Tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams didn’t go home with Wimbledon titles recently -and they sure didn’t win any sportsmanship awards.
First, 16-year-old Serena quit while trailing in her third-round match June 29. Complaining of a calf injury – which some commentators found very “convenient” on her part – she walked off the court with-out shaking her rival’s hand. She said later that she forgot. (In tennis, forgetting to shake a rival’s hand is like forgetting your undies – you just don’t do it!)
But sister Venus, 18, served up even worse manners in the July 1 quarter-finals. At times when she thought her opponent had hit a ball out of bounds, she would scream at the umpire stuff like “that was SO far out!” She once marched over to a lineswoman (who watches for in- and out-of-bounds balls), got in her face and screamed. Later she mockingly clapped at a lineswoman’s call, as if to say “about time you got one right!” After two of her tantrums, she cried.
After her defeat, Venus didn’t seem sorry for her behavior. “The crowd probably enjoyed watching my emotional outbursts,” she said. “I guess someone would turn the channel and suddenly see some girl screaming and keep it there. I know I would. It probably brightened someone’s day.” (It probably brightened someone’s day to see Venus lose.)
Venus’ rival in that ill-tempered match, Jana Novotna, went on to win the Wimbledon women’s title. Pete Sampras won for the men.
