Serena Williams won't want to play Maya Joint anytime soon. Oddly, the American icon has had limited matches in her return to tennis, but has faced Joint twice in those matches. Each time, Williams has lost, once in singles at Wimbledon and once in doubles at the US Open.
The reason Williams says she returned to tennis isn't to win or lose, but to show her child how much joy can come from playing. That might certainly be true, but once a person is a competitor, they will always be a competitor. Winning and losing are different from someone who has made a good living out of winning or losing.
But how one handles those wins or losses matters too. Williams understands as well as anyone that while she has been an elite player, fans matter. That means the media matters. Other players have to meet with the press after matches, even losses, but Williams appears to see herself as above that.
Serena Williams return to tennis has offered mixed results
Her record since returning in the summer is 2-4, and that includes a mixed doubles win at the US Open, which was more of an exhibition than a professional match. She played with Carlos Alcaraz, and that was a fun event, though not overly serious.
The problem is that in two important matches, Williams eschewed talking to the press afterward. She didn't after her loss to Joint at Wimbledon, and she didn't after her loss while playing with Venus at the US Open. (Maybe there is something about Joint that makes Serena mad?)
Other players would still be forced to do press after a match. Not unless they were injured, and Williams wasn't hurt. She simply didn't want to talk, presumably too upset by losing. But then, she has said her current return to the sport is not about winning or losing. Most know that isn't true.
Basically, Serena Williams appears to see herself as above the sport, and tennis is letting her get away with it. She is a 39-time major winner (23 in singles, 14 in doubles, and two in mixed doubles), so she is in a unique position, but not one that is so lofty that she should forget that she owes a lot of her money to the fans who follow her. Those who pay for products she endorses and tickets to see her.
That is where the media comes in. Sure, some of the questions asked are terrible, but fans only know how Williams feels from what she says in an emotional state following a win or loss. Not talking to the media could have her seen as standoffish, and that thought has logic. She seems not to care what people think of her, which is fine, but that only means winning and losing still matter, too.
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