Sports
Serena Williams the woman who changed the game
The marked disappointment of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, when Serena Williams hit her final forehand into the net, did not linger for long.
A rousing acclamation soon rang around the stadium for a woman who extended Ajla Tomljanovic into a fourth hour in their US Open third round match, and whose brilliance spanned more than a quarter of a century.
She and her sister Venus changed the game, and the approach to life of many – whether they had been dreaming of a pro tennis career or simply a better, fairer future for themselves and their family.
Be yourself, was the message. Women, especially those of colour, do not need to hide their emotions or a desperate will to succeed. Many noses were put out of joint in the process, but corrective surgery had been long overdue.
Muhammad Ali and perhaps Billie Jean King aside, has any athlete made a greater impact on society than Serena Williams? And she may be only just beginning.
- Williams waves farewell after Ajla Tomljanovic defeat
- ‘The greatest the world has ever seen’ – tributes to Williams
- Williams plans karaoke and time with daughter after US Open farewell
- How US Open victory of 1999 tells the story of what was to come
- Serena Williams – the ultimate game-changer?
Her achievements are without parallel. Margaret Court’s all time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles was always a false target, as the phenomenally successful Australian won 13 of those titles when professionals were banned from taking part. The target was, though, incredibly motivating and helped a 30-plus Williams win over half of the Slams she entered between Wimbledon 2012 and the Australian Open of 2017.
No-one else has been able to keep collecting Grand Slam singles titles over an 18 year period. Twice, 12 years apart, Williams won all four in a row. The first ‘Serena Slam’ was completed at the Australian Open of 2003 and secured over four consecutive finals against Venus. The sister, who in Serena’s words was “taller, prettier, quicker and more athletic”. The sister, who had inspired the glowing newspaper articles and was originally the main focus of their father Richard. The sister, whose bed she sometimes had to share as a child but from whom she learnt so much and gained so much of her drive.
Williams won a total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, despite only winning two in a five year period in her mid-20s. During what has often been the peak years of a player’s career, Williams was trying to come to terms with the death of her sister Yetunde in a drive-by shooting in Compton in September 2003.
In her 2009 autobiography Queen of the Court, she talks about slipping into depression. “It was an aching sadness, an all-over weariness, a sudden disinterest in the world around me – in tennis, above all,” she wrote.
She did not return to the top of the world rankings until five years after her sister’s death.
The arrival of Serena and Venus accelerated the spread of power hitting throughout the women’s game. Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport had started the ball rolling, but this type of aggressive hitting had not been seen before.
The former world number 6 Chanda Rubin recalls a match she played with Serena in Los Angeles in 2002.
“She hit a shot and it was the hardest forehand I had seen go by me,” she says.
“I didn’t even have a chance to react and move to it, and I had played Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati.
“This was just pure power. And from zero to 60. That visual never left me, even though I won that match.”
Williams also possesses arguably the greatest serve of all time. It offers power, placement, rhythm and accuracy, and is harder to read than War and Peace.
As both a woman and a woman of colour, Williams’ achievements and attitude have made a dizzying impact on so many others.
“Before Serena came along, there was not really an icon of the sport that looked like me,” Coco Gauff said in New York last week.
“So growing up I never thought that I was different because the number one player in the world was somebody who looked like me.
“Sometimes being a woman, a black woman in the world, you kind of settle for less. She never settled for less.”
Do not forget the Grand Slam title won in Melbourne while eight weeks pregnant, and the four Grand Slam finals she subsequently reached as a mother in her late 30s. Do not forget the postnatal depression, and the two pulmonary embolisms which endangered her life.
Williams knows only too well that black women are much more likely to die in childbirth and addressed the matter in a BBC interview in 2018.
“Doctors aren’t listening to us, just to be quite frank,” she told me.
“There’s some things we are genetically pre-disposed to, that some people aren’t. So knowing that going in, or some doctors not caring as much for us, is heartbreaking.”
Williams has spoken out with increasing confidence on sensitive issues as her career has progressed. She chose 2015 to return to Indian Wells, where 14 years previously she had experienced an “undercurrent of racism” before the singles final against Kim Clijsters.
She cited former South Africa president Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom as having a significant bearing on her decision to return.
“I’m looking forward to stepping out and letting the whole world know that it doesn’t matter what you faced – you can just come out and be strong and say I’m still going to be the best person that I can be,” she said in California that March.
