In planning for this column, I expected that I would be excitedly dedicating a large portion to Serena Williams. I assumed (like most people) that she would go on to win the US Open over the weekend. I would then be able talk about how that victory meant the completion of her ‘calendar-year Grand Slam’ (winning all four major tournaments in a year), and how she was the first player to pull off the feat since Steffi Graff in 1988. However, all those plans were thrown into disarray when one of the greatest upsets in tennis history occurred in her semi-final match, with Williams being beaten by unseeded Italian player Roberta Vinci, ending Serena’s 33 Grand Slam match winning streak.
As a fan of Williams’ incredible on-court ability, and an even bigger fan of her general bad-ass role model qualities for women everywhere, it was difficult not to feel disappointed that she had fallen short at this hurdle.
Luckily, the eventual outcome of the U.S Open went some way to soothing this disappointment with a different, yet compelling, feel-good story. After defeating Williams, Vinci went on to meet and be defeated by fellow Italian (and good friend) Flavia Pennetta in the final. This is already a pretty adorable outcome.
Additionally, it was the first time two Italian women had made even the semi-finals at a Grand Slam, let alone a final. Molto Bene!
The duo also became the two oldest first-time finalists, at the ages of 32 and 33. Somehow avoiding collapsing into a literal pile of dust during the game due to being so elderly, Pennetta became the oldest first-time Grand Slam winner in history. Just to cap it all off, she then used her first huge victory to announce her retirement from tennis, pulling off one of the best mic drops of all time.
Serena Williams still had a stellar year by anyone’s standard, coming within two matches of pulling off an amazing feat. The loss doesn’t diminish her accomplishments whatsoever. She has performed one of the most dominant runs in tennis history, and proven herself to be one of the greatest athletes of our time. She was gracious after the tournament as well, sending this tweet to Flavia Pennetta:
@flavia_pennetta congrats I’m so happy you won. You deserved it. I am also happy for the rest of your life’s journey. I will miss your smile
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) September 12, 2015
My favourite Serena moment came earlier in the tournament when she answered a question at a post-match press conference. A male reporter asked her a question that women have been asked and annoyed by since time immemorial. He wanted to know what was wrong with her, and why she wasn’t smiling (even though she had won the match). Serena replied:
It’s 11:30 … to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t want to be here. I just want to be in bed right now, and I have to wake up early to practice. And I don’t want to answer any of these questions, and you guys keep asking me the same questions. So … you’re not making it super enjoyable. [laughs] Just being honest.
Game, Set and Match Williams!
Last week also saw Australia’s most successful by far national soccer team, the Matildas, laying down the law. The team took unprecedented action in withdrawing from a training camp and two-game overseas tour to play the current world champions, the United States. The team, represented by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), is locked in a messy collective bargaining agreement dispute with the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) over unfair pay and conditions. The Matildas are asking for a rise in their base salary from $21,000 to $34,000, which would bring them up to the minimum full-time wage in Australia.
Yes, they are literally asking for minimum wage. Not the moon.
The players are also asking for some contract flexibility, improved travel conditions on par with the Socceroos, and a bath filled with Möet at the end of every game. Okay, that final one is made up, but I personally believe they should put it on their rider. The players’ previous contracts expired at the end of June, meaning that they have not been paid for two months while negotiations have continued. The FFA also rejected a maternity leave proposal from the PFA, which would bring their policy in line with other sports like netball. It means pregnant players risk having contracts not renewed, and players paying out-of-pocket to have their children accompany them to team camps.
The team has received public support from soccer players like US player of the World Cup Carlie Lloyd and goalkeeper Hope Solo, as well as from athletes like Australian basketballer Lauren Jackson, who pointed out that the remuneration women’s teams receive often does not reflect their success and standing.
It is important to remember that the revenue raised by the Matildas is technically of little importance if the negotiations are held in the vein of the FFA’s own ‘Whole of Football’ plan, which ensures that women’s football should not be viewed in isolation. Hopefully the drastic action taken by the Matildas will also not happen in isolation, and that the stance they are taking will help foster a fairer and more equitable future for girls and women in years to come.
In a step that will encourage women to race cars very fast around a track in October, the CEO of Harvey Norman, Katie Page, has signed a sponsorship deal with the first female driver pair to race in Bathurst 1000 since 1998. The twosome, granted a wildcard entry to Bathurst for the next two years, is made up of 20-year-old racer Renee Gracie from Queensland and Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro. Silvestro competes in the American IndyCar series, but most importantly has the excellent nickname ‘The Iron Maiden’.
When discussing sponsoring the two women, Page said:
If you look at the amount of money that goes into female sport in this country, it’s disgusting. You’ve got these highly talented girls and women in lots of sports doing amazing things, breaking the barriers, and they’re just not getting the coverage they deserve.’
For their part, the duo is just determined to leave behind the wildcard status and become a permanent fixture on the V8 Supercar scene within three or four years. They also claim to be considering this year a ‘learning experience’, but tellingly they do not discount what might happen in the last few laps if they are still in the race.