Serena Williams and Others: What They Said, Really Meant and Definitely Did Not

10 quotes from men and women at the US Open, sound bytes that will make you smile as players prove that they are more than just deft wielders of a tennis racquet.

They can garb, gab and are adept at fielding barbs from the press.

Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Janko Tipsarevic are among those who help make up a delightful compendium of witty retorts. 

Here's what they said, really meant and definitely did not.

Janko Tipsarevic Is Gluten Tolerant

What he said:

"I am not.  I did my food intolerance test, which I advise everyone on the tour should do, and I took out some, how you say, substances or, you know, some kind of ingredients that I thought were good for me but they’re actually not.  But I did the test, and, you know, I am gluten tolerant.  (Laughter.)  I can eat bread."

Janko Tipsarevic is not gluten intolerant, unlike his compatriots Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic.

What he really meant:

“Gluten is not bad—for me or my glutes.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I can eat cake.”

Serena Williams Is a Lady

What she said:

"No, I think the guys should play second.  They’re guys.  We’re ladies.  We’re ladies.  They should totally play second all the time.  Ladies, you open the door for ladies.  They should go second.  It’s ridiculous."

Serena Williams is all for a “ladies first” policy when it comes to scheduling night matches at the US Open.

What she really meant:

“Hey, guys, I’d like to get home, eat my meals on time, watch TV and tweet.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“I don’t mind playing on the side courts.”

Patrick McEnroe Tweets a Manly Post

What he said:

“In tennis terms Donald Young became a man today.”

Patrick McEnroe’s tweet following Young’s five-set upset of Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the US Open.

What he really meant:

“Note I only said ‘in tennis terms,' not in general attitude or demeanour.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“What a @#$*()& great result for US Tennis. You get the drift, don’t you?”

Flavia Pennetta Has an Old Head on Young Shoulders

What she said:

“I didn’t know that, but I know I’m a little bit old, like for tennis; for life I’m young.”

Flavia Pennetta is astounded to learn she’s among the three oldest women still left in the women’s draw at the US Open.

Pennetta added:

"

"But, well, actually we have a good experience, like Francesca last year, she won Roland Garros and she was 30, and this year final with 31.  Na Li, she won Roland Garros and she’s 29, also.  There is some player can growing up early and some player they need time, and I’m one of them."

 

"

What she really meant:

“Life begins after tennis.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“If I’m old before I’m 30, I wonder where middle age went?”

Andy Roddick Does Not Let Nadal's Cramps Crimp His Style

What he said:

“Cramp in your ass, you can’t sit on it anymore.  Makes it tough.”

Andy Roddick expounds on Rafael Nadal’s cramps collapse at his post-match interview.

Roddick said:

"

"Yeah, not to put a dampener on the story, which I know you guys think is really big, but people cramp after matches when you’re cold.  It’s just something that happens.  It’s just unfortunate it happened in front of you all.  Every single player in there has had that happen before.  Every single one.  What we do, we run around, run miles and miles and miles and miles on the tennis court in nasty weather.  You throw nerves in there, I mean, it happens.  As long as it doesn’t happen during a match, you’re fine."

 

"

What he really meant:

“Have you ever seen a guy stand when he’s suffering from cramps?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Cold weather, nerves and plenty of running. What a cocktail for adrenaline.”

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Plays the Aggressor

What she said:

“Well, first of all, I tried to be excessive aggressive.”

Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova explains how she put it across Francesca Schiavone in the fourth round of the US Open.

What she really meant:

“More aggro than usual, that’s how I played.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“I was passively aggressive.”

Sam Stosur Violates the Code

What she said:

“Yeah, I guess it’s a new thing I’ve got next to my name now.”

Samantha Stosur has a fresh appendage against her name.  The Australian No. 1 was referring to a code violation she received for an audible obscenity in her match against Maria Kirilenko in the fourth round of the US Open.

Stosur said:

"

"I never had one.  The only disappointing thing to come out of the match.  I’m not proud of it, but I guess I released whatever I had to release and moved on.

Yeah, I guess I’m trying as hard as I can out there and don’t want to leave anything out there.  You don’t want to get a code violation or do something wrong, but if that’s what you have to do to release it and be able to play the next point well, then so be it."

 

"

What she really meant:

“Samantha the code violator—how does that sound?”

What she definitely didn’t:

“I’m ‘Sam the Mouth.' Catch me if you can.”

Ana Ivanovic Is Smoking

What she said:

“Well, I think Serbians actually have quite a combustible character.”

Ana Ivanovic feels Serbians, as a whole, are quite passionate.

She added: "Maybe that’s good for tennis.  Maybe that’s something that drives us.  But sometimes we can have fired up emotions out there."

What she really meant:

“Serbians are like tinder.  They just need a tiny spark to light up.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Burn, baby, burn.”

Serena Williams Cuts the Crap and Does the Crip

What she said:

“I walk out there, do the Crip walk and try to intimidate them.”

Serena Williams jokes that she tries to be as formidable with her on-court behaviour as with her tennis. Williams was responding to Ana Ivanovic’s claim that she is intimidating to her opponents.

What she really meant:

“If Andrea Petkovic can dance, I can do the Crip walk. Which do you think is more scary?”

What she definitely didn’t:

“I’m cutting a rap album soon. It’s called ‘Gals of New York.'"

Caroline Wozniacki Is No Balboa

What she said:

“I prefer not to knock out anyone.  I’m a nice girl, so…Or I like to think so.”

Caroline Wozniacki enlightens us that she considers herself to be a  'nice girl’ and thus would not ever knock anyone out.  Perhaps that explains why she does not have a major to her name yet.  Here’s hoping that Wozniacki can prove nice girls don’t  have to finish last.

What she really meant:

“Nice girls can counterpunch.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Just call me Rosy Balboa from now on.”