Serena Williams is, of course, no modern-day saint. Arthur Ashe Stadium has witnessed her six US Open titles, but also some venomous behaviour towards officials, for which she showed little contrition.
But I think she is the most remarkable athlete of the last 40 years.
The pain she feels at having to leave the stage will be shared by many in all corners of the world.
Argentina beat Colombia to win a record 16th Copa America but the game was marred by the kick-off being delayed by 80 minutes because of trouble outside the ground in Miami.
Lautaro Martinez struck in the second half of extra time from Giovani lo Celso’s through ball to secure the win.
Captain Lionel Messi was left in tears when he had to be replaced midway through the second half after injuring himself while chasing for the ball – but was celebrating his country’s third successive major tournament at the final whistle.
Kick-off was delayed because of chaos outside the Hard Rock Stadium.
Organisers said ticketless fans tried to get into the ground, leaving some fans waiting for hours in the Miami heat for the gates to open.
Fans and police officers and security clashed with several arrests made. Several supporters needed treatment from paramedics.
On top of that the half-time break lasted for 25 minutes because of a concert by Colombian popstar Shakira on the pitch, a move that was criticised by Colombia boss Nestor Lorenzo beforehand.
It was a game of few clear chances in hot, humid conditions, with Colombia’s Jhon Cordoba hitting the woodwork in the first half.
Argentina thought they had taken the lead with 15 minutes to go but Nicolas Tagliafico’s effort was ruled out for offside.
Martinez would end up as the hero – and win the Golden Boot with five goals.
What now for Messi after Copa America glory?
Lionel Messi went off injured in the second half
Messi had never won a senior international tournament until the age of 34 and now he has won three in three years after the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup.
The final was played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami – which is just over 20 miles from the city of Fort Lauderdale, where Messi’s Inter Miami club play.
The 37-year-old said before this tournament he had yet to make a decision on whether he will play on for his country until the next World Cup, which is also in the US – as well as Canada and Mexico.
His powers seem to be waning and his only goal of the tournament came in the semi-final win over Canada. He missed a penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Ecuador.
In this game he was hurt by a tackle in the first half and hobbled off in the second period, holding an ice pack on his ankle on the bench.
Is this his final major tournament appearance of a legendary career?
It was certainly the final appearance of Angel di Maria’s international career. The 145-times capped player had already announced he would retire from the international stage after this.
Trouble before the game
There were problems getting fans into the ground for kick-off
The delays before the game were more bad news for organisers – with the Hard Rock Stadium due to host games at the 2026 World Cup.
In the semi-finals in Charlotte, Uruguay players clashed with Colombia fans after the final whistle – because they were worried about the safety of their families.
Players’ families were affected too in Miami.
Roberto Garnacho, brother of Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, wrote on social media: “What a shame CONMEBOL, the families not being able to enter the stadium, unbelievable.
“We were with [Argentina defender Marcos Acuna’s] family outside, getting away from the fights… Argentina’s security had to come get us, children of players crying, people entering without tickets.”
Colombia’s wait goes on
Colombia had been unbeaten in 28 games, a run stretching over two years going back to a World Cup qualifier against Argentina.
But their only Copa America triumph remains the 2001 success in their home country.
They had chances against the Argentines, most notably when Cordoba hit the post early on with a hooked volley.
Writtes /BBC/
Reports /Trainviral/
Ex-Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK.
Mr Anderson was suspended as a Conservative MP after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had “control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The defection ends weeks of speculation about the Ashfield MP and TV presenter’s future.
Mr Anderson said he had been given the chance to “speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country” who support Reform.
He becomes Reform UK’s first ever MP, representing a party polling around 10% of national voting intention.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Anderson said he was “prepared to gamble on myself” because he said he knew “how many people support Reform and what they have to say”.
“All I want is my country back,” he added.
Reform UK founder and honorary president Nigel Farage said called the defection “huge”. He said: “I don’t think Westminster really understands this yet.”
Mr Anderson ruled out calling a by-election in his own seat, telling the BBC it “would be pretty reckless for me to suggest a by-election when we could have a general election in May”.
Two years ago, Mr Anderson backed a failed bid to let constituents trigger a by-election when their MP changes parties.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said Mr Anderson had “made a real mistake” in defecting from the Conservatives.
“Reform is not the answer,” he added.
Mr Cleverly said he agreed with Mr Anderson’s comments from January this year, when he said a “vote for Reform will only let the Labour party in”.
