Martin George
Published: 5 Jul 2009

I am deliberately taking a break from commenting on all the foolish posturing, preening and pouting by learned members of the society and the fraternity who ought to know better. This week, I will focus, instead, on something much more positive, enlightening and interesting. I will focus on the achievements of the Williams sisters and their sterling successes on the tennis courts.

logoFor starters, whether you like him or not, and for all his oddities and eccentricities, all credit must be given to their father, Richard Williams, this unlearned, non-professional tennis fan, who had nothing but his two wonderful infant daughters and his love for tennis to inspire and guide him. He was the ultimate devoted father, who immersed himself into the game of tennis, becoming a self-taught coach for his girls shaping, moulding and fashioning them into international champions.

He ignored the taunts and jeers of the international tennis fraternity who sought to convince him that he knew nothing about tennis, and suggested that for the future of the two girls, he should step down as their coach and hire a professional to train them. He never doubted himself, and he taught the girls never to doubt themselves either. He taught them to be strong, resilient and robust, yet respectful. He guided them, shielded them from the pressure of the media and the jealousy and envy of other players.

Sister act

He taught them to be supportive of each other and to work well as a team. He showed them the tremendous strength there is in being a united force, and they may blast each other out on opposite sides of the court in a match and then go on to team up beautifully in a doubles match and pummel the crap out of the other team. Yesterday, they played each other for a record four times in a Wimbledon final, vying for the aptly named trophy, being the Venus Rosewater Dish, yet another record in the incredible saga of these two truly phenomenal athletes who are certainly the greatest ever sister act in all of sports history.

They have revolutionised the sport of tennis and turned it on its head. They have sparked phenomenal interest in women’s tennis, taking it to dizzying heights of popularity, way beyond the Chris Everett–Martina Navratilova era. They have brought new respect to women’s tennis, and have caused the prize money and earnings for all female players to increase to a level where it is now comparable to the prize money payable on the men’s tour.

They have started fashion lines, have dabbled in acting careers, and have shown themselves to be diverse, talented and poised off the court also, as they manage and run their business enterprise spawned from a world of tennis success. As two of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, they have not forgotten their roots, and have started several programmes for children in the inner cities and sponsor many tennis coaching sessions.

Unworthy of title

There is always a buzzing excitement whenever they are playing in a tournament. Even as time goes by and they approach ages where other tennis players are packing in their careers, Serena and Venus continue at ages 28 and 29 to dominate the women’s tour, crushing all opposition, and are currently ranked at Nos 2 and 3 in the world.

Anyone in the know is well aware that they are really the No 1 and No 2 players in the world, because once again, in this Wimbledon Championships, Dinara Safina, the titular World No 1, proved to the entire world just how unworthy she is of that title, as Venus blew her out in less than an hour in the semi-final on Thursday. Between them, the Williams sisters have won about 40 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Olympic medals, dozens of awards, accolades, trophies and commendations are all part of the rich and fecund legacy of the Williams sisters. They have permanently etched their names in the history of sports, have served as role models and exemplars to persons on and off the tennis court. They show themselves at all times to be level-headed, balanced and responsible international superstars who deserve all the praise they get, as all hail the Williams sisters.

http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/columnist/2009/07/05/all-hail-williams-sisters