Exciting times for women's tennis
By Do Je-hae
After Serena Williams’ Wimbledon victory on July 11, the biggest question in minds of many tennis fans was “Will Serena outdo Steffi?”
Williams made more history at this year’s Wimbledon, claiming her 21st Grand Slam title with an easy win over Spanish newcomer Garbine Muguruza.
As a teenager growing up in Canada, I was a huge tennis fan. The Canadian in me still has the habit of perceiving the passage of a year in Grand Slam terms. I tend to equate the Australian Open as the fresh start of the year and by the time Wimbledon is over, I am always a little sad because it means the year is almost gone, with just one more Slam to go.
This time, I was too overwhelmed by the enormity of Williams' achievement to feel anything but sheer awe and jubilation. The world No. 1 became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era and more importantly, brought herself to the verge of superseding Steffi Graf's Open era record of 22 Majors.
After the 33-year-old won the Australian Open in February, an emotional Williams reminisced about her humble roots during the trophy presentation, saying all she had were “just a racket and a dream.”
She has turned "a racket and a dream” into 21 slams and possibly more.
With a heart that still burns for tennis, Williams serves and hits the ball harder than anyone in the game.
Despite the Williams history-making grand slam campaign, I felt that the local media overlooked Williams’ historic 21st Major and what it means in women's tennis.
Korea’s absence of a tennis culture is frustrating for tennis fans. No Korean channel provided live coverage of the ladies’ final at Centre Court.
The local papers, immersed in covering the Gwangju Universiade, ignored women's tennis inching closer to a historic moment where Graf's seemingly invincible Majors record could possibly be broken.
I have never been a fan of two-handed backhanders like Williams, so I didn't like to watch her play in the beginning stages of her career.
When she first arrived on the international scene with her big sister Venus, I didn’t think that the pair of teenage sensations would last.
History has not always been kind to young champions in women’s tennis, as in the case of Monica Seles, the eight-time Grand Slam champion whose career was derailed by an unfortunate on-court attack; or in the cases of Jennifer Capriati or Tracy Austin, great American grand slammers whose early success did not translate into similar feats in adulthood.
As Williams accumulated one slam after another, I have become an admirer of her powerful strokes and spirit.
In all the years I have been following tennis, I cannot recall a more exciting player to watch. She is also a fashion icon on court, a certified nail technician who sets the trend for tennis fashion. After all that she has achieved, I think her biggest legacy in the sport is that she revolutionized the women’s game.
Before the arrival of the Williams' sisters, their kind of hard-hitting ground strokes were a rarity, except for the brief dominance of Seles.
No tennis player will ever have a bigger place in my heart than my teenage idol “Fraulein Forehand” Graf. But I want to see Williams win No. 22 and No. 23 and more. I want to see Graf's record broken and witness more tennis history from Williams.
I am sure that No.22 is in the near future for her, and when that happens it would be nice to see the Korean media give her the coverage she deserves.
The writer is a reporter for The Korea Times. She can be reached at jhdo@ktimes.com.