Red Wall ‘champion’
Mr Anderson was elected in 2019 to the Red Wall seat of Ashfield with a 5,700 vote majority – having previously served as a Labour councillor for his home town.
The son of a coal miner, Mr Anderson belonged to Arthur Scargill’s National Union of Mineworkers. His first job in politics was working in the office of local Labour MP Gloria De Piero, serving as district councillor at the same time.
After switching to the Conservative Party, the staunch Brexit supporter became an ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson.
He was made deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in February last year, but resigned in January to rebel against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill.
Announcing Mr Anderson’s defection, Reform UK Leader Richard Tice said his party had founds a “champion” for its plans to supplant the Conservatives in the Red Wall.
Mr Anderson was a “person of great integrity”, Mr Tice added.
The Reform leader said: “I think millions of British people endorsed the concerns and sentiments of what Lee was saying, which is that we are sick and tired of our streets being taken over by these pro-Hamas, extremist, antisemitic people and Islamist extremists.”
Reform UK has confirmed he will stand for Ashfield in the general election, superseding Henry Grisewood – who the party had initially chosen.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, said Mr Anderson’s defection showed “the Conservatives are falling apart”.
“The truth is that the prime minister is too weak to lead a party too extreme to be led,” he said.
Some of Mr Anderson’s former colleagues criticised his defection – saying it made “a less conservative Britain more likely”.
The New Conservatives, made up mostly of 2019 Tory Red Wall MPs like Mr Anderson, said “the responsibility for Lee’s defection sits with the Conservative Party”.
In a statement, the group argued the Tory party’s failure to stick to the promises of the 2019 general election had led to split in the party.
Mr Anderson sparked a backlash after he claimed last month that the capital had been “taken over” amid the weekly pro-Palestinian protests over the war in Gaza.
In an interview with GB News, Mr Anderson said: “I don’t actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is that they’ve got control of Khan, they’ve got control of London.
“He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
Mr Anderson was stripped of the Tory whip after he refused to apologise for the remarks. He instead doubled down on his comments although conceded his phrasing was “clumsy”.
Analysis by BBC chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman
Lee Anderson’s decision to join Reform is unquestionably a significant blow for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.
Despite having no MPs and just a small handful of councillors, Reform are reliably polling around 10%. That is a high enough figure that some Conservative MPs believe it is as important for them to win back voters they are losing to Reform as it is those who are switching to Labour.
By giving Reform a parliamentary figurehead for the first time, Mr Anderson may make it harder for the Conservatives to reunite the right.
There are some important caveats. Most importantly, Mr Anderson is not making his defection from a position of strength. He was suspended from the Conservative ranks at Westminster after accusing Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, of being controlled by Islamists.
Mr Anderson refused to apologise for his comments, making his suspension all but inevitable. There was grumbling from some Conservatives who wanted Mr Anderson to be handed a clear path back into the fold – but any such route would almost certainly have required him to apologise, which he again refused to do today.
It’s also worth noting that while Mr Anderson is well-known in Westminster for his pugnacious style, and has a show on GB News, he is not exactly a major national figure. Arguably a more worrying announcement for the Conservatives would have been the return of Nigel Farage to active campaigning duties.
Yet one person who definitely does rate Mr Anderson’s ability to connect with a slice of the British public is the prime minister himself. Mr Sunak appointed Mr Anderson a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in February last year. And as recently as January Mr Anderson starred with him in a campaign video about how “we should be so proud of our country”.
Father of five blasted for leashing kids, gives them odd nickname
This heartwarming prom story goes viral again and we all understand why
Simon Cowell Won’t Leave Son His $600 M Fortune; Says If He or Future Children Wants to “Start a Business … I’ll Invest. They Aren’t Getting Trusts”
Five wedding outfits for just £29!
Mikhail Gorbachev changed history
Tracking the war with Russia
-
Fashion2 years agoFive wedding outfits for just £29!
-
Politics2 years agoMikhail Gorbachev changed history
-
Politics2 years agoTracking the war with Russia
-
Everything About Youtube2 years agoThe Twitter Artist who makes a Fortune off YouTube Thumbnails while Studying.
-
Fashion2 years agoOn presents first ever shoe made from carbon
-
Politics2 years agoCharles is announced to be the new King
-
Tech2 years agoThe rise of the AI artists stirs debate
-
Everything About Youtube2 years agoEveryone knows YouTube, but not how it works.