former No. 1 and U.S. Open champion, along with one over former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic this summer at Wimbledon. Now, she's knocked off the No. 13 seed at the U. S Open.
Melanie Oudin defeated Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“I learned, once again, proved to myself that I can compete with these top girls,” said the American, who once again rallied from a set down to beat her heavily-favored opposition. “And if I believe in myself and my game, then I can beat them.”
Previously, on Thursday afternoon, Oudin knocked out another top Russian, Elena Dementieva, in three-sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Dementieva was ranked No. 2 earlier this year. Oudin’s ranking will now rise to the low 50s from 70.
After beating Dementieva, Oudin said, “I didn't think that she was blowing me off the court. She wasn't hitting winners left and right on me. We had long points. I was right there with her. I knew if I could play well and keep being aggressive and stay in there that I could do it.”
Oudin has displayed a great deal of mental toughness, and an ability to reach back and gather energy late in the third set.
Hard Work, Passion and Focus
“Someone asked me at Wimbledon, how I would describe the whole experience,” said Oudin. “There's not really one word. Everything about it is just unbelievable. But basically I love to play tennis, and that's why I'm here. I'm loving it.”
“I guess it’s kind of surprising, but it’s like I’ve worked so hard for this,” said Oudin. “Finally, everything is just coming together. I’m playing how I’ve been wanting to play, how I knew I could play. I just haven’t been able to do it continually for an entire match. These past matches here, I’ve been able to keep it up the entire time, not just a couple points here or there, a set here and there, but like the entire match.”
Confidence and Composure
“She’s just playing with such confidence now, and she thrives on playing in front of people,” said Brian de Villiers, Oudin’s coach since she was 9. “Before we went out, she was like: ‘I cannot let Sharapova intimidate me. I have to just hold my ground.’ ”
Oudin has now beaten two women who were once ranked No. 1 (Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon and now Sharapova).
“I think she has a great amount of potential,” said Sharapova, who, like Dementieva, was gracious in defeat. “I thought she played really well. I thought she has many weapons. You know, she certainly held her ground.”
After looking average, anxious, and out of her league in the first set against Sharapova, Oudin regained her composure in the second set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead before Sharapova recovered. Sharapova fought through the next three games before Oudin won the set on her seventh set point.
Competitive Spirit
“I’ve always been so competitive, doesn’t matter what I’m doing,” Oudin said, adding: “I always want to win more than anything. I’m not going to give up, you know, no matter what the score is.”
She has become the youngest American to move into the quarterfinals at America's Grand Slam since Serena Williams in 1999.
All four of Oudin's wins have come against Russians and her next match could be against yet another. That's sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 Open champion and the only Grand Slam tournament winner left on Oudin's side of the bracket.
Tenacity and Determination
"It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Oudin said. "Today, there were no tears because I believed I can do it. Now I know I do belong here. This is what I want to do. I can compete with these girls no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."
Oudin improved to 6-1 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year when she's lost the first set. She is 17-4 overall this year in three-set matches. In all the matches, she has shown tenacity and determination.
"I don't actually mean to lose the first set," she insisted. "Sometimes, I just start off slowly. Maybe I'm a little nervous. Today, my timing was off a little. But I just totally forgot about it, started off the second set like it was a new match, and I started playing better."
With a serve that needs work (she won the match with Petrova without serving a single ace) Oudin is winning with high energy, footwork, technique, precision. Mostly, though, she is thriving in pressure situations that has destroyed so many others in her situation.
"You don't know if she's winning or losing," said her father, John. "She doesn't seem nervous out there -- and I don't know where that came from."
“It’s kind of hard to explain how I’ve done it,” Oudin said. “Like today, there are no tears because I believed that I could do it. And it’s like now I know that I do belong here. This is what I want to do, and I can compete with these girls no matter who I’m playing. I have a chance against anyone.”
Against Petrova, Oudin started slowly with Petrova serving well and Oudin unable to control her service games. A mere mortal would have had a difficult time bouncing back from a 1-6 beating. Petrova had been playing very well, beating her first three opponents without dropping a set.
“I think it’s just mentally I’m staying in there with them the whole time, and I’m not giving up at all,” Oudin said. “If they’re going to beat me, they’re going to beat me, because I’m not going to go anywhere.”
In The Zone
“She gets pretty much in her own zone,” John Oudin said. “Nothing breaks her focus. I don’t know where she gets it from.”
Oudin, though, kept her composure and got going in the second set and got the crowd into it with her.
