Photo courtsey of abc.net.au
Wimbledon has been known for its classiness and old school ways for so long. All players are required to wear white on court, and there is barely any advertising on courts. However, Wimbledon, the crowning achievement for any player, was under a lot of scrutiny in 2008 for improper court placement.
In 2008, Venus Williams was the reigning Wimbledon champion, and she had returned to the famed green courts to defend her crown, but things were not to her liking or advantage that year. She was placed on an outer court where barely any person who wanted to see this great woman play tennis could actually do that. She and her sister, Serena, were placed on Court 2 which is commonly known as the Graveyard Court because of all the legends that have lost there. According to nydailynews.com, Venus Williams said, “I’m actually really tall, so I feel a little cramped. Will I have rooms to move my legs around? There’s a lot of room in back. There’s less on the side” in response to being placed on the smaller Court 2.
Venus and Serena were not the only ones seemingly being ostracized. Jelena Jankovic, then a top-seeded player, was placed on Court 18. Spectators had to cram around the court just even to get a glimpse of the woman from Serbia.
On Court 1 of the same day, Nicole Vaidisova played Anna Chakvetadze. These two are unknown players compared to the Williams sisters and Jankovic. Why were they placed on such a better court than the three power players. A person can argue that Vaidisova and Chakvetadze are more commercial and attractive than Venus, Serena, and Jankovic. This might be the case, but officials did place Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska on Centre Court, and these two ladies are not the most attractive people in the world.
Putting these high-ranked players on these small, obscure courts was definitely not a smart move by Wimbledon. Whatever their reasoning behind the move, it was stupid on their part. Venus was the DEFENDING CHAMPION. You do not place her on an outside court no matter what! She is a point of interest for people. People come just to see her. I mean seriously she is known as “The Queen of the Grass” aka Wimbledon. She has won five trophies just from Wimbledon alone. To make more money off her, place her on Centre Court or Court 1 at least. Furthermore by placing her so far away, she is bound to not be happy. You do not want an angry Williams sister. Just look at what happened to Serena at the U.S. Open. Venus, Serena, and Jankovic deserve more respect, and hopefully, they will get it in upcoming years.
In 2008, Venus Williams was the reigning Wimbledon champion, and she had returned to the famed green courts to defend her crown, but things were not to her liking or advantage that year. She was placed on an outer court where barely any person who wanted to see this great woman play tennis could actually do that. She and her sister, Serena, were placed on Court 2 which is commonly known as the Graveyard Court because of all the legends that have lost there. According to nydailynews.com, Venus Williams said, “I’m actually really tall, so I feel a little cramped. Will I have rooms to move my legs around? There’s a lot of room in back. There’s less on the side” in response to being placed on the smaller Court 2.
Venus and Serena were not the only ones seemingly being ostracized. Jelena Jankovic, then a top-seeded player, was placed on Court 18. Spectators had to cram around the court just even to get a glimpse of the woman from Serbia.
On Court 1 of the same day, Nicole Vaidisova played Anna Chakvetadze. These two are unknown players compared to the Williams sisters and Jankovic. Why were they placed on such a better court than the three power players. A person can argue that Vaidisova and Chakvetadze are more commercial and attractive than Venus, Serena, and Jankovic. This might be the case, but officials did place Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska on Centre Court, and these two ladies are not the most attractive people in the world.
Putting these high-ranked players on these small, obscure courts was definitely not a smart move by Wimbledon. Whatever their reasoning behind the move, it was stupid on their part. Venus was the DEFENDING CHAMPION. You do not place her on an outside court no matter what! She is a point of interest for people. People come just to see her. I mean seriously she is known as “The Queen of the Grass” aka Wimbledon. She has won five trophies just from Wimbledon alone. To make more money off her, place her on Centre Court or Court 1 at least. Furthermore by placing her so far away, she is bound to not be happy. You do not want an angry Williams sister. Just look at what happened to Serena at the U.S. Open. Venus, Serena, and Jankovic deserve more respect, and hopefully, they will get it in upcoming years.
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