By Bill Simons
INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—It’s not peace in the Middle East.
It’s not the fall of the Berlin Wall.
But according to Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams‘s return to Indian Wells was “important for her and important for everyone.”
Well, you could say it was the most important, most anticipated early-round match in tennis history.
After years of exile, Martina Navratilova went back to Czechoslovakia. After East and West Germany were united, Steffi Graf played in the East German city of Leipzig. Monica Seles returned to the game after being stabbed. But as WTA chief Stacey Allaster told IT, “This is one of those historic moments. I said to Serena a few weeks ago, ‘This is your Martin Luther King moment, with everything going on in the country.’ She spoke about the impact [Nelson] Mandela had on her. This is a big statement on us all getting along. This has been a defining moment.”
So the fans and the media alike descended on Indian Wells. There’s billionaire Larry Ellison (of course), with rival Bill Gates. There’s John McEnroe, wearing a Commissioner of Tennis T-shirt. Kids lifted “Welcome Back Serena” signs. The buzz was loud, the press room bulged. For 14 years, Williams had not played in America’s best tournament west of the Hudson.
In the 5,109 days since an unhappy crowd hooted at her in full voice, Serena has emerged as our game’s dominant performer. She’s won 18 more Slams, 4 Olympic medals and been No. 1 for 231 weeks. She’s morphed from Venus‘ tag-along younger sis with a beaming smile and beads in her hair into a woman many claim is the best player of all time, with plenty of ‘tude and $64 million in her bank account.
But go figure! All the while, the Biggest Gun in the West boycotted the Biggest Tennis Rodeo in the West.
Imagine Andy Murray not playing Wimbledon, or Lleyton Hewitt saying “Sorry, mate” and passing on the Aussie Open. Serena’s boycott was such a huge gap in her career and our game—a black eye that never healed.
Many claimed the crowd’s response in 2001 had nothing to do with race. But tournament director Ray Moore said the behavior “was [an example of] ugly human traits.” In his autobiography, Richard Williams wrote, “My daughters were treated without an ounce of dignity or respect. They were treated like criminals.”
The debate simmered slow and never really went away.
Until now.
Here, the discussion has been about forgiveness. Serena spoke of the role Mandela played in her decision, and his contention that sports are more “powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers.” Michael Eric Dyson claimed that Serena’s return suggests the “arc of forgiveness in black life that has helped to redeem America.”
The New York Times’ William Rhoden added, “Without mentioning events in Ferguson, Mo., in Cleveland and on Staten Island, as well as the recent racist rants … at the University of Oklahoma, Williams said she was convinced that returning [to Indian Wells] and sounding a note of forgiveness were the right things to do, and this was the right time.
“‘I think a lot of the things that have been happening lately … definitely played a part in the whole picture,’ she said.”
Ultimately, the whole picture would come down to one moment. How would Serena be received when she strode back onto the desert court that was cruel to her long ago? Would long-ago hard feelings reemerge, or would the desert open its heart and welcome her as a kind of prodigal son? No one really knew. Writer Chris Bowers said if Serena received a standing ovation “it would be a massive moment in the evolution of human dignity.”
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It was a moment many thought would never come.
Justin Gimelstob put down his phone. Lindsay Davenport stopped tending her many kids. Serena’s mother Oracene and her sister Isha were courtside. Just after 7pm, the desert heat diminished and the golden light on the Santa Rosa mountains dulled. Bells chimed, trumpets sounded, emotions soared. An eight-year-old girl in a Compton T-shirt lifted a sign that proclaimed “Straight Outta Compton.”
And then, straight out of the tunnel, she emerged. The crowd roared, delirious, their cheers delicious and loud—a standing ovation that would not go away.
Serena started to tear up. “It was a great moment for my entire family … It was an amazing moment,” she said later.
The moment arrived—the healing moment we so hoped for was here.
Serena had written in February that “together we have a chance to write a different ending.” And we did—no matter what score, the score was settled. The memory muted, the ending good. The drama was over.
Well, not really.
With Serena, our maven of melodrama, there are always issues, little or large. And tonight, from her first clunky volley, she had large issues with a little Romanian who has a hefty (No. 68) ranking and a game that defies logic, modernity and—it would almost seem—fair play. Never mind that 27-year-old Monica Niculescu is only the third-best Romanian playing today, and the best she has ever done at a Slam is reach the fourth round of the 2011 US Open.
We should have been on alert.
Serena’s mother cautioned her daughter, “You know how she plays?” The pre-match notes told us Niculescu is “known for her unorthodox playing style and unusual spin.”
That’s a pretty positive spin. For even though the Romanian felt tiny on the huge court, she offered up slice-and-dice slow balls, moon balls, choppy forehands and 64 mph serves. A little-known flyweight with more wrist action than your local mixologist prepping a daiquiri, she was cutting up the world heavyweight champion.
There is a reason Niculescu’s nickname is “Superglue.” Her game can stick to you and drag you down. Plus, it was Serena who was overwhelmed by the moment. “Just taking it all it in,” as she said afterward, Serena promptly hit a loose volley and lost eight of the first ten points. “Think champions don’t get nervous?” asked writer Richard Evans, “Serena’s almost paralyzed with fear … despite [the] terrific reception.”
Yes, this was Serena’s Martin Luther King moment. But why did she have to display such nonviolence? Then again, Niculescu is the WTA’s ultimate knuckleballer. She gave Serena no pace. The power lady of tennis was completely out of sorts. Lunging and waiting, she had little rhythm. Her volleys found the net. Her groundies found the alleys. She missed overheads and fell to the court. At times Monica’s underspin seemed overwhelming.
After the match, Serena admitted she had never seen a forehand like Niculescu’s: “Her balls were high, then they were low. They were left and then they were right. I didn’t know what to do … I tried to calm myself and enjoy the moment … I just said, You’re not going to lose this match. You have to figure out a way to win it and find a solution.”
And she did—after all, she is the best fighter in women’s tennis. She was patient despite her 48 errors. She fell to the court—awkward and frustrated—but she rose up. Never mind that she failed to convert set points and squandered three match points. As Pat Benatar‘s anthem on the loudspeaker told the packed crowd, Serena’s “a real tough cookie, with a long history of breaking little hearts.” She knows how to hit you with her best shot.
Eventually, after two agonizing hours, Serena powered enough forehands. We heard enough shrieks of “C’mon!” And there were just enough fist pumps as she rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the first set to grind out a 7-5, 7-5 victory.
It wasn’t pretty, just historic.
Afterward, Serena told The Tennis Channel, “This is the greatest win of my career. Just being at this event [is enough]. I don’t have to hold the trophy … Things have come a long way in tennis from 14 years ago. The WTA, the USTA and the BNP Paribas tournament officials have all stepped up. Everything has come just an incredibly far way … I really appreciate all the love … [they show] for a lot of players … I’ve had incredible memories across the globe, but there has been just one thing I thought [I needed to] just put aside … and create new memories … The love from the crowd really meant a lot to me … I heard so many people say ‘I love you Serena’.”
And tennis loves Serena.
So was this her Martin Luther King moment?
Well, she did cross a bridge: not over a narrow Alabama river, but across a wide California desert.
Plus, many had a dream: a dream that some day we might overcome a nasty rift in a wonderful sport in a wonderful country. And thanks to one woman who has marched so many miles in this game, at least briefly on this March night, we did overcome.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images. More photos from Serena’s return to Indian Wells after the jump.
