I watch World Cup soccer before going to bed and turn on Wimbledon as soon as I wake up. The two most international sports are running simultaneously for the next two weeks, filling my days with brilliance and drama.
The big story at Wimbledon was the return from retirement of Serena Williams. They put her first-round match on Centre Court, where she lost the first set – to the 20-year-old Maya Joint – won the second, and seemed poised to take the third but lost it 6-3. Walking to the net after the final point, she gave her opponent a stiff-armed handshake and a tight-lipped smile.
None of the commentators mentioned this in their post-match analysis, but social media has been rife with criticism. A good sport would have said “congratulations” or “good match” or “good luck the rest of the way”; a true champion – I think immediately of Djokovic – would have smiled, hugged, chatted and wished the youngster a long and successful career. But as always with Williams, it was all about her. She returned to the game older but no wiser.
