Crumbling in Charleston

There is no love story this week between the top women of the WTA and the Family Circle Cup, held in Charleston, South Carolina. After the event's four top players withdrew prior to the start of the tournament, both Serena Williams and Nicole Vaidisova fell in their opening matches.

This certainly lends some support to the WTA's roadmap for the tour, which cited that players will withdraw from events less if they have an easier schedule to work with. I'm sure the Charleston folks would have loved to been in that 'required' section this year.

While some active players were missing in action this week, an inactive player played an exhibition in Houston last week. Monica Seles, the nine-time slam winner, defeated Martina Navratilova in three sets (a third-set super tie-breaker was used) and followed up the match with this interesting quote: "I'm looking forward to playing more." Another comeback in the works for Miss Seles? The Houston Chronicle thinks so.

ESPN.com has declared four players "The Ones to Watch" this spring. Will these stories really develop? I think I have the same response for this one as I do for Monica: let's wait it out.

Clip of the Week

Looking at the past to learn about our future is something I always see as valuable. In today's media, it's continuous discussion of the present-day Iraq war and the parallels it holds to the Vietnam disaster of the late 60s.

In tennis, however, we have lower stakes to deal with. Yet there is much to be learned from the champions of yesterday. Looking at this clip of the 1984 French Open final between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert reveals this to me: champions can be good friends. Navratilova and Evert hug at the net, chat about the match and then make their way to the trophy presentation. What surprised me most was the body language of the two: a gesturing hand, the easy-going smiles, the sincerity of their laughter. This was one of the most intense rivalries in WTA history, yet they understood what tennis was in this world: a game.



What baffles me is that there are only 11 Navratilova clips on YouTube, a despicably low number. Yes, I understand that YT is a new phenomenon and is mostly used by the younger generation, but I consider it a crime that such a history-changing champion isn't better represented on the Internet's most-used video Web site.

What I'm getting at here is that the Sharapovas, Henins, Ivanovics and Vaidasovas of today should be all ears and eyes when it comes to understanding how the game of tennis fits into the game of life. It pains me so to see tremendous champions isolate themselves for the glory of a game that in the long run is just...well, a game.