The IX: Tennis Wednesday with Lindsay Gibbs, October 2, 2019
By The IX Team
Some Classic Lindsay — Come back soon, we miss you Lindsay — Hooray for Lindsay
Classic. Lindsay. Gibbs.
Our Lindsay Gibbs has been unavoidable detained this week. But as we await her return next week, let’s enjoy some classic Lindsay riffs from the past. And if you are a newer subscriber, some of these may be new to you!
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We’ll be back on our regular schedule tomorrow.
On the return of Kim Cljisters, September 17
But whether she wins trophies or not, Clijsters’ mission is an easy one to root for. After being a full-time mom for so many years, she wants to put herself first. Her husband doesn’t have a full-time job anymore, so she’ll be able to take the family on the road with her. She sees Serena still competing at an elite level even though she’s older than Clijsters and a mother herself, and naturally wonders, why not me?
I’m excited to see Clijsters back on the court. And I’m especially excited to see a 36-year-old mother of three slide into her signature split.
On the Rogers Cup Final, August 13
Serena stood up and hugged Andreescu, and offered her congratulations. Through tears, they both laughed and shrugged.
Honestly, I never want Serena or anyone to be injured, but that moment is one I will remember much more than most finals I’ve watched during my long life as a tennis fan. The strength that both women showed in that moment was more powerful than any forehand or serve or perfectly-timed dropshot. I’m in awe.
On Coco Gauff’s emergence, July 2
There’s been a lot said about the Williams Sisters effect, and yet, I don’t think there’s been nearly enough said about it. Just look at the top of tennis right now: Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, and Naomi Osaka are all competing for (and winning) major titles. And now Coco has arrived. Her father explicitly studied Richard Williams and how he developed Venus and Serena, and modeled Coco’s development accordingly. So many narratives are forced onto players — honestly, a lot of the Sloane/Serena connection, especially early on when there was conflict, was just totally media-driven because they were two black American tennis players — but this is as genuine as it gets.
“The Williams family in general made me realize that it was possible,” Coco’s father, Corey Guaff, told the New York Times. “There wasn’t a lot of color in the sport, and particularly in our country, African-American girls weren’t playing tennis.”
Lindsay Gibbs Tweet of the Week
On Angelique Kerber
Look, I obviously love female athletes and respect them and think we should talk ad nauseam about their talent, work ethic, heart, skill, athleticism, and spirits.
At the same time, I am a messy b*tch who lives for drama. So sue me.
Sports aren’t all about inspiration and grace. Sometimes they’re about pettiness and temper tantrums and trash talking. And, I think because women’s sports are often talked about in one-dimensional terms, I really, really love when such soap operas manifest.
So, this all to say, I lived for 31-year-old Angelique Kerber — a three-time major champion and former No. 1 — calling 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu “the biggest drama queen ever” during their post-match handshake in the Miami Open. Im not saying I agree with Kerber; I just loved that it showed exactly how she was feeling in that moment. She was absolutely, positively over it.
