Are the other players afraid of Serena Williams?

[Searchlight]

Kim Clijsters looked like she felt sorry for Serena at the end of their 2009 US Open Semifinal, as if Serena got a raw deal. I understand that in front of the tv cameras, it would have been impossible for Kim to tell Serena that stuffing a tennis ball down a linesperson's throat is unacceptable.

Naomi Osaka, if I recall properly, kept calling Serena her idol after her first US Open win over Serena.

Roger seems to praise Serena at ever chance he gets.

 

[JW10S]

Players respect her, but they're not afraid of her anymore.

 

[Searchlight]

Players respect her, but they're not afraid of her anymore.

sorry I should have been more clear: Are they afraid that there will be some sort of backlash from fans/sponsors if they criticize her?

 

[supermullet]

Serena is irrelevant.

 

[Kralingen]

Didn’t Sharapova and Serena have some pretty public disagreements over the years? I remember one specifically about Dimitrov where Sharapova wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

I don’t think players are scared of anyone. They obviously do respect that she’s been the de facto best player in the world for nearly 15 years and has 23 slams, so likely aren’t going to say something insulting about her, but players have gotten upset with her on court plenty of times.

 

[Searchlight]

Didn’t Sharapova and Serena have some pretty public disagreements over the years? I remember one specifically about Dimitrov where Sharapova wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

I don’t think players are scared of anyone. They obviously do respect that she’s been the de facto best player in the world for nearly 15 years and has 23 slams, so likely aren’t going to say something insulting about her, but players have gotten upset with her on court plenty of times.

did Dimitrov date them both?

 

[dkmura]

sorry I should have been more clear: Are they afraid that there will be some sort of backlash from fans/sponsors if they criticize her?

That makes more sense as a question! I don't think anybody wants to criticize a genuine tennis legend, but it's not due to fearing a backlash. Serena remains a serious competitor who garners tons of respect. Her serve remains one of the best. She and Venus have been good role models and are usually we-spoken advocates for tennis in general. What kind of criticism could either of them be in for?

 

[Kralingen]

did Dimitrov date them both?

I think so but don’t know for sure if Serena did. Either way most players love endorsements too much to say anything too controversial about any subject or person anyways.

The thing in the background is that Serena beat Sharapova every single time they played after 2004 lol, and also basically owned all of her other rivals as well on the court. When that factor comes into play, I also think players are less likely to say something about a player who’s better than them.

 

[Midaso240]

They're afraid of offending her as there is more potential backlash than with any other player in history probably...

 

[Searchlight]

That makes more sense as a question! I don't think anybody wants to criticize a genuine tennis legend, but it's not due to fearing a backlash. Serena remains a serious competitor who garners tons of respect. Her serve remains one of the best. She and Venus have been good role models and are usually we-spoken advocates for tennis in general. What kind of criticism could either of them be in for?

ummmm.....criticism for threatening to stuff a tennis ball down the throat of a linesperson? demanding an apology from an umpire and causing a huge distraction during a major final?

 

[MichaelNadal]

They used to be. Rightfully

 

[BeatlesFan]

Serena is irrelevant.

She's a mother, dammit!

 

[Raul_SJ]

ummmm.....criticism for threatening to stuff a tennis ball down the throat of a linesperson? demanding an apology from an umpire and causing a huge distraction during a major final?

She repeatedly and obnoxiously demanded an apology from the chair umpire insisting that she had no signal system. That would be cheating and she would never cheat.

After the match, her coach admitted that they have a signal system.

The media is in her pocket and has never called her out on her big fat lie.

 

[gadge]

No they’re not. Sloane did it. Serena was her idol and had her poster in her bedroom and stephens beat her at AO 13 and Serena threw a fit. Stephens later told that she didn’t like the way Serena acted. They haven’t been on good terms since.

She later changed her idol to clijsters lol.

Regards to Kim, Kim is one of the nicest players on the tour she wouldn’t say anything about anyone.

Naomi well….., she’s just too big a fan of Serena.

 

[Swingmaster]

Probably a combination of genuine respect for her career success, her being a ferocious, badass woman, and fear that if you cross Serena she will make you pay both on the court and in the court of public opinion. I think it's the same for a lot of badass women. As a fellow female, you have to respect it, but you also have to avoid getting on the wrong end of it.

