Serena Williams will probably be the most followed player (men and women) of the upcoming US Open. The American legend is just 1 slam shy from Margaret Court’s 24th major title and she can bridge the gap at the upcoming US Open.
After her pregnancy, Serena was just 1 win short to conquer the elusive (and deserved) no.24 on 4 occasions after she lost 4 major finals.
Serena resurfacing her home court with the US Open surface
The American icon received a rather peculiar “help” from the organization of the slam. The American major will shift court manufacturer from DecoTurf to Laykold. US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster admitted that Serena received a sample of the court.
“I can confirm the surface provided by Laykold for the 2020 US Open and Western & Southern Open was shipped to Serena’s house She’s got a new court in her backyard. So she has been training. She will be playing and she’s excited to come back,” said Allaster.
The reaction from social media wasn’t that great. It was also weird that such a smart person like Stacey Allaster revealed this episode that could be easily labelled as “favoritism.”
I am not sure why Allaster was quite so forthcoming about that. Ho hum. https://t.co/NhFqvSOAGo
— René Denfeld (@Renestance) June 17, 2020
Some people question if Serena training at home of the same surface that will be used at the US Open is fair for the other players.
These are some reactions.
https://twitter.com/Rahulxx__/status/1273272276293529602?s=20
https://twitter.com/Danyal351/status/1273271588662792192?s=20
Wow what a privilege. https://t.co/7POcvvUULG
— Takashi K (@sakurasumire1) June 17, 2020
This is disgusting https://t.co/wsOxrMtVGV
— jimmy soixante-dix (@hotdog6969) June 17, 2020
same conditions for everybody? ok
— Rico (@pib_rico) June 17, 2020
— Lenafan (@Lenafan75) June 17, 2020
Why it’s probably professionalism and not favoritism
Ivan Lendl used to do the same, but it is still legit to wonder if this is fair for the other players that cannot afford to own and resurface the home court as Serena did.
Some players that have accumulated wealth after their fantastic success decided to reinvest in tennis that is their profession. For example, it is well-known that Djokovic used to have a private hyperbaric chamber parked outside US OPEN facilities. That wasn’t for free and the Serbian decided to reinvest in the equipment because he could afford it because of his success. That is usually considered as professional, at least in other activities. Still, everything is quite debatable.
Serena Williams in 2020
Currently ranked no.9, Serena played her last match on the 8th of February when she capitulated to Anastasija Sevastova 7-65 3-6 7-64 in the Rubber 4 of the Fed Cup.
At present, this year Serena has a 8-2 win-loss record. The American has won 1 title in Auckland.
Serena Williams |
| Embed from Getty Images |
