This is a blog much like many before it. It will center around sports, but it will be far superior to everyone else's for several reasons. First, it won't be riddled with grammatical errors and typos, thus making it easier on you, the reader, to enjoy the content without wanting to rip out your hair. Second, I'm covering a VAST range of sports. As much as I love Bill Simmons, I'm going to outdo him. Last, and most important, it'll be better because I will be the one writing it. Nobody else can say that about his or her blog.
To show you that I am not kidding about the range of sports I will be writing about, this first entry will discuss the mainstream sport of women's tennis. This is an easy topic to discuss since I am sitting and watching Venus Williams play a woman named "Mattek-Sands" at the US Open as I write. There are three things I would like to talk about regarding women's tennis: Grunting, Serena Williams, and Dinara Safina. That's a nice order to talk about them too, since the first involves the second (and third), and the hottest debate topic in the WTA is who should be the #1 ranked player, Williams or Safina?
Thus, let's continue to grunting. Not only do I consider it unnecessary, but it's incredibly annoying. Monica Seles began this practice many years ago, and it has unfortunately caught on. I play tennis quite often, and find that grunting has no impact whatsoever on my game when I strike the ball. Is it OK every now and then when you go for a little extra on a serve or big forehand? Absolutely. I also have no problem with players yelling after the point, whether it be a happy scream or an angry one. But during the point? With each stroke? I'm putting the television on mute and rooting against you. This has gotten to the point where yesterday's greats (Chris Evert) have made public statements about how out of hand it has become. I only hope that the new generation of players forgoes this habit and we can usher in an era of ball meeting strings being unaccompanied by an orgasmic shriek.
My next issue is with Serena Williams. She is easily one of, if not my least, favorite athlete in any sport alive today. Her arrogance continues to amaze me with each press conference. Please don't accuse me of anything; she is, without a doubt, the best female tennis player alive today (I will discuss this more in the next topic), but she is also the most annoying. I have yet to hear her praise an opponent when she loses. Look at Andy Roddick at Wimbledon this year and Roger Federer at the Australian Open. Both, despite being disheartened at having come so close to winning a major (Roddick especially), were gracious in defeat and didn't hesitate to discuss the accolades of their respective opponents. Serena's continuous statement is, "I'm my own biggest opponent." Last I checked, there's another player on the other side of the net hitting balls back at you. She has the ability to make you play poorly Serena. Much like Justine Henin confounded you many times and Maria Sharapova blasted you off of Centre Court at Wimbledon in 2004, your opponents deserve some credit when they beat you. Please step off of your high horse and recognize that.
The last thing I want to talk about is the ongoing debate about who should be #1. The ranking system currently in place makes sense, since it rewards players for playing more events (and excelling in them). This is done so the WTA can protect itself by having the top players play in as many events as possible. Even though the four majors count more points-wise, a consistent player can shoot up in the rankings despite lackluster performances in the majors. In the case of Williams v. Safina, there is no doubt that Williams has had far better performances in the majors (she currently holds the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon titles), but she not only doesn't play much outside of the majors, but she also does very poorly there. I understand that she has other interests outside of tennis and pursues them, but she cannot be upset that she currently sits at #2 in the world when she understands the ranking system and still chooses to play the limited schedule she does. Is Safina the best player in the world? No, Williams is. Does Safina deserve to be ranked #1 based on the system they have in place? Without a doubt.
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