Venus Williams: We Love and Will Miss You

She has graced women's tennis like few other stars in any sport. A wonderful competitor. A quiet achiever. Almost never saying a bad word about anyone—and when doing so, doing it with grace and intelligence. A real lady.

Venus Williams will be next seen in blue jeans. Can she be the commentator who we want to replace John McEnroe and/or Pam Shriver, both boors with little taste or likable personality? We certainly hope so.

For those of us who have always preferred the much quieter Williams over her sister Serena, we certainly pray for another Mary Carillo. Let's all get McEnroe and Shriver out of there, together with any remaining chauvinists, bigots and weak, overheated personalities who have troubled tennis reporting for more than a decade.

We can all remember her, so tall and quick. With great leverage she mowed down the opposition on her way to her first Grand Slam. This was the woman we had all been waiting for. Quiet, gentle with power and grace. 

Her poetry is gone. Yet injury after injury have never cramped her style, harmed her personality or diminished her competitive spirit. She stands, hobbled yet undiminished as she makes her last moves on the court she has periodically dominated despite injuries and hard times. Almost since the beginning in her sister's shadow, but always her equal.

She may have lost more tournaments, won less, but she is family in our best sense of the word.

It has been an honor watching and listening to you, Venus. We love you, wish you well and hope to see you on TV soon.