[Paris, December 3. Image via Getty]

Two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo of France reacts after a press conference on December 03, 2009 in Paris. Mauresmo announced she was retiring at the age of 30 following a decision made 'after careful consideration'. Geneva-based Mauresmo, a former world number one, who currently stands 21 in the rankings, won Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006 during a stellar career which saw her land 25 singles titles as well as 15 million dollars in prizemoney. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

[Doha, Qatar; October 28. Image via Getty]

DOHA, QATAR - OCTOBER 28: A young girl hits with reserve player Vera Zvonareva of Russia during a tennis clinic at the Sony Ericsson Championships, at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex on October 28, 2009 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In a new interview with NPR, Serena talks about her book, On the Line, which documents her life in tennis, including her on-court relationship with Venus. Serena is close to her older sister, but she says she always felt like the underdog:

Venus was the big star. When we were growing up, it was a lot about Venus—it needed to be about Venus, because she was an incredible player. And that actually, being the little sister, the one that wasn't as strong, wasn't as good yet, gave me encouragement and the fight I have in my game.

While most of us can remember competing against our siblings at some point, being constantly pitted against your sister seems like it could lead to a truly fraught relationship. Not so for the Williams. Serena says she once told Venus that "we'll be sisters later." On the court, they are rivals, but after the game is over they go right back to normal. Serena explains:

In the book I talk about how difficult it was to be there. First of all, I didn't believe I could, and second of all, I was playing my sister. I had to come up with something new, that, right now, we're competitors, but the moment we shake hands and we're done with this match, we're sisters. I'm always happy for Venus, and she's always happy for me.

Serena also talks about an incident early in her career, when she was playing in a tournament at Indian Wells, and her sister was forced to drop out because of an injury. Serena says the angry fans booed and shouted racial epithets. "I was crying in my towel at the changeover. I would cry, and I knew that I had to go on," she recalls. "But I got strength from a lot of the situations like Althea Gibson, who ended up having to sleep in her car because of the color of her skin...And I thought 'wow, this is nothing compared to what they went through,' and I was able to draw strength from that to finish the match."

Serena does mention the recent incident at the U.S. Open, where she threatened a lineman. She offers a weak—but probably honest—explanation for her actions, but she continues to assert that the lineman's call was at fault. When asked "Why do you think that happened?," Serena responds: "A lot of things factored into it... This is a case where I may, not may, I definitely wore my emotions a little too far on my sleeve—on a bad call." She adds, "Just so you know, this is not the first time this happened in tennis, and I definitely think one moment doesn't make your career or define you as a person."

Serena Williams Puts Her Life Story Into 'On The Line' [NPR]

Hey guys!!!

I want to amend my press statement of yesterday, and want to make it clear as possible - I want to sincerely apologize FIRST to the lines woman, the USTA, and mostly tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst. I'm a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I'm wrong.

I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately and it's not the way to act — win or lose, good call or bad call in any sport, in any manner.

I like to lead by example. We all learn from experiences both good and bad, I will learn and grow from this, and be a better person as a result.

As mentioned earlier, Williams is being fined $10,000 and an investigation is under way to determine whether there should be additional punishment.

Serenajwilliams [Twitter]
Press Statement Amendment [SerenaWilliams.com]

Earlier: Serena Williams Fined $10,000 For U.S. Open Incident
So What Happens Now?

[Queens, September 13. Image via Getty]

Kim Clijsters from Belgium and her daughter Jada with her trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark to win the Women's Final US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 13, 2009 in New York. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Williams defended her actions at a press conference following the match, stating, "I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why [the lineperson] would have felt threatened. I didn't threaten. I didn't say ... I don't remember anymore to be honest. I was in the moment." According to Sports Illustrated, it appears, from the tapes, that Williams said "I swear to God, I'm [bleep] taking this ball and I'm shoving it down your [bleep] throat," to said linesperson, which may account for why she felt a bit threatened.

While Williams hasn't received any further punishments from the United States Tennis Association at this point, Bill Dywre of the LA Times says she should, noting that Williams' behavior "went well beyond the McEnroe tirade stage into body language and direct verbiage that was threatening and ugly." I'm not sure I agree with this particular assessment: McEnroe's tirades were just as "threatening and ugly," and to claim that Williams' behavior went "well beyond" such outbursts is a bit unfair.

