You all witnessed the Melbourne Park massacre; there isn't a whole lot to say about the blunt, conclusive message Serena Williams posted at Celebritybasher.com (sorry, no link available!), on the Maria Sharapova thread (sponsored by Motorola). We went hallway surfing afterwards, and caught up with a few of Serena's accomplices, including her agent, Jill Smoller, her hitting partner, Mark Hlwaty, and Serena's mom, Oracene.
Smoller told us that Serena had been inspired by watching Fernando Gonzalez (just what TW needs, another Gonzo fan!), and Hlwaty's comment on the match dovetailed nicely with Smoller's revelation. "She smoked her (Sharapova)," Hiwaty said. "I thought she was serving bigger here than in the past, she was clocking 190, 200 (KPH) consistently. The whole idea for us was to take time from Maria. Serena moved forward, and played from inside the court. When she does that, that’s when you know she’s playing her best tennis."
It's always a little disconcerting talking with Oracene; you feel like you've been transported to the future, where a less exuberant, more centered, more mature and Buddha-like Serena is waiting to greet you. We found her in the player lounge, her eyes obscured behind bug-eye designer shades with tortoise-shell frames. Oracene is a woman who chuckles, the sure sign of someone who knows how to share a joke with herself. I think this is an indication of something, although I'm not sure what. And it probably explains Oracene's habit of speaking elliptically; this is a woman who says a few words and allows the subsequent silence to finish the sentence. If you don't hear it, your bad.
El Jon Wertheim asked her what the mood has been like on the practice court this week, and she just laughed out loud. "We want details," Wert pressed, in a friendly way.
"She refused to be where I am. She went to the other side (the silence says: of the court or net). I just wanted to get her to the point where she could move well. It was a struggle. But when she had blisters, it was another struggle. It was a constant struggle. All week."
Oracene had no explanation for where Serena's "fight" comes from. "It's just something that's in you. . . has to be part of you. It took her a while to get there . . . in Hobart, she wasn't there at all."
I told her that moments after the match, Serena had turned to a camera and said, "Thanks for the advice, dad." Did Oracene know anything about what Richard (from whom she is divorced) had told Serena?
"She probably texted him. . . Oh, I don't know. I let her keep all that stuff to herself."
Wert observed that she has to be the most mellow coach out there; did she enjoy the match, he wondered. "No, I really don't like it. . . Wish I didn't have to go. I knew I had to. Just be quiet and hope for the best."
You may remember the silly watch controversy of two days ago. The ABC network here did dramatic, "breaking news" reports after Williams' semifinal with Nicole Vaidisova, based on suggestions - made exclusively by the television commentators - that a kid in Serena's box may have been trying to distract Vaidisova by making the sun glint off his silver watch. ABC never identified the kid, and Vaidisova and Williams both said they had no idea what the commentators were talking about. This, of course, didn't prevent the network from running with the story during the prime time news segment. I was curious to know what Oracene thought about that non-story, and whether it was hurtful, or merely absurd.
She laughed. "No, no, no. it was just really funny - the way the news carried."
Serena and Oracene declined to identify the boy, other to say that he's just an Australian kid and loyal fan to whom Serena has taken, ah, a shine. "I didn't hear about it until I saw the news," Oracene explained. "'Breaking News?' When he came in later, with the jacket over his watch, I said, 'What? Show the watch!' He was really stressed about it. Poor kid. He's very superstitious, he tries to do everything just so. . . I went Whoa! We all laughed, until it seemed to get so serious."
Matt Cronin asked Oracene if this was the best Grand Slam performance, ever, by one of her girls.
She chuckled. "They all run together. I just remember this one. Could be the best they ever played. . . Yeah. The score was 6-1,6-1? Or was it 6-1,6-2? Oh yeah, it was two (Is this Serena speaking, or what?). Yeah. . . She's focused.I told her to relax and have fun. Got to remember, it's fun. It's a game. Nobody ever did that like (former NBA star) Magic Johnson."
We all saw the way Serena nearly broke down when she dedicated the victory to her slain sister, Yetunde Price (she was shot in Los Angeles in 2003). I asked Oracene if coming back to her present form had been more of an emotional or physical struggle. Oracene contemplated this. "It's just like losing weight, have to get your head there. And then you have to stay there. When young, they just got it. Older, they have to do it themselves. . ."
Speaking of weight. . . I went right ahead (WMB for Pete?) and, with apologies, reminded Oracene that so much of the discussion these past two weeks had been about Serena's size, and what it implied about her dedication and fitness. Was that fair? "Oh she knows she's got to get fit. . .fit-er. She's in good shape. Does it look like she's laboring? She's not tired. . . she's always done that. Her stature is different. . .not like the other girls. Different culture and everything. . .you can't expect the same level of fitness."
And what about those bleak times, starting at about the time Price was killed. Did Oracene contemplate that her daughters would never play competitive tennis again? "That really affected Serena a lot. . .who wants to go play tennis? I didn't have doubts. I never thought about it. They've been on the court since age 4. You always have to remember this. Then, playing on the tour. When they decided they needed a break, they took a break. To go on tour, day-in,day-out, very difficult to keep that focus. Now she just wants to get back."
Well, it seems a safe bet to say that she's got it back.
P.S. - The Sharapova presser was typical of her engagements with the media. It was formal and a little cold, although enlivened as usual by moments of deadpan wit. 'Pova has a real celebrity's knack for giving a little, drawing back, and leaving everyone hungry for a little more. I have the Serena presser coming up, and then a small-group round table with her. More later, or tomorrow, on a need-to-know basis.