Maya Joint
(Aus WTA ranking 87)
Congratulations to 20-year-old Australian tennis player Maya Joint for her victory yesterday at Wimbledon over the 44-year-old former champion Serena Williams, who was making her singles comeback after four years away from the game.
Congratulations also to journalist Matthew Syed for writing the only honest assessment of the match in The Times this morning. It stood out against
the rose-tinted commentary of other pundits who relied on lazy,
predictable narratives mixing old-fashioned nostalgia with
virtue-signalling sentimentality.
Unsurprisingly, the BBC coverage was so painful it required the mute
button. Nick Mullins, Tracy Austin, and John McEnroe fawned endlessly
over Williams in the commentary box, whilst Clare Balding was her usual
obsequious self in the studio.
If retired legends want to play the senior circuit and relive their past glories, that's fine by me. However, I don't wish to see them on Centre Court lapping up the adoration of the fans just for old time's sake or so that their children can see mom or pop in action.
Joint's victory was not only a win for her; it was a victory for the future and for tennis.