Lynn Zinser of the New York Times notes that further punishment for Williams may be decided soon, as she and her sister, Venus, are set to play in the doubles finals of the tournament on Monday. "One of the possible decisions by the U.S.T.A. could be to suspend Serena for the remainder of this tournament," Zinser writes, "costing the Williams sisters their chance at a doubles title. The other options for the U.S.T.A. or W.T.A. would be a fine or a suspension that would not kick in until after this tournament ends."

But perhaps the worst punishment of all will come from tennis fans, who are now faced with the task of separating one of America's top players from the behavior they witnessed on the court late last night. No matter what Williams does following this incident, as George Vecsey writes in the Times, "in this age of instant video, Williams is going to have to live with the image of her waving a ball and profanely threatening to shove it down the line official's throat."

Our commenters are split on the issue, with half of our readers firmly asserting that Williams was properly punished for unsportsmanlike-conduct, and the other half claiming that the entire incident was blown out of proportion, due to Williams' race. Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News, who called the incident "very sad," notes that Williams is already being cast as a villain to Clijsters heroine: "There were fascinating elements to this match, though most of them were lost in the chaos. It might have been constructive to debunk the traditional, sexist perceptions about Clijsters and the Williams sisters. We condemn Serena and Venus for juggling business interests, while applauding Clijsters for quitting the game completely to have a baby."

Though the story will surely unfold over the next few weeks, with Williams, the officials, and the sport of tennis in the spotlight for reasons none of them hoped to be, we can all agree, at least, with Kim Clijsters' assessment of the match and how it ended: "You know, we always got along well, and I think it's just unfortunate that a battle like that has to end like that. Just unfortunate."

Serena Williams Exit From US Open Semifinal Match Is No Cause To Cheer [NYDN]
Tantrum Doesn't Come At Clijsters' Expense [NYTimes]
Possible Repercussions For Serena Williams [NYTimes]
Serena Williams Makes A Fool Of Herself And Deserves Punishment [LATimes]
John McEnroe Goes Ballistic At Umpire [YouTube]
Serena Williams' Meltdown Abruptly Ends U.S. Open Semifinal [SI]

Earlier: "I Didn't Say 'I'd Kill You'—Are You Serious?"

[Queens, September 9. Image via Getty]

Danish player Caroline Wozniacki celebrates after winning against US tennis player Melanie Oudin during their quarterfinals match of the 2009 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, September 9, 2009. Wozniacki qualified for the semifinals winning 6-2, 6-2. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark celebrates match point against Melanie Oudin of the United States during day ten of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Part of the question is easy to answer. Oudin is a great player, with great technique. She rose quickly out of relative obscurity and has bested players with years more experience and much higher rankings. And according to all the interviews, Oudin also appears to be a fairly normal teen. She is praised for her "heart" and her inspirational faith in her own abilities. On Monday, following her win against 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova, Oudin said, "Today, there were no tears because I believed I can do it. Now I know I do belong here. This is what I want to do."

Oudin certainly seems to be a lovable sports star, and her accomplishments are definitely praise-worthy, but there is something off about the way she is being celebrated. She has been called the "darling" of the U.S. Open, America's "sweetheart," a "pint-sized, freckled-faced blonde from Georgia," the "tiny little savior of women's tennis," everything it seems, save tennis' "Great White Hope" (although given the media coverage of Oudin's win, it would probably be more like the "little, teeny-tiny, super cute White Hope").

Especially problematic was this article from the Daily Beast, which quoted ESPN sportscaster Michelle Beadle comparing Oudin to the Williams sisters. "From Day 1, I've never heard the Williams sisters referred to as sweethearts," she said, which prompted Jez commenter sympathyforthebasementcat to remark:

Yes, there's just something different about them. Americans just aren't quite to fully relate to them. They just don't seem like the type of girls that would live next door. Hmmm, what could it be?

Jezemale put it even more succinctly:

Young, white and cute= sweetheart
Black and muscular= not a sweetheart?

This is certainly only part of the equation, but it is an important part. It seems like every sportscaster reporting on Oudin feels the need to comment on how pretty she is, how cute, how "All-American." Again, there is nothing wrong with Oudin being blonde, petite, and white, but much of the commentary, which focuses so heavily on her looks, fail to recognize the racism that lurks behind these terms.

The New York Times attempts to explain why Oudin's story is so special. Columnist George Vecsey argues that the "crowd is fickle. The crowd wants new faces, new stories, every hour, on the hour." Oudin is just the next new story. However, Vecsey says, unlike the Williams sisters, Oudin has fought her way up from the bottom:

The crowd always loves upsets, which is one reason Venus Williams and Serena Williams are not universally loved at the Open. They are sometimes too good for their own good, and they take up the same airspace, with the same history.

