Tennis Prose




Jun/21

4

Maybe The Worst Match I Ever Saw: Collins vs Serena

Tennis enthusiasts often talk about the greatest matches ever watched, but today I think I saw the worst match in my tennis viewing life.

Danielle Collins rolled over today for Serena Williams, losing 64 64.

Collins is at her very best when she competes at full emotional intensity, as she did in her first and second round victories. When Collins fist pumps and screams, she can beat anyone. Or rather she can destroy anyone in the WTA. Just ask Angie Kerber, who was on the receiving end of one of Collins’ finest destructions.

Today from the outset of the confrontation with Serena, Collins was not her true self. She expressed very little emotion, passion and intensity and lost the first set 64.

Serena did not look particularly great today, just playing her basic Serena game. Then suddenly in the second set, almost as if by accident, Collins found herself leading Serena 4-1. It’s not like she did anything special. It’s more like Collins forgot for a moment that she was afraid to win.

Then Serena realized the crisis in progress and took action. She suddenly summoned her beast mode in that 1-4 down game. She screamed and roared and snarled and as if on cue, Collins responded instantly by falling apart and she started missing ordinary shots. Collins missed two in a row, as Lindsay Davenport noted on her Tennis Channel commentary, she had control of the points and was hitting to the open court on her front foot…but she found a way to misfire and allow Serena back into the set.

It was as clear as a sunny afternoon. Collins wanted to lose to Serena and get the heck back to Florida. She was absolutely afraid to win. Serena roared and snarled a couple of times, she didn’t have to do anything else really, and then Collins crumbled like a crumb cake and lost 64 64.

It was disappointing to see such a potentially great player like Collins roll over like a beta, when we know she can be one of the most feisty, ferocious and fantastic alphas in the WTA. She has reached a Grand Slam semifinal

The match was agonizing to watch. If only Collins had played with the intensity, fire and snarl she played the first two rounds with, Serena would have been forced to raise her level of intensity, and that’s when things get interesting.

But Collins had too much respect and awe for Serena. When it was over, Collins seemed happy to lose to Serena, smiling to her at the net as they embraced.

To slay a dragon in tennis, or to beat anyone, there has to be an element of hatred for the opponent. Even Bjorn Borg said he had to hate his opponent. But Collins was terrified of the idea of defeating Serena. This was one of the most obvious subconscious tanks I’ve ever seen in pro tennis.

Collins may not even realize she tanked the match to Serena today. I wish I was in Paris to ask Collins a few questions about why she suppressed her intensity and fury today. Maybe another reporter will ask her.

But the emotional dynamics of what happened on court today are a manifest of the overall the power and intimidation of Serena. She is larger than life. When angry or enraged, she can be scarier than some of Hollywood’s most famous monsters. At the same time she is like a goddess of the sport, and subordinate peasants like Collins know their place in the grand scheme of things.

Fear of success, fear of beating a legend, fear of irritating the most intimidating female player in history are elements of professional tennis. And they were all on display today in the Williams vs Collins one-sided massacre.

Let’s hope for the rest of the tournament Serena faces far more physical and psychological resistance than she did today. Otherwise it will be a boring to the point of unwatchable Grand Slam final next Saturday.

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19 comments

  • Sam · June 5, 2021 at 5:59 am

    Scoop, at the U.S. Open last year, you said you thought some players (like Pironkova) might have been paid off to lose to Serena. Do you not think that could be the case this time too?

    As for Serena, I think it’s doubtful he’ll even reach the final.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 5, 2021 at 9:12 am

    Sam, anything is possible. Serena killed Qiang 6061 at US Open QF and then lost to her months later in Australia. In the next round US Open she beat Svitolina in two easy sets and after the match at her press conf Svitolina actually said that she booked her flight to China BEFORE the match, it’s actually still in the asap sports press conference transcripts. So yes I think there could be some monkey business going on to help Serena tie and break the Margaret Court record. Serena is still a huge money maker and TV ratings draw that she has this leverage also. Collins effort yesterday was uncharacteristically hollow. Look, they made a 45 year old George Foreman world heavyweight champion, the powers that be can rig Serena too.

  • Aristofamn · June 6, 2021 at 4:27 am

    Ho ho ho ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ Goooooood!

  • Doug Day · June 6, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    After Serena’s loss in straights, McEnroe on the victor: “i was dissapointed she didnt celebrate more”
    How about she wanted to make her next match?

  • Bill McGill · June 6, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    Worst match I ever saw was Garin-Querrey semifinal at 2019 River Oaks.Some of the most unwatchable tennis ever played, even though I’ve seen Garin be entertaining (his 2019 victory over Shapo at Barcelona was a pleasure).

