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This past U.S Open finals between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka will, unfortunately, be remembered less about Osaka’s first title or how the young lady outplayed her idol than the controversy around it. After being accused of receiving coaching support by chair umpire Carlos Ramos, Serena has docked a point and the game, to her very vocal dismay. Osaka ended up winning the match in straight sets. Serena’s objection towards the umpire led to the classic “angry black woman” trope to be her portrayal through media outlets, most notably with an Australian artist who portrayed Serena as a big lipped, muscled woman stomping like a baby as Osaka, the product of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, was portrayed as a white woman being quested by the umpire to let Serena win.

It is fascinating that Venus and Serena Williams, the two best and most recognizable tennis players since the turn of the century and maybe of all time, are treated unlike any other superstar in their sport. During the 1990s, there was criticism of Michael Jordan being “too protected” by referees during games. In fact, during the Dream Team documentary, Magic Johnson jokes about this during a photo shoot with himself, Larry Bird, and MJ, saying “you can’t get too close to Michael or it’s a foul.” Today in the NFL, rule changes have been enacted to protect the quarterback position following injuries to marque stars like Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.

Like Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960’s, the sport has adjusted their rules in an effort to neutralize their dominance. And like Jackie Robinson in the 1940’s and 50’s, they two sisters have had to deal with taunts of their bodies, credibility, and attire with a racial (and in their case, sexual and transphobic) nature. Here are just a few examples of what they had to put up with.

1999 Australian Open: Venus’ beads

In 1999, Venus, the older sister, was a young star on the rise in the tennis world when she went against four-time Grand slam champion Lindsay Davenport. Early in their careers, the sisters wore beads in their hair, leading the World Tennis Association to invent rules in response to their hair. Early in her match, a set of beads fell out of Venus’ hair and scattered on her side of the court, leading to umpire Denis Overberg docking her a point and the game for “a disturbance.” Venus appealed and was denied, to her vocal dismay. She ended up losing the match in straight sets, and headlines the next day included, “Venus Unravels” and “Venus loses her head.” Davenport did not provide much support either, saying, “I’m not going to say it’s a total distraction, but it is a little annoying maybe… It’s just things flying in the air that you’re not supposed to be seeing.”

Excessive Drug Testing

During this year’s Wimbledon in late July, Serena Williams tweeted out

“and it’s that time of the day to get “randomly” drug tested and only test Serena. Out of all the players it’s been proven I’m the one getting tested the most. Discrimination? I think so. At least I’ll be keeping the sport clean #StayPositive”

Serena, up to that point, had been tested five times. Only Venus, who was tested twice to that point, had been tested more than one time. In an attempt to push back at the comments, the International Tennis Federation posted that Serena was tested only 1-3 times in 2017, far less than other players. However, the organization chose to ignore that Serena played only the Australian Open in 2017 because she was pregnant.

Heckling of Match Fixing, Racism, and Body Shaming

When Venus and Serena both became two of the top players by the early 2000s, rumors of match-fixing when the players competed against each other began to fly. The women’s father, Richard Williams, was the target for many of these accusations. Both tennis legend and commentator John McEnroe and women tennis player Elena Dementieva accused Richard of match-fixing.

For more than a decade, the sisters refused to play the Ericsson Open because racial remarks directed towards their father in 2001. The tournament director refused to offer an apology and in 2009, the tournament became a mandatory stop for the WTA.

For much of their careers, the two women’s bodies have been the target for more than one or two insults. These insults were usually both racial and transphobic in nature, saying that their bodies more closely resembled a man than the tradition tennis players. FS1’s Jason Whitlock, who has spent the past few years buttering his bread by insulting LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, and any athlete who dives into social issues, wrote in 2009 about the 27 years old Serena.

“She’d rather eat, half-ass her way through non-major tournaments and complain she’s not getting the respect her 11-major-championships résumé demands. She complains about being ranked No. 2 in the world when she’s not bitching on Twitter or her blog about new rules that forbid Wimbledon players from eating in the locker room.

Seriously, how else can Serena fill out her size 16 shorts without grazing at her stall between matches? I know, you think I’m a hypocrite. No, I’m not. Sportswriters are supposed to be plump and lazy. I’m fulfilling my destiny.”

His article went further in depth on Serena’s weight and her sexiness in comparison to Beyonce, because that’s what good sports journalism looks like to Harvey Weinstein. Recently, Serena’s catsuit she wore was banned by French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli, saying “players must respect the game and the place.”

The Williams sisters have been tennis for more than two decades. It is a sport dominated by the metaphorical boys club and holds a lot of animosity with the culture change bought in by the two players. And if Tiger Woods’ time off from in golf, and the sister’s brief reprieves has shown anything, it’s this: Once Venus and Serena are gone, so are the majority of fans for the sport because they aren’t tennis fans, but Williams sisters fans.

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