Serena Williams ‘paved the way’ for mothers to keep playing tennis, says Martina Navratilova
If you didn’t watch the two games, here is the highlight reel. Serena’s performance was simply breathtaking:
The fact that she came back and played a great match after a string of terrible performances is a pretty remarkable comeback. Serena could have easily cashed in another win by not playing against a much weaker opponent. But she played and won. More than anything, Serena did it because she wanted to. She’s motivated more than anyone on that court right now.
Navratilova played a much stronger opponent than Williams, and won. I don’t think Serena’s comeback proves that navratilova beat her, but it’s a very good argument against navratilova.
As for women’s tennis, it’s still a boys’ club. The men still wear pants with pockets and sit in restaurants with their shirts over their heads (but never their pants) — just as they did in the good ‘ole days. (I could see how that might make sense if you worked next door to a man who didn’t wear pants, but not if you worked next door to a man who was wearing pants and sat in restaurants.)
Navratilova, now 62, has just won her 2nd major. That’s pretty impressive. She has four major titles, and 11 major runner-up’s, but she never won a Grand Slam. And she’s not a Grand Slam winner. The women’s game has changed. It’s still much better for women like Williams (and Murray) to win multiple major titles rather than just one, and to win multiple times in Grand Slams rather than just once. And I think that shows that the game has changed. But for as long as women’s tennis stays what it is, it’s not going to change.
The game isn’t for men. That’s why it’s still called that, and will continue to be called that for as long as women are allowed to play this way.
The problem for men is that there isn’t enough money in their pockets. The men’s game is no longer as attractive to advertisers, because of Title IX, and women are still more attractive to