Mark Anthony Neal

Critical Noir

Great Expectations? Venus and Serena Set Their Own Bar

Posted 07/05/2008 at 6:24 PM | Comment?

NBC's annual Breakfast @ Wimbledon broadcast was recently transformed into Breakfast with The Williams, as sisters Venus and Serena held center court. On the line, the Wimbledon Singles Championship at the All-England Club. Though the Williams sisters have long proven their abilities as elite tennis professionals, their presence at center court on a championship day at a Grand Slam event always generates interests--as much for the tennis as for the on-air commentary about their outfits, athleticism and general demeanor.

Venus and Serena Williams have won 14 Grand Slam events between them, including the championship Venus just won against her sister at Wimbledon. Venus's victory--her 5th at Wimbledon, trailing only the legendary Billie Jean King (6), Steffi Graf (7) and Martina Navratilova (9) in number--establishes her as the best grass player of her generation. As for Serena, she has won at the All-England Club twice in her own right, to go with her six other Grand Slam championships. The sisters Williams are by far, the most recognizable current American tennis players. Nevertheless, on-air affirmation of the genius the Williams have displayed throughout their careers has been grudging.

NBC commentator Mary Carrilo, perhaps raised the bar even more in this regard, as she admitted during the championship telecast some disappointment that the sisters hadn't lived up to expectations and become the all-round tennis champions that Chris Everett and the aforementioned King and Navratilova were during their careers. Carrilo went out of her way, while ostensibly congratulating the sisters on their collective performance at Wimbledon, to make that point that the grass courts at the All-England Club favor the most athletic players, hence the domination of the Williams sisters. And while this "brawn over brains" argument remains specious is most respectable circles, Carrilo evoked it to establish a bar between the greatest women players of this generation and the greatest women players of all-time. Fair enough.

Perhaps realizing that she had crossed some line, Carillo quickly added that the Williams sisters had made the choice to engage in other activities, as opposed to someone like Navratilova who did little more than breathe and play tennis (and tearing down more than a few stereotypes in her own right) during a career that spanned four decades. But it is this very point that has made the sisters Williams so refreshing, as the sum total of their success would not be defined by their path-making achievements as black women tennis champions. This is a generational dynamic, established nearly two decades ago when black athletes such as Michael Jordan and Ervin "Magic" Johnson, in particular, sought to brand themselves beyond the arena. The sisters Williams have refined such attempts by becoming fully engaged in their various enterprises like Aneres and Eleven, while still at their athletic peak; a critical decision given how many professional tennis players peak in their mid-twenties.

Father Richard has received much of the credit (and derision) for the success of his daughters, but perhaps the desire of Venus and Serena to be more well-rounded adults represents the influence of the woman who often sits at center court with her heart torn whenever the sisters are forced to play each other. Like Tina Knowles mother of Beyonce and Solange, Oracene Williams represents the kind of force of nature that creates greater expectations for her daughters and so many of our daughters--and this is the part of the story that the Mary Carrilos and John McEnroes of the world will never get right.

--Mark Anthony Neal