Serena Williams couldn’t move to the ball. Venus Williams couldn’t hit it onto the court. This was the worst day ever at Wimbledon for the Williams sisters, and maybe their worst tennis day anywhere. For the first time, they both lost on the same day at the All England Club. Is it the end of their era, the end of their Great American tennis story?
Best bet: For Venus, it is. For Serena, it probably is not. But that’s going to be up to her. It won’t be so easy anymore, and will be about what’s inside. That’s not to question Serena’s fight, but instead her desire to commit to a game after worrying about her life. A few months ago, doctors discovered blood clots in her lungs.
“I can only get better,’’ Serena said. “That can potentially be really scary, because I can only go up from here and I can just do so much more.”
That sounds great, and she surely meant it. But the truth will come on the practice courts on hot days, and in the less-important tournaments. Those haven’t been her best places over the years. And now, she’s three months from turning 30.
In the end, maybe it was too much to ask either of them to win Wimbledon again this year.
I can talk tennis all day long, and often do. And yet some of the people I talk to about it might rather I talk about something else.
Or with someone else.
That’s how it is with tennis, right? Sort of an addiction. Sort of a high.
I am a national columnist at FoxSports.com and a FoxSports1 TV insider, and have been a columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times.
In 2010, I was the only American sports writer to cover the full two weeks of all four majors, and also to cover each of the U.S. Masters series events.
I’ve seen a lot of tennis, talked with a lot of players, coaches, agents.
I watched from a few rows behind the line judge as Serena rolled her foot onto the baseline for the footfault, a good call, at the 2009 U.S. Open. I sat forever watching a John Isner marathon, leaving for Wimbledon village to watch an England World Cup soccer game at a pub and then returning for hours of Isner, sitting a few feet from his wrecked coach.
I got to see Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling joke around on a practice court on the middle Sunday at Wimbledon, placing a small wager on a tiebreaker. Djokovic won, and Soderling pulled a bill out of his wallet, crumpled it into his fist and threw it at Djokovic, who unwadded it, kissed it, and told me, “My work is done here.’’
And when Rafael Nadal won the French Open in 2010, I finished my column, walked back out onto the court, and filled an empty tic tac container with the red clay. I’m looking at it right now.
Well, I don’t always see the game the same way others do. I can be hard on tennis, particularly on the characters in suits running it. Tennis has no less scandal and dirt than any other game. Yet somehow, it seems to be covered up, usually from an incredible web of conflicts of interest.
I promise to always tell the truth as I see it. Of course, I would appreciate it if you’d let me know when I’m wrong. I love sports arguments and hope to be in a few of them with you here.
Personal info: One-handed backhand, serve-and-volleyer.
View all posts by gregcouch
I’m not sure that Venus can come back and win any grand slams. However, There is really nothing wrong with Serena other than she is rusty. She still has excellent power, serve is still big, she still moves well, and there is much upside to her game, and I feel she WILL win more grand slams. Not so in MY mind for Venus. She’ll still be a very good player, but her level has really dropped off. She also doesn’t have the mental toughness as in “I’m gonna kick your behind” like Serena.
By the way, it WAS asking too much of them to win a grand slam after so much inactivity and especially so for Serena who was almost close to death….Actually, I think Serena acquitted herself extremely well. As I said, she has MUCH upside to her game. Not sure about Venus though whose been a great champion.
Greg Couch is an award-winning sports columnist based in Chicago. He covers college football for BleacherReport.com, NFL for RollingStone.com and freelances at several other places, including The New York Times. Lots of tennis, mostly here. He has traveled the world covering tennis and is a member of the International Tennis Writers Association. A former sports columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times, his tennis writing has been in the book "The Best American Sportswriting."
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Greg Couch on Tennis 
June 28th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
I’m not sure that Venus can come back and win any grand slams. However, There is really nothing wrong with Serena other than she is rusty. She still has excellent power, serve is still big, she still moves well, and there is much upside to her game, and I feel she WILL win more grand slams. Not so in MY mind for Venus. She’ll still be a very good player, but her level has really dropped off. She also doesn’t have the mental toughness as in “I’m gonna kick your behind” like Serena.
June 28th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
By the way, it WAS asking too much of them to win a grand slam after so much inactivity and especially so for Serena who was almost close to death….Actually, I think Serena acquitted herself extremely well. As I said, she has MUCH upside to her game. Not sure about Venus though whose been a great champion.