tennis, life and a few things in between

A horrific, bad line call by a chair umpire at a grand slam! And as of 2022, they’re still refusing to use hawkeye.

~ 2023 Zhang vs Hungarian Toth

Gosh, an idiot chair empire called the winning match point IN when it was two inches OUT, robbing Czech player Barbora Krejčíková her win!!! Thanks lord she held her cool and won eventually. I can’t image if the out come was different. Her opponent the Greek player Maria Sakkari was annoying toward end of the match, challenging every line call when it was clearly  three inches OUT.

What’s wrong with the French when Hawkeye is available?  This French Open is ladened with bad line calls, one after another. In this semi-final match, the idol made at least two wrong calls!!!

Fire him!!!

想象: 你第一次赢大满贯的半决赛 满心欢喜 … 但是你的对手不甘心 说 “俺的🎾没有出界.” 裁判从高脚椅爬下来 左👀右👀 然后曰 “没有出界.” 简直是放p: Hawkeye 重放 🎾落在线外足足有两寸. 有现成精准的方法为什么不用?! 这个混账裁判不应该再用 炒他鱿鱼🦑.

进半决赛 的四个娃都没有赢过大满贯 说她们名不经传 一点都不过分: 平均年龄25.5; 赛场上收入29岁的俄国娃最多$10m 最年轻23岁只有$1m. (39岁的小威$94m – 不要忘记她开始时的奖金没有现在多: 1999年她18岁赢第一个大满贯美国公开赛冠军奖金$750,000 而2020年美网是$3m.)

四娃三个非常安静 第二对打的挺紧张 需要第三局一决胜负. 土耳其娃长的像关公 行动像男人 哇啦哇啦叫的像男人. 她的品行差. 第三局最后不停挑战球线 明明出去一球之多她也敢挑. 讨厌鬼 好开心她输了. [鼓掌]

斯洛文尼亚🇸🇮 妞沉得住气. 赢回本来已经赢的赛事. 新鲜事 日日有 [晕]

Look dad I just won! -:)

Björn Borg’s 18 years older son Leo won a junior match on he day exactly 40 years ago his father won his last French Open title. Sweet.

Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, advanced to semi. Tsitsipas said in the past that Medvedev’s game is boring -:). He has won Monte Carlo, Monaco this April, interestingly, the same tourney his mother had won in 1981, exactly three decades ago, pretty cool. Serena’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou has been busy. For the past few years, he has taking on more players as her career winding down. Tsitsipas is one of them.

🎾腰酸背痛🎾 5am-5pm 朝五晚五
不知道一老太婆怎么会老觉得时间不够用

今天12 小时连轴转 结果挺满意
Stefanos Tsitsipas beat the craps out of that gangster looking Russian
西西帕斯 (?) 击败了那个看起来像黑帮的俄罗斯人

西西的妈妈也是打网球 1981年赢了蒙特卡洛赛 (法网热身赛) 今年西西布老妈后尘也赢了 好巧合 恭喜喔 [Party]
最近最忙的就是小威的教练 小威来日方短 所以他几年前就开始收其他学生 西西是其一. 双方都挺合适 祝合作愉快有成果 [Party] 🏆

In the video, Serena’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou says, “Champions are never scared to make changes and bring evolutions to their game. They know that it is the only way to keep being competitive and stay at the top. Tennis should have the same attitude and accept to move its format.”

He’s so right. 10 years ago the average fans’ age was 51 years old. Today is 61 … so it’s like the classical music – no new blood. IF you still think to hang on to your so called tradition, you’ll be dying very soon. Champions reinvent themselves all the time.

Recently, Naomi Osaka decided to forgo the press conference and was fined $15,000. She then quitted French Open altogether, citing her mental health. I remembered that she describes herself as an introvert. 

Funny, in one of New Yorker’s recycles, I saw this one, “Now when people tell me, ‘Hey, you’re kind of an asshole,’ I can just smile and respond, ‘No, I’m an introvert, and that means I can do whatever I want.'”

Perfectly fitting.

Venus Williams responded to the topic by saying, “For me personally how I deal with it was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will. So no matter what you say or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me. That’s how I deal with it.”

Well said, with one correction: it should be hold the candle to me, which means you’re not as good. 

