Lindsay Davenport and Soft Americans

[Don Wassall]

I'll have a hard time ever rooting for Lindsay Davenport again after her performance against Serena Williams. She hits great groundstrokes but has a distinct deficiency in the guts department. She had the match all but won, but one bad serving game in the second set and poof, she packed it in.

Not to excuse it in the least, but rather looking for an explanation for it, it may well be that white American tennis players and golfers have it too easy. They can make a tremendous amount of money and become a pampered celebrity simply by being very good, without having the determination and dedication of a champion. Many top golfers and tennis players have their own corporate jets and otherwise live the life of kings, but do they have the heart of a king? The same is applicable to athletes in team sports.

Sharapova has the hunger. She was born into very modest circumstances. The same with many Europeans and Russians who keep rising in tennis, boxing, hockey, basketball and other sports. They seem to have superior drive and more heart than many white Americans, who were mostly born into the wealth that allowed them to be groomed in their sport of choice. Their lives are too soft.

The caste system isn't going to disappear simply by widespread recognition of it. White American athletes are going to have to inculcate all-out tenacity as well. They used to have it, so it needs to be regained, with a vengeance.

 

[surfsider]

I stopped watching when it became obvious that Davenport was headed for the tank. How insulated and pampered are you when, while being watched by millions (and playing for near as much), you quite obviously begin to pout and give up with a fight? And for crying out loud it's TENNIS! Just embarrassing to watch.

 

[white lightning]

I didn't see the match but I will defend Davenport just
a little bit.Most people don't know that she has been
playing 1 to 2 matches a day for almost 2 weeks now.Her
and her partner made it to the Womens Doubles Finals
which was yesterday.The announcers through out the Aussie
Open admired her courage to continue to play both the
singles and the doubles.Just the fact that she came out
and gave Serena a great match,showed alot of charisma.
I wish she could have finished it and won because doing
the daily double would kill anyone.If she had only played
singles like Serena,she would have won with out a doubt!

 

[Quiet Speed]

My take on it is that this is an old personal demon of Lindsey's. Most thought she had it conquered, and she did for awhile.


In the Alicia Molik match you could see hints were she was reverting back to bad habits - negative body language, moping etc.. I was almost rooting for Alicia, knowing what could lie ahead.


white lightning, you bring up some points that have merit. Another thing is Lindsey was in the half of the draw where they had to play singles back to back days toward the end to get synchronized. Edited by: Quiet Speed

 

[Don Wassall]

Maybe I was too tough on her, writing right after the match. Maybe she hit the wall even though it was only halfway through the second set, but it was still tough to watch. I do think there is a correlation between the amounts of money some athletes make and how that affects their ability to be tough enough mentally.

 

[white lightning]

I understand where both of you guys are coming from.I
just wanted to give her some recognition for almost
winning the Australian Open.She is a little older and
almost pulled it off.Are European Athletes hungrier for
success?Probably so.That is unfortanate for white us
athletes.They are not intimidated by anyone over there.
Alot of our athletes are.Wally Szerbiak is one of the
few white american athletes that I have heard say feels
that whites are looked down on.He said that he is just
as good as Garnett or anyone!Even though K.G. may be a
better overall player,I love Wally's toughness.Where is
that in white u.s. athletes.That is why we need some
athletes like Shockey and Wariner who fear no one!Maybe
Andy Roddick needs to step up his A-Game!

 

[right winger]

Davenport destroyed the very talented and quite lovely looking Maria Sharapova in the semis at the Pacific Life Open, 6-0 6-0. That was a real shocker. Lindsay of course then couldn't close it out in the final, losing to Clijsters.

I just hope that kind of a whooping doesn't affect Maria's psyche. It shouldn't, but man, losing two sets without winning a single game!??!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I think Sharapova will eventually end up being ranked number 1 over Serena Williams.