At the home grand slam in New York, the US players dominated the tennis world. Four months later, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Co. a black day in Melbourne. It doesn’t look much better for men either.
It’s not so long ago that the US tennis played without its superstar. Serena Williams was in labor, yet her countrywives dominated the scenery. Led by veteran champion Venus, four players entered the semi-finals at the home grand slam in New York. The title went to Sloane Stephens, Serena got her daughter, the tennis world in the USA could hardly be more beautiful.
Four months later, Serena Williams cares lovingly for her daughter Alexis Olympia in her native Florida and lacks all corners of the earth at the other end. On the first day of the Australian Open, the US girls experienced a debacle. Little by little, the stars failed. First Sloane Stephens, then Venus Williams and finally Coco Vandeweghe. Nine players competed, eight were fired and top players Jack Sock and John Isner were caught. A memorable day.
Last year’s finalist Venus Williams lost to the Swiss Belinda Bencic 3:6,5:7, Stephens continued her black series and also lost her eighth match after the New York triumph 6:2,6:7 (2:7), 2:6 against the Chinese Zhang Shuai. Vandeweghe, semi-finalist 2017 in Melbourne and Flushing Meadows, could hardly do anything against Timea Babos from Hungary in a 6:7 (4:7), 2:6 defeat of Timea Babos from Hungary.
The elders of the trio, of all people, and the elders of the tournament as a whole, were the ones who suffered the worst defeat. Venus Williams mutated into a narrow-lipped diva after the match. If the disappointment is even greater in view of their performance in the previous year…”You can’t live in the past year. That’s impossible.” Do you think she already knows what tournament she’s going to play next?”No, not yet.”
The 37-year-old was barely whispering in front of her:”I didn’t play so badly, I didn’t miss everything. It just didn’t work out,” Stephens (24) tried it with gallows humor.”Someday I’ll hit someone again. And if I break through this defeat series, I can take the best Instagram photo,”she said.
It is not a hard time for them,”it is a learning experience”. She had learned not to panic. It sounded like good advice for the shaken US tennis. Soon Serena Williams will be back – and the tennis world looks different again.