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In tennis as in politics, race colors the game

Les Payne

September 29, 2008

With the first presidential debate behind us, the next big showdown looms in the Spring of '09. By then, if the U.S. Constitution holds, the nation will have seated its harried 44th president and his stressed-out Treasury secretary.

It is not yet clear exactly what of our national honor, lifestyle and assets will survive the Scourge of Bush-Cheney. A besieged populace is left to ponder how differently things might have turned out if the winning vote they gave Al Gore in 2000 would have duly been allowed to seat him, instead of George W., in the Oval Office.

But we need a break; tennis anyone? By March 9, the Williams sisters must decide whether to continue their boycott of the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament.

The play at the net concerns a change in the Women's Tennis Association rules in 2007 that makes it mandatory for top-10 ranked players to show at Southern California's Indian Wells, a non-Grand Slam event. Serena and Venus Williams, ranked No. 1 and No. 8, respectively, would be forced to appear or face suspension and heavy fines. Each has been boycotting the tournament since 2001.

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In the semifinals that year, Venus backed out of a match with her younger sister, with a knee injury. Charging sibling chicanery, some fans booed Serena, who played through tears to victory. For good measure, a dozen hecklers reportedly yelled a racial slur at the teenager and her family in the stands.

Both sisters swore never again to play at Indian Wells. Time will reveal whether their commitment will wither under the new WTA rules drafted to force their hands and remove the stigma of racism from this tournament. Sports are indeed a reliable laboratory to put the national character under the microscope. As terrible as the pain the racists put the Williams family through there, the bipolarity of patriotism comes as sharply into focus. Serena was a striking young American, up against the Belgian Kim Clijsters for the championship. Yet, the hometown girl, an African-American, heard her every mistake cheered as she was booed with a slur by the wealthy, upscale, well-educated, white tennis fans.

Whatever happened to putting the youth of the country first? The Williams sisters since have proven to be the very salvation of women's tennis in America. Yet, fans have not warmed to their reign as national treasures. Instead, they peer over the shoulders of these bronze towers and pin their hopes instead on the little alabaster darlings backhanding their way out of Russia, Belgium and Serbia. Fans swoon over Sharapova, consider Henin as an ace, and swear that Jankovic's got game.

Yet, the glory accruing to America from this classic sport of royalty is earned by the daughters of Richard and Oracene Williams, of Saginaw, and Compton. Remove the sisters from the scene and the first American woman encountered in the ranking is Lindsay Davenport, on the 31st rung. Some 23 women from 14 foreign countries outrank every American player other than the William sisters, who also won the Olympic gold medal for doubles at Beijing.

"The reaction to the Williams sisters is not as bad as when they first started tournament play," said Doug Smith, the former tennis writer for USA Today. "They are not embraced even now but there was a definite coolness early on, as if the sisters were doing something illegal or dishonorable."

This institutionalized de-motivation that America directs at high-potential, young black achievers was totally neutralized by the Williams sisters' father, Richard. As when Serena won the recent U.S. Open, and Venus, Wimbledon, the sisters brim with a confidence that seems to rattle players on the court. When interviewing Serena after her victory, PBS host Charlie Rose raised the "intimidation" aspect of her game. She countered with what her supporters consider a more significant component: mental toughness.

Media analysts and tennis fans do not relate to Serena and Venus comfortably; nor do they embrace them for the treasure they are. In tennis as in politics, race still colors Americans' appreciation of the game just as it overrides national pride.

So much for Americans' claims of putting country first.