If Serena Williams did indeed drown her sorrows with the noise of her own voice by going to a karaoke booth after losing her maybe or make-believe goodbye game at the US Open, it is probably just as well.
If, instead, she had turned to social media in search of buckets more of the delirious deification which cascaded onto that twirling head in the Arthur Ashe stadium, those tears would have turned from ‘happy’ to horrified.
By no means everyone, it transpires, subscribes to the worshipful cult of adoration upon which Queen Serena was transported from Flushing Meadows to evolution.
Serena Williams said an emotional goodbye on Arthur Ashe as she retired on Friday night
Fans flocked to Flushing Meadows in New York for the Serena Show; it was delirious deification
‘Good riddance,’ best sums up the feelings of countless Twitterers. Many more posted messages of what can most politely be classified as distaste for the intemperate outbursts which have pockmarked her 23 years as the dominatrix of women’s tennis.
Of course there are myriad tributes out there, as well, to feed a ravenous ego. But the adulation is far from universal.
That is likely to come as a surprise to those who watched – and more importantly listened – to the televising of Serena’s third-round defeat by Ajla Tomljanovic. The rapture in the stands was surpassed by the genuflection in the commentary boxes.
Even John McEnroe – yes, Mac the Knife himself – was in the vanguard of sycophancy so syrupy that it left you wanting to take a shower. How to explain the absence of so much as a single word of mildest qualification? Well, it rarely profits anyone to cast aspersions on religion and that is what Serena has become in the eyes of her believers.
Not that one renowned US sports writer has been deterred. Under a headline deploring the media for ‘Ignoring Williams’ Behavior’, a column by the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick describes her as ‘a relentlessly rotten winner and even worse loser.’
He went on to catalogue her long list of sins, starting with this charming quote from her berating of a linewoman at the 2009 US Open who had earned her displeasure: ‘I swear to God I’ll take this f****** ball and shove it down your f****** throat.’
Fans should not forget her misdemeanors over the years – and there have been plenty of them
Even John McEnroe – Mac the Knife himself – was among those singing Williams’ praises
My American colleague becomes a mite overheated himself in his denigration but he has a point. No-one crammed into the three-night Serena-Fest in the Big Apple gave a second’s thought to her past indiscretions as they gushed with unconditional love.
Nor for that matter to her opponents who had to sit at courtside watching giant-screening of her triumphs and good works before Her Highness made her entrance, then endured having their every error cheered to the rafters.
The real problem is that huge and deserved admiration for Serena’s journey from a ghetto in childhood to greatness on the tennis court has swept over into blind adoration for her very being. We all have our flaws, even a goddess with a racquet.
Serena-Mania – not Williams-Mania, to be clear: sister Venus has never displayed petulant, arrogant or truculent tendencies – has gone beyond reason.
She once told a line judge she would ‘take this f****** ball and shove it down your f****** throat’
No-one crammed into the three-night Serena-Fest gave a second’s thought to her indiscretions
Only to be expected, we suppose, since the great, the good, the famous and, in some cases, the infamous, sing her praises. Unsurprising since the cheerleader in chief as she took her laps of honor was another sporting idol exalted beyond all sense.
The deplorable excesses of Tiger Woods have been air-brushed away by a tidal surge of media reverence for his recovery from mental and physical wounds to a return to the golf course. In both these cases, this is mostly what the public want to hear. But it would simplify matters for all of us if judgement were compartmentalized.
Serena Williams has been a magnificent tennis player. Still is, almost. Her departure to a second life at coming up 41 will be a loss to the sport.
But her lack of humility in victory and generosity in defeat are not compatible with the carefully manufactured image of saintliness in her everyday life, which has seduced so many corporate sponsors into overflowing the coffers of she who is already the richest multi-millionaire prize winner at what she does best.
Fans queued around the block to gain access to Arthur Ashe ahead of Williams’ big match
Model Bella Hadid was among the celebrities in tears at the side of the court after the match
Nor is narcissism. Not that she is the world champion in that department, where her bosom buddy Meghan Markle wears the crown.
Yes, Serena changed the nature of women’s tennis with her explosion of unprecedented power, Yes, she has inspired deprived girls to believe they can follow her path from poverty to success. Especially her fellow African-Americans, with Coco Gauff prominent among them as she takes her idol’s place as a favorite to win this US Open as it goes into its second week.
But a role model? As with Tiger, not so much.
It will not be lost on her that the lady who inflicted her third round swansong is Australian. Not when history must decide who really is the GOAT. The phrase Greatest Of All Time has been glibly over-used with respect to Serena, even more so this weekend.
Williams is an amazing player but has shown a lack of humility in victory throughout her career
Margaret Court (left) still deserves the honor of being called the Greatest of All Time
There has been an indecent rush to air-brush Margaret Court out of the reckoning. To say that it doesn’t really count that this Aussie won one more Grand Slam singles titles than Serena’s 24 because some came before the Open era.
What happened to the all-sport mantra that you can only beat whoever is in front of you, whenever they are put in front of you? And don’t dare whisper that Court defeated the best of both eras in her time and holds the highest all-time win percentages in the women’s game – well into the 90s.
Not that this lady sets a pristine example in life. During her evolution from Roman Catholic to the Pentecost Church she developed homophobic beliefs. Convictions she spoke of with such fervor that there have been moves to try to remove her name from the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
No role modelling there. But she is and probably always will be the GOAT. Just as Jack Nicklaus, not Tiger Woods, is the greatest golfer of all time.
Sorry, Serena, you came up one short and since you are most unlikely to rectify that if you do battle on – and please no mas as Roberto Duran famously said – you must settle for this title which reads like Welsh in its short form: SGWTPOAT. You’ve probably worked it out: Second Greatest Woman Tennis Player Of All time.