Below was a 1995 or 1999 interview of Venue (1980-) who was only 14 at the time. There are video clips on the Blavity, text are repost below:

Venus Williams’ 1999 Interview Is A Reminder She’s Always Been The S**t And She Always Knew It

The game may have changed, but not Venus’ confidence.

by DeMario P. Smith
June 02, 2021

Tennis star Venus Williams entered the limelight of the athletic world as a young girl, breaking barriers as she and her sister Serena dominated the sport. Venus, however, is no stranger to the demands and rigors of being a young athletic star, consistently expressing her confidence in her winning ability.

In a resurfaced clip from a 1995 ABC News interview, an adolescent Venus is drilled with questions about her views on her competition by a reporter. After Venus shares that she feels “very confident” going up against a competitor, the white reporter asks her where her confidence might come from.

“You say it so confidently, why?” He asked.

“Cause I believe it,” Venus responded flatly.

Her father Richard ultimately stepped in and checked the reporter about trying to jeopardize the image of a 14-year-old girl.

“What she said, she said it with so much confidence the first time,” he began. “This child is going to be out there playing when your old ass and me are gonna be in the grave.”

“You’re dealing with a little Black kid and let her be a kid, leave her alone! She done answered it with a lot of confidence. Leave that alone!” Richard added.

With her father handling the ABC reporter, one Twitter user said Venus is shown on the video diverting her attention away from the conversation as if to express “daddy’s got this.”

Another user wrote that situations like the one shown in the clip happen far too often for Black youth, many of whom do not have the constant protection of their parents.

“The subtle pathological questioning, undermining, and demeaning of black children goes unchecked far too often. Too many parents can’t be there to do just this. How fortunate they were to have such a fierce and competent protector.” they wrote.

Venus echoed her confidence yet again during an interview after a first-round loss at Roland Garros.

The 40-year-old former No. 1 WTA player was asked by reporters how she copes with the media, to which she emphasized her greatness and purpose. She said that the people who critique her will never be as good as her on the court.

“For me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will,” Venus said. “So no matter what you say, or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me. That’s how I deal with it. But each person deals with it differently.”

Venus made the remark following fellow tennis star Naomi Osaka’s announcement to boycott media interviews at the French Open, which she has since withdrawn from.

Have you wondered how to become a chair umpire in tennis? Below is the journey Jennifer Zhang (1978-), a Beijing native took to become one:

• 2012, gold badge
• 2008, silver badge
• 2006, bronze badge
• 2002, white badge

Her journey seems smooth. And she remains low key, which all the officials are. (I do wonder how her reaction toward Portuguese chair umpire Mariana Alves who openly robbed Serena in 2004? … Yes the US Open apologized to Serena but a little too late…)

2022 US Open, saw her at Ram/Salisbury match.

At 2022 French Open, she was seen talking to Camila Giorgi over her little dress – the logo is too big. Really?

Below is the article from WTA:

May 25, 2020
Interview with an umpire: Jennifer Zhang on ‘amazing journey’ to WTA
Beijing native Jennifer Zhang recounts her road to becoming the first chair umpire from China to earn a gold badge and the role she now plays as a mentor for other tennis officials from her country.

Having already seen much of the world and worked at some of the biggest events in tennis, Jennifer Zhang thought that selection for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 might mark the end of her officiating career — the culmination of seven years of work in what was, at that time, not her full-time job.

“I was just really happy that I was there — the Olympics in my hometown, what more could I ask for?” she said. “Because at that time, officiating was my hobby and I thought that it would be difficult to make it my career.”

With a laugh, she added: “I was already 30, and I was saying, ‘This was good, but it might be time to settle down and find a ‘normal’ job.”

In the 12 years since, the Beijing native has more than made officiating her career: a lynchpin in the WTA’s team of chair umpires, Zhang holds an integral position both on and off the court as the sport, and by extension, its officiating, continues to grow in Asia.

Growing up in an apartment complex in close proximity to some of the first hard courts built in the Chinese capital, Zhang picked up the sport at the age of 9 after being recruited for free introductory lessons by a local coach. After competing in national junior tournaments as a player, she became certified as an official in 2001 at the suggestion of her childhood best friend, Wang Yu-jin, whom she met in the sport. The pair hoped to use the opportunity to stay in tennis and spend more time together.

With the support of both the China Tennis Association (CTA) and regional Asian Tennis Association (ATA), Zhang received her white badge from an ITF Level 2 school in Bangkok, Thailand in 2002, which afforded her to begin officiating internationally.

