Landlubber
***
by Pete Bodo
Well, I learned something new about Venus Williams today; she'd make a terrible pirate because merely setting foot on a boat makes her queasy - and this is a girl who spent most of her formative years in proximity to the pretty beaches near her home in Palm Beach Gardens. So what was originally conceived as a little cruise around the East River near the United Nations headquarters turned into a dockside photo shoot and media photo-op.
This little dry-land cruise was arranged by a sponsor of Venus's, the makers of a familiar sports drink spinoff, Powerade Zero. One of the nice things about writing a weblog is that when the makers of something like Powerade call to say they can get you some time with Venus - if you promise to mention the product - you can say, "Sure, why not, nice of you to ask!" I'm not here to protect the citizenry from the horrors of the market place; last I checked, we're a consumer society with a robust interest in products - even when the main appeal of said products is that they're "green," or "healthy."
But there's more - this media event took place on the far East Side of Manhattan, at the 35th St water taxi dock. Throughout the US Open, Powerade will be running free ferry and bus service to the National Tennis Center, which is an option you visitors to New York in the next few weeks ought to keep in mind. There are a lot worse ways to traverse the water to Queens than by water taxi; my only concern would be the logistics - just how many passengers can the ferry/bus set-up move from Manhattan to the USTABJKNTC in any given time frame? But it would certainly be worth checking out, especially if you're staying nearby.
The taxi dock is a clean, busy place - picturesque in its own urban, quayside way. While I studied the churning waters of the East River for signs of marauding bluefish or striped bass (the "river" has quite a rip at certain times of day, depending on the tide), I called Bobby Chintapalli, one of my two WTA gurus (Master Ace is the other). What would Bobby ask Venus about, I wondered, having learned long ago that **I can go to a lot shakier sources than you regular readers for counsel. It's especially true on the WTA side of things, which tend to get short shrift around here.
Bobby reminded me that Venus, now 29, is the oldest player in the top 10 (see what I mean?) and she wondered: How does Venus feel, being the granny of the WTA tour?
By the time Venus showed up, fashionably late, a few dozen paparazzi types and videographers were waiting. It pains me to say it, but she walked like a veteran, banged up athlete - as if she were stiff and sore. But oh my, what a specimen she is. Despite being at a bunch of tournaments with her this year, I hadn't noticed until today how much she's filled out recently - the gap between lean and leggy and dense and muscular has been narrowed, and the best word I can come up to describe her physique is "formidable." She radiates power and speed; you almost want to slap a hood ornament on her.
She also happens to be awfully pretty; I always thought so. Today she wore pale blue hip-hugger tights and a gray t-shirt advertising her sponsor. She posed for a few snaps as soon as arrived on the dock, and she looked pretty sexy (and turned coquettish) when someone asked her to don a ferry pilot's cap. Venus posed for a few more snaps in the pilot house, and then we all went below, into the air-conditioned, clean passenger area - theoretically to conduct a few one-on-one interviews. The boat wasn't moving much, but Venus suddenly decided that she'd rather be on dry land, so we trouped off the ferry and she fulfilled the rest of her commitments on the firm footing of the concrete dock.
These sponsor appearances are different from the typical media engagements that are part of every tennis player's professional life. There's nothing adversarial about them - the media who turn up usually know little or nothing about tennis, and merely want a few nice sound bites from a high-value celebrity. Venus knew how to work the proverbial room; she was charming. She eventually came over to me, letting down the guard that characterizes her when she's hard at the business of trying to win tennis tournaments. She had a big smile on her face, hand extended, and said she was surprised (a scruffy tennis journalist among the fashionistras!) and glad to see me there.
Maybe I should spend more time at these sponsor things, instead of in that torture chamber called the press interview room, where players are put through the wringer at a time when they're most vulnerable, tense, or both.
Well, it's another year, another Open," I said.
"Not exactly.I don't see it that way at all." Her eyes lit up: "It's more like, wow, here we are, it's the Open!"
But you are the grand old dame of the WTA, if you don't mind the characterization. You're the oldest player in the Top Ten.
"Yeah, but no wrinkles yet." She touched the corners of her eyes, as if to prove her point. So it feels great."
How are you feeling after your up and down summer?
"Well, you know, I didn't have an ideal summer. But you know me, I never base my next match off my last one - whether it was good or bad. But it's nice to have the maturity to understand that it's all about the moment - being in the moment and capitalizing on the moment. That's what it's going to be about. And you know, sometimes its tough to play the summer - especially after Wimbledon. So next year, I might do something a little different, maybe take a few weeks off after Wimbledon."
Do you feel any special incentive, given that you were unable to defend your Wimbledon title? Is this a good last shot to make a big statement for the year?
"Well, its the last one we have, Slam-wise, so yeah. But everybody in the draw is thinking, ' I want to win this one, it's the last Slam of the year.' Also sometimes when you're out there on the court in the last major of the year you can find yourself thinking, 'I can't miss, I'd better be good and make this ball'. . . That's not a great approach - it's important to be relaxed going into the Open, but I also know that I'm going to go in there to play ball."
You're playing doubles again with Serena, any concern about the potential fatigue element, given the split sessions, the heat and all that?
I think we're prepared. We've been working pretty hard and doing the right things, staying strong. And we love playing doubles, so we don't see it as a problem at all. We haven't played here together in, what, nine years? That's nine titles we didn't get a chance to win. And since we started playing, I don't know how many doubles majors we've won together - I think three? Maybe five? [they have four] So it's been exciting for us to start winning those."
Do you talk with the Bryan brothers at all about sibling doubles?
"No, never, but maybe we should. . ."
You've played your way through a couple of generations now - the Steffi Grafs, the Hingeses and Henins, now you've got a new crop, with the Jankovics and Azarenkas and Wozniackis. Is there a noticeable difference between those generations?
"Oh, they're better now. All the players. Much better. Back in the day, Steffi was the only one actually playing tennis, and nobody else seemed to want to pick her game up to try to get to that level - at least not until Monica (Seles) came along. But then Serena and I came on pretty hard and running fast, and it was like everybody seemed to say, 'No, no no. . . you're not going to run all over us, we're going to do our best to do the same things you're doing'. So the overall level has gone up. These women today are better athletes. They're better trained, there's better knowledge out there in every area, and they're using it. Even down to things like physiclal therapy and fitness. I think if anything, it's gotten more intense."
Do you see any of the younger players as particularly dangerous?
"Oh, they all are dangerous. It's because they all have so much desire. Those are the keys - desire and the ability to fight. Even if a girl isn't the best player out there, it's more likely now that she'll be a fighter - that's what I see out there. Nobody wants to give you anything."
But some of these girls, they hit a wall. Their desire seems to fade and they go on auto-pilot, whether they consciously want to or not. Has that ever happened to you, where you couldn't bring yourself to care?
"No, and I'll tell you why. Because I hate losing. Losing is the first - and last - wall I hit."
Our brief, alloted time was up, and I thanked Venus, who thanked me for coming and said she'd see me out at the tennis. The next time I see her, she may be less open, less relaxed, and that's as it should be for a superb athlete who's knocked down every wall she's hit and found a way to come back strong. I'm glad they play this US Open on cement, instead of water.