"Serena makes fool of herself"

[dukehjsteve]

I got in REALLY HOT WATER a few years ago, as my wife and another lady were discussing the pain associated with childbirth. I so sagely remarked," Stop complaining... the men do the hard part."

[tandfman]

Hot water? I'm guessing it was scalding.

[jazzcyclist]

Was that ironic? Of course mothers should be shown deference. Men don't skip a beat with fatherhood, but women are constantly disadvantaged in the business world by having children.

I'm talking mainly about special privileges compared to women who aren't mothers, not men.

[Atticus]

I'm talking mainly about special privileges compared to women who aren't mothers, not men.

Which is why you'd need one rule to rule them all (ha!). Anyone can step away for up to 2 years and 'show fitness' in tune-up events before being able to be seeded in a major. It's just seeding; it's not like they get a bye into the quarter-finals!

[Powell]

I'm really not trying to be contrarian/contentious...but why? An injury or illness is an accident, yet athletes aren't given a pass.

Actually, they are. The WTA has rules whereby your ranking is frozen for seeding purposes if you miss time through injury.

[scottmitchell74]

Actually, they are. The WTA has rules whereby your ranking is frozen for seeding purposes if you miss time through injury.

hmm...wasn't aware WTA did that. Must be fairly recent.

[mungo man]

Is it deference to motherhood or is this decision financial? These federations are financially driven including the ATP. Perhaps they don't want a good tennis player who is a huge draw to be eliminated early.

[TN1965]

hmm...wasn't aware WTA did that. Must be fairly recent.

I remember both Graf and Seles got protected rankings. But I understand 1990s is "fairly recent" for the majority of people on this board.

[scottmitchell74]

I remember both Graf and Seles got protected rankings. But I understand 1990s is "fairly recent" for the majority of people on this board.

Hey, I'm one of the "young'uns" around here!!

[J Rorick]

The "protected ranking" has long been used to freeze rankings when time is missed thru injury. The ATP has it, too. BUT I believe it can be used only to gain entry into tournaments, not for seeding purposes. This new rule changes that, for pregnancies. I think some of the players who've been injured may want to have the same rule applied to them.

[Powell]

I remember both Graf and Seles got protected rankings. But I understand 1990s is "fairly recent" for the majority of people on this board.

Yeah, the first such case was when Monica Seles was coming back in 1995 after being stabbed with a knife at a tournament. But that was a one-off decision by the WTA. I believe it didn't become a regular rule until a few years later.

[user4]

Was that ironic? Of course mothers should be shown deference. Men don't skip a beat with fatherhood, but women are constantly disadvantaged in the business world by having children.

And their wives would have it no other way.

[TrackDaddy]

This...was an entertaining thread. 😁

[CookyMonzta]

Crap... <;-( Up 5-1 in the 3rd, she rolls her ankle, comes up limping, and the whole thing comes crashing down like a house of cards as Pliskova rolls to the semis.

Last time I can remember Serena losing a 2nd or 3rd set, while leading 5-0 or 5-1 and about to advance, was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2001, at the Aussie quarterfinals, where she was (legitimately) caught sleeping at 5-1 in the 3rd, and Hingis gave her a wakeup call and reeled off game after game to head to the semis, where Venus' January game still hadn't shown up. Hingis ended up running into a brick wall that was Capriati in the championship.

If this had been 10 years ago, Serena would have overcome that situation and finished off the match. But now, after motherhood, and just like Martina Navratilova (whose last major final was the 1994 Wimbledon, weeks before her 38th birthday) and Kim Collins (who ran 9.93, his PR, at age 40), she is in a fight with Father Time and more history. Need I mention a certain New England Patriot?

A follow-up: She says the ankle wasn't a factor. Obviously she was trying to be diplomatic here...

...If it were 2009 and she were 10 years younger, she'd be right, and it would have been a straight-up choke. But at her age now, she obviously can't afford to have even the slightest event, such as that which rendered her limping at the point where she should have closed out the match. At her age, such an event is capable of destroying her momentum completely, even if she were up 6-0, 5-0 (40-0 match point)...

...And she definitely can't afford an injury (like an ACL injury) that will put a team sports athlete out for the season; that would be a career-ender for her.