“She has nothing to lose,” Petrova said of Oudin. “She has the crowd going for her. She’s just having a blast out there.”
“I know that I can compete with the best in the world now,” Oudin said. “And I will know that forever.”
“I think she’s very talented. She was in the court and not afraid to play. She was playing very aggressively, really enjoying this atmosphere, you know, the crowd support and really going for the winners.”
--Elena Dementieva, who lost to Melanie Oudin in an upset in the second round of the U.S. Open. Dementieva is still seeking her first Grand Slam title.
To help with motivation, Oudin has "Believe" written on her tennis shoes. After reaching the fourth round as a qualifier, she upset the former No. 1 player in the world, Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
Oudin, from Marietta, Georgia, continues to excel at the U. S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday by upsetting No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round. She moves on the the third round to play Maria Sharapova.
The “Believe” message on Oudin’s shoes was her boyfriend's idea. Austin Smith, 15, is with her in New York. He said Oudin did not want to follow the lead of other pros by putting her name or nickname on her shoes.
“For me, it’s all about that,” Oudin said. “It’s believing that I can beat these girls.”
Excerpts from the New York Times, September 4, 2009.
"I think I used to get more up and down on an individual results or two. I maybe used to be convinced after two bad weeks that it was going to fall apart forever or after two good weeks that I'd probably never play a bad match again. I think maybe I have a little more confidence in the process than I used to."
--Andy Roddick, discussing his past problems with confidence and self-criticism.
Andy Roddick, who Roger Federer has beaten in 19 or their 21 meetings, comes to this year's U.S. Open seeded fifth. His classic five-set loss to Federer at Wimbledon has rejuvenated his career and increased his fan support.
"I would be lying if I sat here and said I totally understood it. But it definitely made it easier to get motivated to get back on the court," says Roddick about his fans' reaction.
Roddick also hired Larry Stefanki last year as his coach. Stefanski has helped him with confidence, his self-criticism and internal dialogue. Roddick has also seemingly benefitted from his marriage to model Brooklyn Decker.
Will Roddick be confident and play well this year at the U.S. Open?
Excerpts from the New York Times (August 30, 2009)
--Serena Williams, who won the U.S. Open for the third time last night in New York and captured her ninth career Grand Slam singles title.
Williams completed her surprising climb back to #1 Sunday night with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Jelena Jankovic.
The 23-year-old Jankovic was appearing in her first Grand Slam final.
The hard-fought victory also gave Williams the #1 ranking in the world by beating the #2 player in the world. The #1 player, Ana Ivanovic, lost in the second round.
“I’m here to stay. Number 1 is not my goal. I know I’ll get that eventually if I continue to play the tournaments.”
--Serena Williams, who once held #1 for 57 straight weeks, but not since August 2003.
Injury, the murder of her half-sister and career interests in fashion and acting, upset her focus, hindered her career and sent her ranking below 125 in the last five years. After a surprising win at the Australian Open in 2007, it took her two years to get back completely.
“She’s working hard now, but it would have come quicker if she had worked harder before, but they [Serena and her sister, Venus] have their other activities. She thinks she’s supposed to win everything, that’s her will. She thinks everything’s hers.”
--Oracene Price, her mother.
“I’m playing a lot more, having more consistent results, and just putting in the effort. I think my results are finally showing,” says Williams.
Excerpts from the New York Times, 09/06/2008 and 09/08/2008.
“I managed my emotions a lot better. I stayed positive. At Wimbledon I got really negative and lost the only chance I had. This time, when she got in, I just relaxed. When I was up, I stayed relaxed.”
--Serena Williams, after beating sister, Venus, in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.
Serena posted a two-tie-breaker 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) victory, in a classic match-up that had the feel and electricity of a Grand Slam final.
“I feel like I should have a trophy now. Unfortunately I don’t, and I got to go to the next round,” Serena said.
With a strong will and physical stamina, she rallied from 5-3 deficits in both sets, and overcame eight set points in the second. Serena will play Danara Safina in the semifinals.
"I think I understand the game more. Trying different kind of shots, too, lately. Trying to add some variety.
"I think the Wimbledon win helped me a lot to change my mentality, to realize not everything had to be perfect all the time.
"That's helped me -- if I don't have a perfect practice, I don't get really upset about the whole tournament. I think that helps me to relax."
--Venus Williams, five-time Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medal womens' doubles winner in Beijing, discussing the importance of confidence and relaxation after her third round victory at the U.S. Open on Saturday, August 30, 2008.