 

[R. Schweikart]

That makes more sense as a question! I don't think anybody wants to criticize a genuine tennis legend, but it's not due to fearing a backlash. Serena remains a serious competitor who garners tons of respect. Her serve remains one of the best. She and Venus have been good role models and are usually we-spoken advocates for tennis in general. What kind of criticism could either of them be in for?

Watch the USO 09 semi final, the USO 11 final, the USO 18 final.
Not even mentioning her dozens of press conferences where she put her opponents down.

 

[upchuck]

Serena is irrelevant.

No one is relevant, in that case.

 

[upchuck]

To answer the question: she's a legend of the game. She reached the pinnacle of success before literally every male or female player who has competed in a professional match in the last 10 years or so. Not surprising that they are all a bit reluctant to criticise someone of her stature.

 

[CCPass]

Didn’t Sharapova and Serena have some pretty public disagreements over the years? I remember one specifically about Dimitrov where Sharapova wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

I don’t think players are scared of anyone. They obviously do respect that she’s been the de facto best player in the world for nearly 15 years and has 23 slams, so likely aren’t going to say something insulting about her, but players have gotten upset with her on court plenty of times.

Because Sharapova is arguably a bigger diva?

 

[Deleted member 771911]

She’s so great that the criticism just rolls off her back.

 

[ibbi]

There was definitely a period when they used to be. Afraid/so in awe of it was pathetic. Somewhere starting about 2008 when her generation started to fade away running till probably when she went away to have her baby?

There were exceptions to this. Clijsters and Henin walking back in off the street in 09/10 and just going toe to toe with her without any of that nonsense hanging over their heads was beautiful, and Kerber in 2016 certainly got over that hump big time in impressive fashion. I don't think Sharapova was ever in that humbled camp either, not that it did her any good nor was Azarenka, but everyone else? Bunch of losers.

I don't think that looming presence and whatever fear, awe, respect or intimidation it conjured up exists anymore. The bubble has very much been burst. She's in that elder statesmen territory now with her sister.

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

Well yes, because any critical remarks towards her would be illogically modified by the "woke" media and would label the critic as racist or misogynist or anything else

 

[dkmura]

Well yes, because any critical remarks towards her would be illogically modified by the "woke" media and would label the critic as racist or misogynist or anything else

Again, it's not other players who need to be criticizing Serena for her verbal abuse of officials. It's the officials and the media who have the responsibility to hold players accountable.

 

[MiamiWeekendWarrior]

I think people are afraid of her because they fear for their own lives. She has a past gang affiliation (remember the crip walk/dance she did?) and has threatened to kill tennis officials. If she threatens to kill a tennis official on live TV and in front of a few thousand people, imagine what she'd do when no one is watching!!!

 

[Rosstour]

Is this a serious thread?

 

[heftylefty]

Well yes, because any critical remarks towards her would be illogically modified by the "woke" media and would label the critic as racist or misogynist or anything else

If that is the case, why aren't players afraid of Venus, Slone, Francis,? This whole "woke" backlash is basically people yeaning for the "good ole days" when you can say what you want without consequence.

If people are/were afraid of Serena; it is in the same way people were afraid of Graf, Navratilova, Borg, Lendl, Sampras, Federer and now Djoker. Dominant players are scary. Anything else plays into a well worn trope.

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

that is the case, why aren't players afraid of Venus, Slone, Francis,?

These 3 combiningly have not thrown 0.01% of the total tantrums & acts of violation/violence Serena has thrown, so naturally it doesn't make sense to criticize them for something they've never done.
So your argument is invalid right from the beginning, respected sir/ma'am.

 

[heftylefty]

These 3 combiningly have not thrown 0.01% of the total tantrums & acts of violation/violence Serena has thrown, so naturally it doesn't make sense to criticize them for something they've never done.
So your argument is invalid right from the beginning, respected sir/ma'am.

Other than Serena swearing at an a line judge what are the "acts of violence" she has exhibited? Because if swearing at the tennis official during a match is an act of violence, tennis has always been "violent" sport, long before Serena was born.

What were the "acts of violence" by Serena prior to 2009. What were the act after 2009?

I think you are doing a bit of projecting when calling my comments are "invalid right from the beginning".

With all due respect.

 

[boredone3456]

I don't know if I would say afraid, I think for the most part many just seem to prefer to keep their mouth's shut. I'd guess for some sponsors could be an issue if they are under contract to the same ones, they may have to keep quiet. Especially since I think its obvious Serena is going to do or say whatever she wants no matter who criticizes her its probably better to just let her and mind their business.