LOTS of the old guard in tennis was MAD. not just b/c they were so Black and unapologetically so, they were also JW and the 2 together made them come across as 'isolationists' w/in the tennis circuit. they kinda kept to themselves and w/good reason.

that's some of the context.

at IW specifically, the sisters were set to meet in the quarters, i think, but Venus w/drew due to an injury. some fans speculated Richard, their father, had fixed the match and that Venus wasn't actually injured. so there was anger at the w/drawal. plus plenty fans and critics were still mad at all of the changes the sisters were bringing to the women's game - their game was about power over finesse, for the most part. most of the women they faced weren't ready for them which is why they were steamrolling through women's tennis. to wit, later that year they began a string of grand slam final appearances - from late 2001 through early 2003 the 2 faced off in every single grand slam championship match. Serena won her 'Serena Slam' by holding all 4 titles at once during this period. so, whitey was VERY MAD and getting MADDER at IW 2001.

fuck you.