Which reminds me of something commenter heykoukla posted yesterday:

What a shame the Williams sisters don't have a rags-to-riches backstory. You know, like growing up in a poor neighbourhood and being coached by a father who had zero experience of their sport, and fighting their way to success against the odds. Yep, that would have made a great story and endeared them to the public, right?

The Williams sisters are great, but what does it mean to call them "too good?" And, on a related note, when is the last time you heard a male athlete called "too good for his own good?"

An article in the Wall Street Journal suggests that Oudin is working with a new level of technique and precision that had been missing in the game. She may be able, the paper says, strangely, to "drag tennis from the dark ages" with her superior skill. And the New York Observer calls the Williams sisters a "tired act." Oudin and Kim Clijsters may just make women's tennis "watchable again." Unlike many other players, Oudin "doesn't play this monotonous tennis," said Jon Wertheim from Sports Illustrated. He praises Oudin's variety and ability to move about the court, but he also remarks upon her size. "She's noticeably smaller than most players, and that's part of the appeal, too."

Unpacking all the different levels of sexism and racism that are operating subtly behind the scenes is an incredibly difficult task. Oudin is small, skilled, and attractive, which seems to automatically endear her to the American public. None of these things is a problem in and of itself, but it becomes a problem when the focus is no longer on her skill or achievements, but instead on her "relatability." "America's sweetheart" is a label that is only given to certain people, and those people nearly always look the same. I am personally familiar with this phenomenon. Last month I was stopped on the street by a woman who wanted to tell me just how "wonderfully all-American" I look. It was clear that she meant this as a compliment, but when she went on to explain how I have the perfect "all-American skin and hair," I began to feel incredibly uncomfortable. What is so "American" about being blonde and pale? I am all-American, and so is Oudin, but most importantly, so are the Williams sisters. They may be stronger and bigger than players like Oudin, but they that shouldn't make them any less American, or any less beloved.

For Generation Text, Tennis Role Models Get Younger [New York Times]
Thoroughly Modern Melanie [Wall Street Journal]
The Tiny Little Saviors Of Women's Tennis [New York Observer]

Related: American Teen Is The "Cinderella Story" Of The U.S. Open

[Queens, September 8. Image via Getty]

Kim Clijsters of Belgium reacts during a US Open quarterfinal match against China's Na Li at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2009 in New York. AFP PHOTO/TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A year ago, Oudin was ranked 221st and lost in the first round at the U.S. Open. Until this June, when she bested former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon, Oudin had never won a Grand Slam match. But this past Monday, Oudin beat 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova, after knocking out Maria Sharapova (29) and Elena Dementieva (4), thus winning herself a slot in the quarterfinals.

Oudin has been hailed as the "Cinderella story" of the tennis, America's sweetheart, and the "darling" of the U.S. Open. As Danielle Friedman notes for the Daily Beast, Oudin is receiving so much attention partially because of her perky blonde ponytail and pink sneakers stamped with the word "Believe:"

For American women's tennis, Oudin's arrival has been a long time coming. Not since the 1970s, when Chris Evert rose to the top of the pro-tennis scene, has this country seen such a girl-next-door-style sweetheart in the sport, said Michelle Beadle. "From Day 1, I've never heard the Williams sisters referred to as sweethearts," she added. While Jennifer Capriati briefly filled that role in the 1990s, she fell from grace after being arrested for shoplifting and marijuana possession.

Beadle, a sportscaster for ESPN, says Oudin's charm stems, at least in part, from her good looks. "She looks like she just scrubbed her face with Noxzema. She's like Reese Witherspoon playing this role in a movie. She looks like a girl whose summer job is to sell clothes at Abercrombie."

But even more important than Oudin's charm is her backstory, which has led many to call her the American "comeback kid." After training for years, Oudin rose from relative obscurity to national fame in a few short days. She first picked up a racket at age seven. She began hitting tennis balls out of a bucket with her grandmother and twin sister, Katherine. At age nine, Melanie and Katherine began working with coach Brian de Villiers, but when she was 12, Melanie decided that she wanted to be home-schooled, so she could focus all her energy on tennis, while Katherine chose to continue in school. As kids, the sisters played each other on a makeshift court, piling up jackets to serve as a net, but neither one of them ever thought they'd end up competing against players like Petrova or Jankovic. "It's not like we were saying, 'Oh, we're going to be there one day,'" Katherine said, in an interview with ESPN. "But Melanie's just always believed in herself. It's amazing."