Read more: Interview with an umpire: German trailblazer Miriam Bley

When Beijing was awarded the bid for the Olympic Games in 2004, Zhang’s career trajectory quickly changed. Soon, she was one of a small group of Chinese officials chosen for an ITF development program that had the goal of training them in the years leading up to the event.

“Around 10 of us were selected, and they helped us apply to work at Grand Slams so we could see the highest level of professional tennis and get experience before the Olympics,” she said.

“I was very lucky that I got into this program just two years after getting a white badge. At that time, I had a lot of free time to travel, and this also helped me practice my English.”

Ultimately, Zhang worked in an off-court role in the officiating team in Beijing as an assistant chief umpire. She was a liaison between approximately 50 Chinese officials to the broader international team, helped tend to their needs on and off the court and interpreted when necessary.

Holding a bronze badge at the time, which she’d earned by passing an ITF Level 3 school in Doha, Qatar in 2006, Zhang questioned where officiating could take her from there.

“At that time, I figured that making it to a bronze badge was pretty good, because there weren’t that many people [in Asia] pursuing officiating as a career,” she said.

“To get there, you need to travel around the world to get more experience, work ATP and WTA events and Grand Slams. [By 2008], I had already seen all four Grand Slams and some WTA events, and had the Olympics at home. It was already beyond what I’d ever expected or imagined.”

Promoted to a silver badge at the end of 2008 — which, according to her, was a welcome surprise — opened new doors. From 2010 to 2012, she was a member of a joint ITF, ATP and WTA officiating team which afforded her more opportunities to work as a chair umpire at bigger events abroad.

Read more: Norway’s Julie Kjendlie takes ‘fun road’ to the tour

“This was another opportunity for me that came with other challenges,” she said. “When the WTA offered me a chance to go to Europe, I was able to see more tennis at a high level.

“Matches were completely different from my previous experiences. Not only was the level different, but the setup of the tournaments was also — from players, crowds, media, live TV, announcements of the score in local languages, to officials from different countries, ball kids, cultural differences and language barriers.

“There were so many things for me to learn and to adjust to.”

Following the 2012 season, Zhang was promoted to a gold badge — which, along with tour supervisor Chen Shu, makes her one of two Chinese officials at the top of the profession in the WTA — and she has been a member of the tour’s team of chair umpires since then.

While she travels on an average of 26 weeks a year on tour, Zhang’s role closer to home is two-fold. A fixture in the chair at all of her country’s WTA events, she also serves as a mentor for young Chinese officials as part of the tour’s development program.

“I assist them, support them, teach some clinics and workshops at tournaments during the year and do evaluations whenever possible,” she said.

“I think it’s easier and more comfortable for them to communicate with me and share officiating experiences with each other without the language barrier.

“I’m there for them if they have questions, because they might have some of the same difficulties that I had as they are starting their careers.”

While having her and her colleagues as a resource, Zhang also says that there is no substitute for on-the-job training and believes that the opportunity that now exists for her compatriots on home soil can only be a positive thing in the development of more officials from the region.

“China holds so many events now compared to when I started, from the Asian swing every year to the prestigious WTA Finals in Shenzhen since last year,” she said.

“The country has also been supporting the development of tennis as a sport thanks to the many players who have had success in their careers. With so many opportunities, and a lot of good tennis officials coming to China regularly every year, this might encourage more people to try tennis officiating as a job.

“If they love tennis and traveling, seeing these opportunities might make them think that they can do it — and seeing me working as a full-time tennis umpire for so many years maybe also makes them think that they can do the same.”

And personally, the opportunity to spend weeks at home is not lost on the 42-year-old, who got married at the end of 2018, and also enjoys spending her time away from the court with her husband and her young niece, who was born in 2013.

“Every time I come home, she’s different,” she continued. “She started elementary school last year, and recently, I enjoy picking her up from school when I can. My elder sister’s family has been a strong support for me… and I’m grateful to have that time to work in China during the year. I’m also grateful to have a husband who is so supportive and understanding of the travel of my job.”

Having forged a path in uncharted territory when she first began her officiating career, Zhang is quick to credit the numerous mentors and colleagues who assisted her along the way and prepared her for success, and now only hopes to do the same for those coming after her.

“With God’s blessing, I’ve been extremely lucky. Not only had I never thought that I’d have so many people supporting and helping me on and off the court, but also that I’d visit so many beautiful places around the world and meet so many friends on the tour,” she said.

“I had a lot of opportunities that came to me unexpectedly. It’s been an amazing journey for me.”