"Topaz"
Jun 9th, 2002, 03:26 AM
I watched the final twice and after all is said and done, I found myself contemplative, quiet, almost philosophical.
I saw two sisters plunged into the dynamics of a game that ended up pitching them against one another almost despite their will.
I saw a content mother who after the match said she was calm and collected all the way through and had no preference, just pride in her two daughters. She's the ultimate Williams fan and a good lead for the rest of us.
I saw an older sister who, out of selflessness, distanced herself from the occasion as if she wasn't part of it, and celebrated in the coronation of her younger sibling. She stepped out the box and froze the moment on film for posterity. She forgot this moment was hers as well; in fact, that was the first time she's ever reached the final at RG, the crowning tournament of the clay season, the family's supposedly worse surface.
I saw a younger sister who all her life has tried to equal the older sibling and ended up outstripping her.
I saw fans on this board expressing deeply felt emotions. There are those who wanted the final in such a prestigious tournament to showcase the current state of women's tennis. They have every right to expect that. After all, what is the purpose of having the cream risen to the top if that doesn't result in the best possible tennis match? They didn't seem to get their wish today. The sisters were tensed to say the least; only their well-honed tennis reflexes and competitiveness carried them through the match. They could hardly eyeball each other. As a result, today's match had more errors than normal; the expression of love and selflessness displayed at the end may have been the highlights of the day.
For the Williams fans, myself included, this match was rather the culmination of a process that took the Williams sisters through six consecutive victories and the capture of the WTA #1 & #2 rankings. We are tennis lovers as well but the occasion meant more than a tennis match; so, we weren't as disenchanted by the lack of tennis drama today.
I observed the absence of a father who felt his job was done and it was time to let his daughters live their lives. His dream has materialized.
Finally, I saw a ceremony unlike any other, where the script for once was partly controlled by the players, a ceremony where both news media and news makers were merged in a symbiotic dance that led them to take pictures of one another.
This will be a day to remember.
I saw two sisters plunged into the dynamics of a game that ended up pitching them against one another almost despite their will.
I saw a content mother who after the match said she was calm and collected all the way through and had no preference, just pride in her two daughters. She's the ultimate Williams fan and a good lead for the rest of us.
I saw an older sister who, out of selflessness, distanced herself from the occasion as if she wasn't part of it, and celebrated in the coronation of her younger sibling. She stepped out the box and froze the moment on film for posterity. She forgot this moment was hers as well; in fact, that was the first time she's ever reached the final at RG, the crowning tournament of the clay season, the family's supposedly worse surface.
I saw a younger sister who all her life has tried to equal the older sibling and ended up outstripping her.
I saw fans on this board expressing deeply felt emotions. There are those who wanted the final in such a prestigious tournament to showcase the current state of women's tennis. They have every right to expect that. After all, what is the purpose of having the cream risen to the top if that doesn't result in the best possible tennis match? They didn't seem to get their wish today. The sisters were tensed to say the least; only their well-honed tennis reflexes and competitiveness carried them through the match. They could hardly eyeball each other. As a result, today's match had more errors than normal; the expression of love and selflessness displayed at the end may have been the highlights of the day.
For the Williams fans, myself included, this match was rather the culmination of a process that took the Williams sisters through six consecutive victories and the capture of the WTA #1 & #2 rankings. We are tennis lovers as well but the occasion meant more than a tennis match; so, we weren't as disenchanted by the lack of tennis drama today.
I observed the absence of a father who felt his job was done and it was time to let his daughters live their lives. His dream has materialized.
Finally, I saw a ceremony unlike any other, where the script for once was partly controlled by the players, a ceremony where both news media and news makers were merged in a symbiotic dance that led them to take pictures of one another.
This will be a day to remember.