Why Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki's Friendship is Good for Women's Sports
Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki appear to be on a friendship tour.
When Wozniacki crossed the finish line of the New York City marathon, Williams was there to greet her. They've been spotted together at hockey games, fashion shows, concerts and, oh yeah, on the tennis court.
Their girls' nights out juxtaposed with their tense battles on the court, debunk the stereotypes about women in competition. Leaving the catfighting to cats, these two prove that women can compete at the highest levels without clawing each other's eyes out.
When Williams defeated Wozniacki in the finals of the 2014 U.S. Open, the two joked about sharing drinks later. Sure enough, in photos tweeted that evening, there they were hanging out.
This friendship is good for women's sports. It's another sign that women in leadership roles are evolving. Whether they cross the isle in congress or collaborate on business deals, it's important for more women to recognize what men have long understood: Competition and friendship are not mutually exclusive.
Sports history is filled with female rivalries gone awry. There was the infamous 3,000-meter final in the 1984 Summer Olympics when Mary Decker tripped near Zola Budd. It had all the worst stereotypes about women in competition: Crying, shaming and blaming.
Olympic ice skater Nancy Kerrigan made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1994 with the words "Why me?" under her traumatized-looking face. Kerrigan had been brutally attacked by a hitman hired by the husband of her chief rival Tonya Harding. It was another bad blow for women's sports.
Less than a year earlier, a photo of a stunned Monica Seles appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated after she was stabbed in the back by a deranged Steffi Graf fan.
Neither incident was instigated by the women. However, it seemed to make the cover of a sports magazine a female athlete had to be involved in some kind of drama.
Unfortunately, that's what many fans associate with divas duking it out: Drama, drama, drama.
Remember last year's pre-Wimbledon dust up between Maria Sharapova and Williams?
It went something like this: A Rolling Stone reporter overheard Williams talking to her sister Venus on the phone about some female tennis player and some guy with a black heart. The reporter assumed she was talking about Sharapova. Another reporter heard about this and asked Sharapova about it and she started talking about Williams and her so-called man and the man's children.
Lord, that mess sounded like something straight out of a Real Fake Housewives episode. Drama, drama, drama.
Somehow Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal managed to maintain a fierce rivalry without dishing dirt on each other's mate.
Sharapova has gone on record as saying she has no friends on tour. She's unapologetic about it. Seems to even boast about it. Earlier this year, tennis' newest star, Eugenie Bouchard echoed Sharapova's sentiments.
Ladies, ladies, it doesn't have to be that way.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who participated in perhaps the greatest rivalry in the history of sports, are good friends. They've been friends for years. However, that friendship was never celebrated in public during their playing days. They were portrayed as enemies. It was Chrissy, the dainty American sweetheart against Navratilova, the stronger, more athletic Eastern European.
These days they are open about their long-time friendship. It was nice seeing them along with Billie Jean King, court-side at the WTA Championships. It affirmed how important lasting friendships are in work and life.
The Wozniacki and Williams bond apparently began in 2011 when Williams was going through one of the lowest periods in her life. She had been recovering from foot surgery when she suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
Wozniacki visited Williams at her home. Williams would later say how depressed she had become during that period.
Earlier this year, Wozniacki went through an embarrassing public breakup with then-fiancee Rory McIlroy. The breakup happened right before the French Open. Wozniacki lost in the first round. Williams lost in the second round.
With the French Open still going on, pictures surfaced of the two hanging out on the beach in Florida. Soon after, they were photographed with members of the Miami Heat at the Eastern Conference Championship.
How refreshing, two women in the same industry, seeking the same prize, remaining competitive while nurturing a friendship.
Their recent matches have been as competitive as they've been entertaining.
Their three-set showdown in Singapore was tense. They produced remarkable rallies and crowd-pleasing winners. Wozniacki left obviously disappointed.
During the match, Williams destroyed her racket in disgust. Wozniacki pounded her racket as she argued a call. It's hard to believe they had attended a Mariah Carey concert together the night before.
They were asked about it. Williams told reporters that "We've played more times this year than we ever have in our careers. Ever...We both love Mariah Carey and we absolutely needed to go to the concert."
Wozniacki explained that "We're very good at separating it. Once we got on court I think we both showed our perspective spirit. Friendship is aside when you're in there. It's like in a ring, you know, you just want to win and there is only one winner."
That's how professionals handle friendship. Nothing personal, it's just business. Wozniacki and Williams are in the tennis-playing business. It's what they do. Friends, are who they are.
Mutual respect and admiration can go hand-and-hand with stiff competition. It's what made the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry even sweeter.
Boys have long had sports figures to model this type of competitive friendship. Wozniacki and Williams are setting the example for girls.
