Queen Drama
Serena Williams is the youngest of five sisters. Personality experts say last born children tend to be creative, sociable and confident – as well as manipulative, spoiled and self-centered. True to definition, Serena admits to enjoying the spotlight and being the life of a party. She also recognizes there are consequences.
“I'm like one of those girls on a reality show that has all the drama, and everyone in the house hates them because no matter what they do, like, drama follows them,” she said.
Serena says she doesn’t want to attract drama, yet she’s grown familiar with it. “Every time you look around, it's like – I mean, there was an incident with Justine [Henin], and then there was another incident with Jennifer Capriatti. Always some drama.”
Serena’s dustcloud of drama swirled in 2009, keeping the American tennis star in the spotlight of controversy. The year began in Australia where she drew attention for saying she had received bad calls. Similarly, at Roland Garros she called her third-round opponent, Maria Martinez-Sanchez
a “cheater.”
“I'm beginning to think it's me, because I do have a lot of drama. It's always something, whether it's my life with friends, with anybody. It's like I have the most dramatic life. It's so ridiculous.”
Then, unrelated to refereeing, Serena criticized the Tours’ ranking method for allowing a player [Dinara Safina] to reach No. 1 without having a Grand Slam title. Regardless of the system, and despite being ranked No. 2, Serena said she is the best player in the world.
Keeping the buzz humming, Serena launched a line of fashion handbags in the spring and released an autobiographical book in the fall. The book promotion disappeared from the radar following her controversial semifinal’s match against Kim Clijsters.
A linesperson called Serena for a foot fault on match point. Serena turned to the judge and erupted into an unprecedented, profanity-laced tirade. Tournament officials called her behavior “threatening.” The outburst cost Serena the match and $10,000. The incident is under investiation and further penalities may follow. Serena came under fire for not offering a timely and appropriate apology to the linesperson, the fans and the tournament.
The long-term ramifications of Serena’s actions are yet to be told. The tennis community and fans continue to express divided feelings, but most people are united in opinion and agree that it’s fair to call Serena Willaims the “2009 Queen Drama.”