Although her sister is her biggest cheerleader, Oudin won another fan yesterday: Roger Federer, who said, "She's beaten great players on the way. It's nice for a change that somebody's coming up we haven't heard about before. Many women now are kind of known."

When Oudin defeated Sharapova on Saturday, she sat down on the court and cried in disbelief. But she shed no tears after her win on Monday. "It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Oudin told the USA Today. "Today, there were no tears because I believed I can do it. Now I know I do belong here. This is what I want to do. I can compete with these girls no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."

While her twin sister celebrated by throwing her racket into the air, Katherine Oudin sobbed with joy and pride. "Right now, I think she'll play Serena in the finals," she said. "We're not going anywhere."

Oudin is set to play against 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark on Wednesday. Wozniacki, ranked No. 9, currently has more wins on tour than anyone this year, but in a stadium that goes wild and blasts "Just 17" after each Oudin win, Wozniacki's suddenly seem not to matter, and she knows it. "Hopefully," Wozniacki said, "someone from the crowd will cheer for me."

Cinderella Story Continues: Oudin Wins Again At U.S. Open [USAToday]
Melanie Oudin Is An Upset Winner Again At U.S. Open [LA Times]
Tennis' New All-American Sweetheart [Daily Beast]
Melanie Oudin The Star In A US Open Full Of Upsets [Sentinel]
US Open: Melanie Oudin Comes From Behind Again [ESPN]

[Queens, September 3. Image via Getty]

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia returns a shot against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan during their 2nd round US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 3, 2009 in New York. TOPSHOTS / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

[Queens, New York; September 2. Image via Getty]

US number two seed tennis player Serena Williams during her match with Hungary's Melinda Czink during their second round match during day three of the 2009 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in New York, September 2, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Last week, Caster Semenya's gender identity made big news as people began to question whether a woman, who "looks like a man," as everyone kept reminding us, could really be such a good athlete. It seems that female athletes are either A. too manly, B. sexualized to the point where their athletic prowess no longer matters, or C. portrayed as suffering from the ultimate female problem: how to juggle work and family. In the past year, much of news about women in sports focused on the significance of sex appeal for tennis players, the size of Serena William's butt, Candace Parker's maternity leave, Olympic moms, and of course, Semenya's "manly" body. Of course, there are some sports writers who focus on their achievements, but it is still notable how many profiles of female athletes highlight their uniquely "feminine" struggles.

Compare lines from two articles about women in sports:

First, a quote from this Sunday's New York Times, which begins,

Sybille Bammer always wished to be a mother, but first she wanted to be a tennis star. History and conventional wisdom told her she couldn't be both at the same time.

And an article from the Daily Beast on female surfers, which opens with the subhead:

The women's surf tour has never been more glamorous and the new generation is getting recognition beyond their sport. So why are sponsors bailing? (Plus: A gallery of teen stars.)

And continues with:

"You have to wear brown eyeliner, because the black smears really bad," Sage Erickson explained. And waterproof mascara."

It was a hot, July afternoon in Huntington Beach, California-a.k.a. Surf City, U.S.A.-and Erickson, an 18-year-old pro surfer who was competing in the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing, had a few things to say before hitting the water. Standing beside her surf board, which she'd personalized with paint pens-a cartoonish Barbie on a cell phone with a dialogue bubble that read: "Blah blah blah."

Each article goes on to portray the strong women interviewed as characters as two-dimensionally cartoonish as the Barbie doodled on Erickson's board. The New York Times is much kinder, yet the focus here is primarily on how she was able to give birth and play tennis. It seems that the answer to this riddle is her supportive boyfriend, who gave up work to support Brammer, and play "Mr. Mom." "So many people made jokes," said Bammer's boyfriend, "I think this was a big deal to them because they think it is not that normal that the man stays home and watches the kid and the woman goes for work." Bammer, ranked No. 29 in the world, is seen as remarkable not just because of her skill, but because she manages to have it all, a child, a boyfriend, and a career.

The Daily Beast draws attention to a different way of selling the female athlete, which we can probably all recognize. The surfer girls in this piece are unmistakably girly—they are young, pretty, "glamorous," and friendly. However, women's surfing is still in trouble. But the new "crop" of women may be able to solve their funding problems with good looks and charm. Hurley International marketer Pat O'Connell sums it up:

"These girls are legitimately amazing surfers," he said. "For me, there's marketability and visibility-I think this new crop has both. They're good-looking girls, they're very likeable, and their ability levels are so high that they're catching everyone's attention."

