Serena Needs to Deliver a Real Apology

Serena's outburst last night was highly uncharacteristic. She has absorbed more than a few uncomfortable and unfair situations handling herself with grace and class. Clearly losing in this semifinal was hitting a very raw nerve because she lost it worse than anything I have ever witnessed at a grand slam.

I should state that I wish the foot fault had not been called. If it was terribly blatant that would be one thing, but at that stage in the match umpires and line judges should do their best to allow the match to be decided by the players. Football and basketball officials work very hard at this and a little coaching for tennis officials may be in order. But that being said, Serena's outburst was unfair to the line judge, unfair to the fans and bad for the game. Its been front page news on the internet and, on a day of incredible college football games, it was the lead story on ESPN. Her expletives, despite being bleeped, were heard all around the world and will continue to be heard for months to come. That's one spotlight our game could do without.

Part of me empathizes with Serena. I have had my share of shameful outbursts on a tennis court, however one thing I have always striven to do is to apologize completely and take ownership for my behavior. It doesn't make the behavior right but it does help people to give you the benefit of the doubt, especially when you have a good track record to begin with. This is why I was very dismayed to hear the statement issued by Serena. I quote here:

"Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience."

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds like it came right from her publicist? Not only that, but it appears that the publicist was forced to compromise as Serena didn't really want to say she was sorry at all. From the post match interview to this farce of an apology, she has taken on the air of the victim rather than the perpetrator. That is incredibly disappointing to me, and I expect to many of Serena's fans, because I expected better of Serena. She has been so classy despite all the adversity she has faced that I was sure she would work hard to make this right but so far its the exact opposite. I hope she is suspended (if the US Open had real courage they would suspend her from the doubles final) and fined to a much greater degree. Its important for the governors of the sport to stand up for what's fair and what's right. I hope before its all said and done Serena will to.

Pat Hanssen
Director of Sales
Lee Tennis Court Products