An Finish To ‘Racist’ ‘Rivalry’ Narrative
19. That’s the quantity of consecutive victories Serena Williams has had over Maria Sharapova. A stretch that has lasted for 15 years.
Final night time within the opening spherical of the US Open, Williams defeated her “rival” in straight units 6-1, 6-1. Williams’ general document in opposition to Sharapova is 20-Three*.
The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines rival as a noun. One in every of two or extra striving to achieve or acquire one thing that just one can possess. One striving for aggressive benefit. An equal or peer.
It’s true, when Williams and Sharapova each enter a event, they’re each striving to win the title. Just one can win. So by that definition, they’re in actual fact “rivals.”
Of their grueling apply classes, each gamers work on features of their sport to achieve some sort of aggressive benefit over the opposite and all different opponents.
Although it was Sharapova who bought banned for utilizing efficiency enhancing medicine to achieve a aggressive benefit.
However the difficulty with portray the narrative of Williams and Sharapova as “rivals” is problematic due to the third definition.
Signifying an equal or peer.
Maria Sharapova is a five-time Grand Slam singles champion and winner of the profession Grand Slam.
She’s going to doubtless, relying on how the 2 yr drug ban is considered, be within the Corridor of Fame.
Her profession accomplishments put her on par with gamers like Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport, and Jennifer Capriati.
She was by no means, is rarely, or will ever be an equal of Serena Williams.
Williams is a twenty-three-time Grand Slam singles champion.
She has received the profession Grand Slam 3 times. Should you take away the titles from the Slams she’s received essentially the most (Australia and Wimbledon) she nonetheless has 9 titles. That’s 4 greater than Sharapova.
9 titles would nonetheless place Williams within the top-10 all-time, forward of Billie Jean King, Justine Henin, and sister Venus. All Corridor of Fame gamers.
The fervent ire by many followers towards the media’s classification of Serena vs. Maria as a “rivalry” is related to race.
Tennis media predominantly displays the game itself. Largely white. We don’t must look far to seek out examples of race being a think about how Serena is mentioned.
Her physique is a continuing, tiresome matter of debate. It stands out compared to the common tennis participant on the ladies’s tour. Information flash. Serena Williams is something however common.
However it’s that fetishization by, a largely white media, in distinction with the skinny blonde hair, blue-eyed illustration of the European aesthetic that’s Maria Sharapova, the place that is all rooted.
For many years when you had been to ask anybody to explain what the reigning “Queen” of tennis would appear to be, you’d virtually invariably get some model of Sharapova. Not Williams.
Again in 2004 when Sharapova defeated Williams for the Wimbledon title and the “rivalry” narrative started to take form, Williams was already a six-time Grand Slam singles champion and proprietor of a profession Grand Slam. It was disingenuous to name Sharapova a “rival” then and much more ludicrous now.
It’s not a “rivalry” and people who proceed to say so, know that it isn’t. Williams, by no means one to offer the media something to feast on, stated it like this on Monday night time following her victory over Sharapova:
“I do not know what the that means of ‘rivalry’ is. I really feel everybody I play is a rival. Whether or not I am 20-2 or Zero-1, it is all the time fascinating matches.”
Whether or not you realize what a “rivalry” is or not. You already know what 20-Three means. Nonetheless, social media couldn’t resist weighing in.
*Official tennis data depend the walkover win by Sharapova within the 2019 French Open as a win, despite the fact that the match was not performed. Williams withdrew with an damage, so it counts as a loss.