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2021 at 8:51 pm

    Doug, Maybe Rybakina wasn’t surprised by this win, thus the absence of a celebration. Like when Swiatek qualified for her first GS in AO when she was 17. She beat a veteran in a marathon 75 in third set to qualify for her first major main draw. Her reaction was absolutely nothing. She won the point, no reaction, walked to net, touched her hat, shook hands, shook hands with umpire, picked up bag and left. I’ve never seen such a blank stoic reaction by any player after such an important achievement. And at 17.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    Bill yes Q Ball has had a few terrible matches, like the Davis Cup choke to James Ward in San Diego from a set and a break up with Courier as captain. Querrey with his weapons could have and should have achieved more IMO.

  • Sam · June 7, 2021 at 1:25 pm

    Scoop, yes, I remember that you mentioned the Svitolina-airplane story a few months back.

    “the powers that be can rig Serena too”

    Well, they’re gonna have to try a little harder. ๐Ÿคฃ

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 7, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    Sam, I was shocked Svitolina would say that she had already reserved her flight to China BEFORE the Serena match and no media made a mention of it. When something like that happens, and then the lame Collins effort, you begin to wonder. But then the Rybakina match makes you trust the integrity of the sport again. We know a lot of powerful people want Serena to smash Court’s record. If it is destined to happen, hopefully it will happen naturally.

  • Sam · June 7, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    Well, Scoop, since Collins herself is American, she’d probably be easier to bribe by corrupt Americans than Rybakina.

    I don’t believe that Serena will ever get to 24. But even if he does, nothing in his fraudulent career ever happened “naturally.” ๐Ÿ˜‰

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 7, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    Sam, How why Collins would roll over vs Serena and play her with zero intensity, fury, in your face viciousness is a mystery. Collins has dared to be great so many times before and now she had the “Queen” (I never knew a “woman” could actually call herself a queen) ready to be crushed and Collins played like a patsy. We know Michael Robinson pulled off the Michelle charade, how are you so sure Serena isn’t really Serena?

  • Sam · June 7, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    Scoop, as for the evidence about Serena being a male, we’ve discussed this so many times before. And you’ve pretty much agreed with me on all of it, but maybe you just don’t remember. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    So, I’ll just give the top three reasons this time:

    1) At 2018 U.S. Open, THREE times in one day, Serena stated that “other men” are allowed to get away with things that “she” is not. There were no other men in the discussion, so the meaning of Serena’s remarks is pretty obvious. I’ve never talked about how “other women” are able to get away with things that I can’t, and I’m sure that you haven’t either. ๐Ÿ™‚

    2) In videos and pics, pre-adolescent Venus and Serena both look, talk, and act *exactly* like males.

    3) There’s a seven-part video series on YouTube analyzing in detail their physical features (hips, shoulders, etc.), concluding that they are undoubtedly males. If you haven’t watched it, I would encourage you to do so.

    In fact, there’s actually more evidence against the Williamses than Michael Robinson.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 7, 2021 at 8:54 pm

    Sam, I respect your evidence a lot, and it’s hard to refute. Investigating the birth certificate records would be interesting. If it were true, you would think one of the girls in the locker room would have noticed something amiss about the bodies over the decades of their using locker rooms and showers. It’s hard to believe they could pull this off unless the operations are very detailed. Venus and Serena have both had affairs with other men or attempted, Dimitrov, Venus had a few white boyfriends, Serena and Lavar Arrington of the NFL supposedly. Russian Fed Cup captain Tarpishev said something about them being brothers or something, and he was banished from the sport. Maybe it is true and they are protected. Anything is possible in this mad mad mad world.

  • Sam · June 8, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    Thanks, Scoop. There’s also more evidence than what I mentioned, but I picked the biggest smoking guns. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    “Investigating the birth certificate records would be interesting.”

    Yes, it would. I’m not sure how easy that would be to do, though. At first, I thought that maybe Venus and Serena had been adopted, because I didn’t think Richard would be so heartless as to mutilate his own kids. But once I read the interview last year with his oldest child Sabrina Williams, who basically just called him a “sperm donor” who’d abandoned their family, I changed my mind. ๐Ÿ˜›

    “If it were true, you would think one of the girls in the locker room would have noticed something amiss about the bodies over the decades of their using locker rooms and showers.”

    Good point, but money talks. ๐Ÿ˜‰ I mean, if Tiffany Dover’s own family could pretend that she’s still living because of hush money, there’s no telling what’s going with these tennis players. My guess is that some of the players HAVE noticed, but are too afraid to say anything publicly for fear of being labeled racist.

    Also, Richard Williams PULLED Venus and Serena out of the tour when they reached about 12 or 13, presumably to start their “transitions.” I guess he didn’t let them enter any actual locker rooms until their surgeries had been fully completed.

