Breaking tennis rackets is generally quite frowned upon in the tennis community; however, Venus Williams enjoys seeing her opponents break rackets.
Breaking rackets is an emotional act. It’s when the buildup of tensions simply necessitates a release, and quite often, it happens to be the racket that gets the beating.
It’s a common occurrence in tennis, and most people can relate to it as most people have thrown something in a fit of anger at some point in their lives.
Tennis players are also people; hence, why it happens. When it occurs in front of the whole world, though, it’s generally not a great look. While lots of people appreciate the emotion, sometimes it can be a bit too much.
Adults are expected to handle their emotions somewhat, so seeing them fail to do that isn’t really flattering. When it comes to Venus Williams, seeing her opponents break rackets is very flattering for her.
She talked about it in a video she did with tennis coach Eric Hechtman, where she discussed some of her tennis pet peeves. Smashing rackets is something she likes seeing, especially when it’s her opponent doing it.
"I love to see someone smash their racket, especially against me. It's like, 'Oh, just come, go ahead, come undone, just unravel,' and it's like this is all my doing, and I am like I am the puppet master. You know, like I am Geppetto."
Venus' feelings sense because, ultimately, breaking a racket is a sign of frustration. If the opponent is smashing their racket, it means that they’re frustrated by how things are going on the court.
That implies that the opponent of the smashing player is having a good day, which in tennis usually means victory. What’s even more interesting is that Venus Willimas herself doesn’t have a reputation for smashing rackets.