Serena Williams, The French Open Final Saturday Essay

Gender inequality in professional tennis is a real and alarming issue, from the pay gap between mens' and womens' tennis players to the low media coverage of women's professional tennis. This issue even goes as far as how differently tennis commentators discuss and analyze mens tennis as opposed to how they discuss and analyze womens tennis. When commentators discuss men's tennis they solely focus on the skill of the players, but when they discuss women's tennis they place more importance on the appearance of the female players, rather than their skill. This instance of gender inequality in professional tennis is further exacerbated by the differences in advertisements for male tennis players and female tennis players. The advertisements involving male tennis players display their athleticism and tennis abilities, whereas the advertisements including female tennis players are appearance-focused, with the females often wearing little clothing. This is corroborated by the popular belief that focusing on the physical appearance of female athletes is the only way in which generating money from women's professional sports is distinctly possible (Fink, 2015, p. 338). Female professional tennis players train just as hard as the men do, thus the gender inequality that exists in the sport is not necessarily a result of how women perform on the court. It is rather a result of how society perceives women playing in professional sports overall, which the mass media is partially to blame

Black excellence; a term that is possibly defined as the recognition and celebration of the successes of the black community. Lacking from the definition is the idea that black excellence cannot be achieved without understanding its relation to apparent racist perpetrations. In the essay entitled “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, author Claudia Rankine states, “the notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism. Imagine.” The prevalent absurdity exuded by this statement is the unfortunate reality we now inhabit.

Traditionally men have dominated the world of sports however in recent year’s women’s sports have become popular and with their new found popularity, women’s sports have evolved into marketable leagues of their own. Although women’s sports took a huge leap forward, women players still don’t receive the same financial compensation for playing the same sports in the same arenas as their male counterparts. In Purse Snatching by Donna Lopiano, she points out sexism may have a huge effect on this financial discrepancy between women and men athletes. Analyzing sports economics may point to a different reason why women are receiving such a compensation disparity.

Serena Williams is currently the greatest female tennis player in the world. She holds more grand slams titles than any male player. With her older sister Venus, she is well known for her commitment, generosity and charity work. Serena's contribution to society is outstanding, and her hubristic personality is one to cherish. Her determination is incredible towards everything she does, which makes her a role model to society. Specifically young female tennis players are inspired by Serena, due to her dedication towards being the best that she can achieve.

Serena is more than just a tennis player. She is a fashionable athlete. During a match in 2002, Serena was wearing a black lycra catsuit at the US Open. This was a number one discussion topic among sports enthusiasts at the time.

On the afternoon of August 8th, 2016 a young girl was facing the tennis match of her life. The Girls 14s Nationals were coming to a close and the championship trophy was only 3 games and 1 set away. Everything she had dreamed for was so close, yet so far. The extremely sunny sky glared into her eyes, making it impossible to think. But she couldn’t lose hope now, if she won this match, she would be crowned the Girls 14s Nationals Champion for Tennis. All she had to do was clutch this game. Just a few more points…

“It is different to imagine tennis without Serena Williams who have influenced a generation of female players and left a mark that no sibling in sport’s can equal”. (Glyn Clarke) Her prominence in tennis is growing this includes her impact on inspiring African American tennis players. Before Williams, black athletes faced unique challenges, but Williams helped promote progress , instead of over focusing on the negativity. She is working so that future athletes won't have to face the same inequality . “ Serena has been at or near the top of her sport longer than almost any other athletes. ”(Lindsay Gibbs) Before Serena entered no female had earned over 56 million dollars in prize money . Tennis today is much more depth and quality competition than existed during the 1970s and 1980s. When became the second African American women to claim a Grand Slam title , later becoming a U.S. Open Champion. Before Serena no tennis player brought a mixture of maturity, fashion , business and a foot in the entertainment realm as an actress. Williams had been the likely target for a new generation of record chasers yet to

The Williams sister’s have had to suffer under the oppression of the lily white sport of tennis. Throughout Serena’s very successful career there have been multiple cases where one of the judges, either a line judge or a head umpire, have cost her a championship based on the calls that they have made. In 2004, Mariana Alves, cost Serena a trip to the championship game after making five bad calls in a row in favor of Serena’s opponent. As

“Oh no, please don’t tell me this is happening. Mom, can I just skip this tournament?” I pleaded, “There is absolutely no hope for me.” Being the dramatic person I am, I lamented the imminent end of my tennis career. I went into the tournament with an expectation of failure. I started the match by accidentally whacking the ball over the fence, tripping on my own feet rushing to end the point. The little confidence I had when going into the match dissipated within a few minutes. I continued the match pondering how to angle my racket to put spin on the ball. Every time I failed, I blamed it on the high skill level of my opponent. Unsurprisingly, I lost in an hour. When looking back on that match, I realized that it could have gone differently had I not brought myself down before. My lack of

Black excellence plays an important role today in our society and Serena Williams, The Black Tennis Player proved it . “The Meaning of Serena Williams” has been published by Claudia Rankine on New York Times. This article is mainly about Serena Williams who is an American - black professional tennis player. Through her hard work, she has been placed first in women’s single tennis where majority of the players are white. Not only has she won 21 Grand Slam single titles out of 25 in the finals but she has also won many other games. Tennis is a white dominant race, and even after the racist notions and vibes, Serena Williams played her way through being the best she is. Oh but she didn't make her way through quietly. Whenever she felt that she

Serena Williams is the number one women’s tennis player in the world. Her outstanding skills have earned her 50 million dollars through just prizes; that is more than any other athlete in the world (“Serena Williams Fast Facts”). Her fast reflexes, amazing skills, and outgoing personality have made her known as a powerful woman and an inspiration to many young girls. This African-American woman is almost six feet tall and is made of steel. With her long, muscular legs and her quick arms, no wonder she is number one!

As we all know, America is a nation of sports enthusiasts. Most Americans participate is some kind of sporting event, either as a spectator or as a competitor. In the pantheon of great American sports, there is one that stands out. It has been called the great American pastime. Yes, that great sport known as tennis. Tennis requires a mastery of many skills to be able to play competitively, but the primary skill needed to win in tennis is the serve. The serve is the primary offensive weapon used I tennis, because it is the only time when a player gets to put a ball into play. The player controls the speed, the placement, and the spin of the ball. With proper procedure, the serve can win many points and games for the server. The technique

Rafael Nadal is known for his unyielding perseverance during a match because he is ready to “fight” for every single ball, no matter what is happening on the court. Unwavering perseverance helps him to maintain imposing winning results, especially on clay tennis courts: “Nadal’s winning percentage of 92 is an extremely high same as his win-loss record of 66-1 at the French Open tournament” (Brigs). In the history of tennis, Nadal’s winning record is unusually high. He is the only tennis player maintaining a high percentage of victories. The French Open, which Nadal has dominated over the years, is one of the four most important tennis tournaments in the world. Nadal’s preeminence on the clay courts of Roland Garros for nine years shows the character of a champion. Every year he faces first class competitors

Furthermore, King went on to boycott the difference in pay between male and female athletes in tennis. She was the first female tennis player to win more than $100,000 in a season, yet male players were still making three times this amount . The movement resulted in the first

Furthermore, King went on to boycott the difference in pay between males and females in tennis. She was the first female tennis player to win more than $100,000 in a season, yet male players were still making three times this amount. The movement resulted in the first female tennis tour and the creating of WomenSports Magazine and the Women’s Sports Foundation. After retiring, she continued to advocate for gender equity.