Throughout her story, writer Nicole LaPorte never lets us forget about this fact, the "effortless sexiness that comes with having a killer bod." For these women to sell, and to be interesting to the general public, they have to be sexy. At least until they give birth, and then we can start puzzling out the difficulties of that equation.

And Pam Spaulding over at Pandagon points out yet another example of female athletes being viewed as somehow dangerously masculine. She quotes the Concerned Women for America website, which features a blurb about the new book God's Girls in Sports:

With the advent of Title Nine, girls have more opportunities than ever to participate in sports. While the social, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of sports are frequently discussed, Coach and mom Holly Page says there are also pitfalls that are too often overlooked. In her book God's Girls in Sports, Holly discusses hard issues like demanding training schedules that compete with family and church time, male-oriented coaching styles that force more masculine behaviors on girls without meeting girls' needs for relationships, the quest for scholarships, and lesbianism in college-level sports. She also talks about when it may be time to quit. Holly discusses these issues with CWA Policy Analyst Martha Kleder, as well as other ways parents can help their daughters maintain a life balance and get the most out of sports, without sports getting the best of them. (Emphasis Spaulding's)

Women who play sports, and do not conform to either the relate-able modern woman mold of the working mother or fall into the curvy sex pot role, must be either lesbians or secretly male.

Female athletes seem to serve as a never-ending well of material for those obsessed with both the female body and the importance of femininity. There seems to be a real difficulty marketing athletic women to the general public without resorting to these tricks, which continually reiterate that this is about a woman in sports, a female athlete, someone with two X chromosomes. In a way it makes sense that a physical career would lead to coverage that is so heavily centered on the body, but the emphasis on womanly-ness and athleticism undercuts the fact that many women are naturally athletic, that it is not impossible to be both.

Sybille Bammer's Tennis Career Is A Family Affair [New York Times]
Surf Girls: The Next Wave [The Daily Beast]
Concerned Women For America's Oldie Stereotype [Pandagon]

[Cincinnati, August 11. Image via Getty]

CINCINNATI - AUGUST 11: A young fan cheers for Dinara Safina of Russia during her match against Roberta Vinci of Italy on Day 2 of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open on August 11, 2009 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

• Researchers have taken on the conventional wisdom that many dogs resemble their owners, but the results are mixed. Some found that dogs do show similar facial expressions as their owners, but others say the entire idea is bull. • The Sudanese woman charged with indecency for wearing pants has been banned from leaving the country, she said Tuesday. Lubna Hussein faces 40 lashes for being caught in loose-fitting trousers. • A new study found that middle-aged men who idealize masculinity are 50% less likely than other men to seek health care. "This research strongly suggests that deep-seated masculinity beliefs are one core cause of men's poor health, inasmuch as they reduce compliance with recommended preventative health services," said researcher Kristen W. Springer. • Researchers have linked the use of food stamps to weight gain among women. They found no signs of a similar trend among men. • According to the Wall Street Journal, many young couples are experiencing the fatigue of constant companionship that usually comes with retirement. Unemployed or recently laid off lovers are bugging each other about minor things, and apparently, this is a downer. • Cool lady-director Katheryn Bigelow has announced her next project: An adventure movie titled "Triple Frontier," set on the border of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. • Professor Catherine Lumby, an adviser to the Australian National Rugby League on women's issues says that intimate partner violence is an issue in the Australian Football League. "I hate to say (it) but it remains epidemic, sexual violence, physical violence," she said in an interview with ABC radio. • The International Olympic Committee is considering adding women's boxing to the lineup for the 2012 London Olympics. Also under consideration: Mixed doubles tennis and 50-meter sprints in swimming. • A researcher from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that only half the doctors in Texas are recommending the HPV vaccine to girls age 11-12. In 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that all girls 11-12 should be vaccinated for HPV, but many doctors remain reluctant to discuss the vaccine. • A report released today by UNAIDS states that 50 million women in Asia are at risk for contracting HIV from their boyfriends or husbands. More than 90% of Asian women with HIV/AIDS were exposed to the virus by their long-term partners. • Amateur tennis champ Nancy Griffin is suing the city of Raleigh for discrimination and emotional damages after a men's league, sponsored by the city, banned her from playing. •