Serena Williams joined several other players in explaining why allowing players to show more emotions would beneficial to tennis.
The majority of sports and fandoms are built on emotions, which the sanest among us would describe as borderline irrational. But it's those feelings that give sports their intrigue and appeal. Tennis has a long history of attempting to control emotions, which are the foundation of what it means to be human.
"Tennis players are grown up and taught to just like be monotone and people are not monotone, which is why you see these attitudes. So if they want to have these attitudes, I'm all for it. Just don't say I can't either, and, you know, I feel like, 'You know what? Let them be them but within reason obviously" explained Serena Williams on the Archetypes podcast.
It's a topic that has come up more and more as younger players question the value of adhering to antiquated regulations that don't reflect today's emphasis on individualism.
"But if you look at soccer, if you look at basketball, if you look at all these other sports, you have people screaming and you have people, the fans, really a part of it" added Williams.
For Williams, the matter is a bit more personal. She's had a fair share of outbursts in the past with the most high-profile one at the US Open: "I got a game taken away from me and I didn't use a bad word at all. But yeah that was nuts" adding:
"But, you know, I don't know, I just feel like there's obviously a double standard. I mean, and whether people want to admit it or not, that's okay. But just first of all, it makes tennis more exciting to see these players have these emotions/ Let's just say that because tennis is very, you know, black and white, not literally, but it's like hit, hit, hit. And there're so many rules of things that they try to tell you not to do."
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