Does the Social Construct of "Race" Impact Tennis Tournaments

No one wishes more than I that the social construct of "race" were no more than a historical footnote. But I'm old enough to know that wishing doesn't make it so. As I listened to the radio report of the US Supreme Court's decision to continue dismantling the remedies erected to compensate for the disadvantages people of African descent have faced due to institutionalized racism, I had to shake my head sadly.

Bush Florida Open Incident

That same day I was covering the Bush Florida Open, a national junior tennis event sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association, and couldn't help but wonder whether race was a factor in an incident there. During a crucial point in the match between a young player of African descent and one of European descent, the chair umpire called a shot out that was hit by the player of African descent and played by his opponent.

Typically, it is not the chair umpire's job to make calls, but to uphold or overrule calls that are disputed. This umpire actually called the ball out when the ball was on the far sideline and not called out by the player. When the young player of African descent requested that she check the mark, as is customary on clay, she refused to do so. The dad of the young player contended that the chair umpire called the ball out before it even hit the ground. I wondered why she called the ball in the first place, and why she refused the player's request in the second. I couldn't help but wonder whether "race" was a factor there.

Wimbledon and Race

In the professional world of tennis, Wimbledon, the "Whitest" tournament on the women's Sony Ericsson and men's ATP professional tours, has produced additional fodder for pondering. In Venus Williams' second match, at 1-1 15-0 Venus was about to challenge a call, when the chair umpire indicated that the ball was out. Venus accepted her indication, but instant replay of where the ball landed showed that the ball was, in fact, in.

During sister Serena Williams' match against Alicia Molik, on match point, a linesperson called a shot out that Molik hit. Serena and Molik kept playing, and Serena won the point and, therefore, the match. As the players were preparing to leave the court, the chair umpire suggested a challenge of the call to Serena's opponent.

Chair Umpire Goes Beyond the Call

I have never heard of a chair umpire suggesting that a player challenge a line call, and the players played out the point, which, by rule, should have superceded the call. Had the players stopped playing due to the call, and had the other player challenged the call, then it would have been appropriate to go to replay. The replay showed that the call was correct in any event, but one couldn't help but wonder why the incident had occurred in the first place.

The matter of the seedings awarded to the Williams sisters is also cause for speculation. Serena was seeded seventh and placed in the same quarter of the draw as No.1 seed Justine Henin. Serena is a two-time Wimbledon champion, and winner of two of the three biggest tournaments played this year, the Australian Open and the Sony Ericsson in Miami.

Wimbledon Protecting Sharapova?

Anyone with knowledge of the game knows that Henin and Serena are the two women most likely to win the tournament. But of course, to put them in separate halves of the draw would require that Maria Sharapova play one of those two before the final. But of course, that has nothing to do with it, just like "race" has nothing to do with it.

Valid Questions or Paranoia?

As is usually the case when one raises such questions, there are some who will suggest that I am just being the typical paranoid person of African descent. However, during Venus' match against Akiko Morigami, commentator Mary Carillo expressed surprise that they (Wimbledon officials) "didn't do more for Venus," as far as seeding was concerned. Both she and John McEnroe wondered why Serena was in the same half of the draw as Henin, suggesting that she should have been seeded higher. They didn't make any linkage to "race," and would, more than likely, refute any such connection if asked.

Race in the NBA

It seems as though everyone wants the issue of "race" to be laid to rest. When a recent study of NBA refereeing found that "white referees called fouls against black players at a higher rate than they did against white players," and "black officials called fouls on white players more frequently than they did against blacks," both players and the NBA organization dismissed the findings. More than likely, my wonderings about the role "race" has played in the world of tennis will be dismissed as well.

Reason to Wonder

It may not be possible to confirm what a person's or group's motivation is unless explicitly stated, but given the racialized history of our world, it isn't hard for a person of color to feel as though the deck is stacked, or at least to find reason to wonder.