Venus Williams won a big match in Singapore and then continued where she left off the previous days.
By Florian Goosmann from Singapore
Question:”What gives you more satisfaction: win a match like this or even win it?”
Answer:”A victory is a victory. That’s all I can say.”
Question:”How did you manage to stay in this match, what made the difference?”
Answer:”I don’t know. Maybe a little luck, who knows. I’m thinking about the next match.”
Question:”What went through your mind at the last match point?”
Answer:”To win the point.”
And that was it, the Venus Williams press conference. Not covered in pure text: the raised eyebrows after the last “answer” and a look saying,”Have you finally understood that I don’t want to?”
Williams had already noticed on Saturday’s Media Day that he was listless enough to try to provide some useful answer. Even after her defeat on Sunday, she only gave back a few very short sentences, so that one could ask oneself whether she was interested in the WTA Finals at all.
Obviously she does: her victory over Yelena Ostapenko after 3 hours and 13 minutes was a sign of great struggle, a proof of how much the 37-year-old still loves and lives her sport. Williams fought, she stayed on after not using a match point in the second round and had to play a third set.
On the other hand, it is a bitter experience to experience them in the media work. Okay, that one would rather long for a hotel just before midnight than in the press centre – as a gift. It is saddening that Williams, as the winner (!), as a legend of sport, is sending such bad signals, even to younger colleagues.
What Williams forgets is that she too lives on the fact that her sport, her victories and defeats are reported. That the small world of the tennis court is transported into the big world, to the fans. All the more so after a match like the one that had just ended. Roger Federer is a role model of professionalism in this area as well.
As much as Yelena Ostapenko can sometimes be criticized for her appearances on the pitch, at hand shake or in dealing with the ball kids: she, the loser of this exciting game, tried hard to explain after the match (and after midnight) at least what made the difference that night and what was going on in her. She gave her best press conference after a defeat ever.