    “Itโ€™s hard to believe they could pull this off unless the operations are very detailed.”

    I don’t know much about that kind of surgery, but I think you’re right. I’d love to hear some WTA player spill the beans about anything they’ve noticed in the locker room. ๐Ÿ˜€

    “Venus and Serena have both had affairs with other men or attempted, Dimitrov, Venus had a few white boyfriends, Serena and Lavar Arrington of the NFL supposedly.”

    Yes, that’s an interesting point. If they never actually had sex, then maybe their boyfriends were still clueless, though. But can you have sex with a transsexual without noticing something’s wrong? I have no idea. ๐Ÿคฃ Some of their “boyfriends” may have been paid to play the role too. In other words, just “beards.” As for Ohanian, many have speculated that he’s homosexual.

    “Russian Fed Cup captain Tarpishev said something about them being brothers or something, and he was banished from the sport.”

    Was it a permanent ban? Anyway, that overreaction is certainly telling.

    “Maybe it is true and they are protected. Anything is possible in this mad mad mad world.”

    Here’s something else to keep in mind. When’s the last time a family had TWO multiple-Grand-Slam winners? Over a hundred years agoโ€”the Doherty brothers from Britain, whose last title came in 1906. And tennis way back then wasnโ€™t nearly as competitive as it is today.

    So, you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than raising TWO multiple-Slam winners. Thatโ€™s a big clue concerning the Williamses right there. No way that whopping total of 30 Grand Slam titles came naturally. Chris Evert and her siblings were all outstanding tennis players, but none of her siblings ever came close to winning a Grand Slam title.

    Richard even admitted that he had devised a 78-page plan. Why on earth would you need such a detailed plan unless it’s for something diabolical? Well, it was the perfect plan–change the genders of two black sons and have them play women’s tennis. They’ll be unbeatable, and then if someone raises any concerns, chalk it all up to RACISM against strong black women!! ๐Ÿ˜† He knew his plan was foolproof.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 8, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    So much points to it. Would need an anonymous player or close associate of a player to post anonymously in a mens tennis forum or wta tennis forum. other wise it’s all just conspiracy theory and wild speculation. there were rumblings that a prominent wta journalist exposed schiavone as being trans in tennisforum. And of course Martina Hingis infamously called Mauresmo “half man half woman” and expectedly was crucified in the media for it. One former top 10 player Navratilova “would strut around the locker room naked with her man’s body.” Was Renee Richards just the test run?

  • Sam · June 16, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    “Would need an anonymous player or close associate of a player to post anonymously in a mens tennis forum or wta tennis forum. other wise itโ€™s all just conspiracy theory and wild speculation.”

    Well, concerning the Williamses, there’s enough compelling evidence of their deception that it’s no more a crazy “conspiracy theory” than the idea that “Michelle” Obama is really a man. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    “One former top 10 player Navratilova โ€œwould strut around the locker room naked with her manโ€™s body.โ€ Was Renee Richards just the test run?”

    I think you omitted a word before “Navratilova” there. Are you saying that a former top player said that Navratilova would do this kind of thing? Was she implying that Navratilova was *really* a man, or maybe just that she was doping and very manly as a result?

    I’ve never actually seen any solid evidence about Navratilova being a man, even though she looks very butch.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 16, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Sam, not sure, she said it then and it went over my head, maybe she was tipping me in an indirect cryptic way which I failed to grasp. Not sure about anthing nowadays, question everything. Anybody who gets upset about questioning everything must have something to hide.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 16, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Tennis chatter…Visual Bill

    Patrick coaches Serena? Or he just pays her? Nice logo.
    ยท Reply ยท 44m
    Lee Umm
    Visual Bill bingo itโ€™s just a business partnership! Anyone whoโ€™s been around proper coaching can watch one of his little โ€œtipsโ€ posted online and instantly know this guy is a businessman and tennis lover, *not* a tennis professional. Credit where itโ€™s due though; tennis is trending toward the big money โ€œteamโ€ approach a la F1โ€“ nadal academy recruiting heavily with this as well.

  • Sam · June 17, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    “Not sure about anything nowadays, question everything.”

    Right, Scoop. We don’t have to believe every theory out there, but it’s not healthy to just dismiss things without examining them critically.

    As for Navratilova, I’ve seen some pictures of her in a bikini. I’m far from an expert, but it seems to me that she does have a waist-indent point that is normal for a woman. But I’m open to more evidence, if anyone has some. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    “Anybody who gets upset about questioning everything must have something to hide.”

    Pretty much. ๐Ÿ˜› I think laziness sometimes plays a role too. ๐Ÿ› It’s a lot *easier* to say, “Oh, that’s just a crazy conspiracy theory!!” than to sit down and examine something with diligence.

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