Serena Williams with blood clot in lung

I still can't believe SI called her the best ever. I don't think she touches Navratilova or Graf.

 

I don't think so, either.

But that's just the nature of the beast. Today's best must be "best ever."

 

Tennis has always been about the "majors." You make your mark winning Wimbledon, US Open, the French or the Australian (not so much.)

Two years later, let alone 20 years later, no one cares who won the year end Virginia Slims or Masters (tennis version.) You think anyone really cares that Connors won the WCT Championship? Or that Roddick has won Memphis 5 times? No.

You can criticize Serena for picking and choosing her tournaments but disparaging her for only winning majors is pure ignorance of tennis history. BTW, being able to turn it on and win the majors when the light shines brightest and where your legacy is made is more amazing than "simply winning 6 matches in 2 weeks."

As for PEDs, that's pure speculation and unfortunate that its raised when Serena has just suffered a major potential life-threatening situation. Its all about respect for a person.

I wish her well.

 

Yeah, but that's something ESPN always does, like putting Jordan No. 1 on SportsCentury.

SI should have better perspective. I expect more from SI.

 

Though I did not like her failure to give credit after loses ("I just did not play well"), relative to everyone else, Navratilova was the greatest. I was a Chrissie fan but when Martina was on, Evert was playing a different game.

Graf was great but before Seles got stabbed, Seles was dominanting the tour and had already surpassed Steffie.

 

You obviously know your tennis, but the last part - about the PED speculation - is indicative that you haven't worked in this business, much like your comments on the Sacramento hooligan mourners.

We're damned if we do, damned if we don't. How much criticism have baseball writers taken for reporting everything at face value a few years ago when it came to steroids? It sucks for her, but Serena Williams is a public figure, and reporters are going to connect the dots here. Her health issues do not immunize her from scrutiny.

I dig your empathy. I do. It's consistent. But this is a dirty business, and sometimes you have to break a few eggshells to make an omelet.

 

Right. And Tiger just had a little car crash and deserved some privacy.

 

I appreciate your candor.

As for the speculation, I did not rail on reporters for failing to speculate. I was going to say I have a complaint, but you know, I bought into the state of the game and did not want to scrutinize so I'm not going to criticize the reporters (I admit I may have been in awe of Bonds' exploits and simply did not want to be bothered with any scrutiny.)

Here, okay if there's been some connection between blood clots and PEDs, maybe there's some smoke there. I just find it distasteful to throw it out there now. But if I'm going to be consistent, its up to me to ignore that speculation and let others decide for themselves. Wel

 

Okay I did a little "search research" and there is more than idle speculation. If its true, pretty sad.

 

Didja go...here?

http://tennishasasteroidproblem.blogspot.com/

 

Graf was 6-4 against Seles before she was stabbed. It would have been a great on-going rivalry. In 1992, Seles was playing the best tennis of her entire life (that year she won the Aussie, the U.S. Open and the French Open) and Graf absolutely thrashed her in the finals at Wimbledon 6-2, 6-1.

This idea that Graf (who won 11 Slams before Seles even entered the picture) is only in the conversation as the best player of all time because Seles got stabbed is a bit of a misnomer. Graf was a cerebral enough player that I think she would have figured out a way to trade punches with Seles over time. Monica was a great player, and they would have had a great rivalry if not for some psycho.

Chris Evert was a punch and judy player who would have been eaten alive by the modern game. Yes, it's unfair to compare eras with conditioning and fitness and all that. But just watching the flat, looping groundies Evert tossed up in her era makes you realize how much the game has evolved. Put Evert in her prime and Serena in her prime on the same court and the only points Evert would win were the ones Serena hit into the net. It's not fair, but it's the truth.

 

I'm not trying to debate Steffi v. Monica (okay I am) but from the 1991 Australian to the 1993 Australian, Seles won 7 of 9 majors, the only two she did not win were Wimbledon (including the one you cited.) Seles was dominating and really on her way and Graf was retreating.