Sweet Victory

Two weeks ago no one gave Serena Williams a chance of reaching the second week of the Australian open. The reasons they gave in the press were related to her lack of tournament play. Sportscasters decried her lack of fitness.

In my local tennis clubs the descriptive language was less kind. With a few exceptions, she was referred to as "fat" and a "diva," her choice of tennisware "outrageous." Few people were taking her seriously anymore.

I remember some similar discomfort among white people when Jackie Joyner-Kerse used to grace the track with coifed hair, loud manicures, and bright makeup. But any indignation was tempered with a tacit conviction by white sports fans that track was a black sport. Such confidence in dress and manner in a black tennis player has been offensive to many, and they "dog" Serena every chance possible.

Today Serena Williams answered her critics with an overpowering 6-1, 6-2 victory over top-seeded Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final. I take courage that she is an "out there" minority woman. Thank you, Serena.