Sep 15 2009
A Breath of Fresh Air
Just when women’s tennis seemed to be falling into the boring pattern of young hard-hitters, Kim Clijsters comes along to save the women’s game by playing some of the most inspirational tennis to win the US Open.
And she did it by outplaying her younger, fitter, and in the case of the Willaims sisters, more powerful opponents.
Russian world number 1 Dinara Safina, Serena, Venus and Olympic champion Elena Dementieva currently occupy the top 4 spots in women’s tennis—but what a boring last 4 in a grand slam event they would make. We all know that among these players, there’s a certain lack of variety in their style of play. And while Venus vs Serena nowadays makes for a more entertaining spectacle now that the sisters are a little older, there’s still a lack of oomph. Why? Because the one who hits harder than the other will usually most likely win. Because the one who serves bigger and better on the day is guaranteed the victory.
Enter Kim Clijsters–2 years out of the game, married, a mother and now the 2009 US Open Champion. Simply a delight to watch not just because of her crisp technique or her fluid movement around the court but also for her attitude and desire. You can tell she’s happy to be playing tennis again, something you can’t say of the dour Venus, the tantrum throwing Serena, the choke-tastic Safina, and the machine-like Dementieva. Clijsters is fun. She’s nice to her opponents. Gracious in victory. Extremely sportsmanlike. She was upset that Serena had defaulted their semi-final match. She even apologized to Serena that it had to end that way. She’s simply something you don’t get a lot of these days in modern tennis—a genuine role model.
Say what you like, but tennis, and every other sport, needs players like these. The men’s game has Federer and Nadal, and the women’s game now has Clijsters. The best part is that she’s only 26. And if she decides to hang around, you can be sure that she has a few more slam titles in her. She’ll then be remembered alongside the greats who not only won the titles, but also the hearts of the fans by being truly inspirational and graceful champions and winners.
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