The Improving Image of the Williams Sisters

PARIS —  This may seem hard to believe now, but Andre Agassi once had problems with the media, an eon ago.

He was fairly cooperative in his post-match news conferences but drew extremely harsh criticism from the national media for lack of access and other assorted perceived sins.

It got nasty, at times. So when Agassi had a highly publicized spat in his match against Petr Korda at the U.S. Open in 1990, spitting at chair umpire Wayne McKewen, he had no reservoir of goodwill to rely on, and got crushed by the media in New York.

Something changed shortly thereafter. Suddenly, Agassi became available in Las Vegas, even picking up columnist Scott Ostler at the airport and introducing himself. Whether it was Agassi’s personal decision or one by his then-management company, the openness slowly started to change his image.

Years later, Agassi has converted nearly all of his media critics, and it has helped immensely that he has grown up and matured into a special person. Of course, no athlete is going to have a perfect batting average in these dealings.

This remarkable image-changing effort came to mind in a recent situation. The problems Venus and Serena Williams have dealt with had more to do with their colleagues on the tour, and last year, with the public at Indian Wells. The family was booed during Serena’s final against Kim Clijsters, triggered by the fans’ lasting anger over Venus’ last-minute withdrawal (because of a knee injury) about five minutes before her scheduled semifinal against Serena. The Williams sisters haven’t gone back to Indian Wells. Serena had indicated that there might be a chance, but her mother and coach Oracene has seemed more doubtful, wanting to hear directly from tournament officials, presumably Charlie Pasarell and Ray Moore.

The Indian Wells experience did change things, however. When Venus withdrew from the Italian Open shortly before a scheduled night match against Anna Kournikova this spring, she defused the controversy by explaining the situation, answering about three questions from the tournament director who translated her answers into Italian for the crowd. There was polite applause.

Here, not only did Venus take pictures of the champion Serena after their final on Saturday at the French Open, but she sat in the WTA media center with a few American reporters after the loss, answering questions for about 15 minutes. This would have been unthinkable after previous defeats.

Venus spoke about how difficult her initiation was on the tour. Talented newcomers often get treated poorly, almost hazed by the other players--remember how it was for Steffi Graf and Monica Seles?--but Williams had it particularly rough.

“At the beginning, it was a little bit difficult because they were always saying, ‘They’re this and they’re that,’ ” Venus said. “It was hard. I don’t even try to counteract what the next person says because it’s not possible. There were a lot of people out there formulating opinions without actually knowing Serena and I, which I find difficult to do unless you know that person.

“So, I think I’ve learned a lot from that not to judge people just from my own life.”

She has had Serena as an ally, but the sisters didn’t seem to make an effort with the players or the media in the early days. One reporter remembered that Venus and Serena were hardly responsive in an interview in Australia a few years ago, handing a magazine back and forth to one another and blowing off legend Evonne Goolagong.

In reality, it doesn’t take much to build media goodwill. Andy Roddick received some negative press at last year’s French Open, and instead of boycotting certain writers, he held a session with the media and cleared the air. Whether it was solely his decision, the ATP’s or his management agency, it was a move that should be followed more often.

Serena also met with the media after her victory on Saturday and talked about the different perception. Earlier, she joined the crowd and applauded Jennifer Capriati when Capriati walked off the court after her three-set semifinal loss to Serena. Additionally, she took a leadership role on the tour, speaking out against the decision of French Open officials to put the women’s quarterfinals on a secondary venue, Court Suzanne Lenglen.

“It has changed,” Serena said. “People realize that not only are we good players, but we’re really gracious.”

The crowd was muted in its support in the final between Venus and Serena, not sure how to react to the sloppy match. It might take a few more Grand Slam finals, or a decent match between the sisters, to engage the fans. The emergence of the sisters as individuals, not being viewed solely as a unit, will likely help.

“When we first played, it was, ‘Go Williams,’ ” Serena said. “Now, it’s like I heard a lot of people yelling for Venus today and for me too. I think people could relate to whichever personality fits them best and what game they like more.”

Serena joked that she also had problems separating herself from Venus.

“I used to think I was Venus,” she said. “I used to do everything she did. I thought I liked the things she liked. Then I realized, ‘I don’t like tomatoes. I don’t like mushrooms.’ I had to realize I was a different person. I’m not eating them anymore.”

It all has to start somewhere, right?

“From little things like that to big things,” Serena said. “I realized I’m totally different than she is.”