Tennis players balance body image

[special700]

From the New York Times:

"Tennis’s Top Women Balance Body Image With Ambition"

 

[Kirijax]

Sharapova wants to be skinnier? Good gawd. uzzled

 

[sk310]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

 

[tented]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

I read that, too.

"Even the New York Times is body-shaming Serena Williams now: It’s time to break this absurd and insulting habit once and for all"

 

[special700]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

I read that, too.

"Even the New York Times is body-shaming Serena Williams now: It’s time to break this absurd and insulting habit once and for all"

Where's the article? I don't see it when I clicked on the link.

 

[britbox]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

The testing regime in tennis isn't rigid at all. It's one of the least rigid in sports and has been one of the most widely criticised.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

While I can appreciate the subject of the article, the way it was conceived and discussed was terrible. This could have been a fantastic read and important article if given the right attention and time. It was very interesting to hear from tennis players and coaches about body types. I think had someone done their homework and chosen to really do an in depth feature on the subject it could have been amazing. I think the body image subject is an important one to address, and if you are going to tackle it, then you give it your full attention and not some thrown together piece like this awful article.

 

[tented]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

I read that, too.

"Even the New York Times is body-shaming Serena Williams now: It’s time to break this absurd and insulting habit once and for all"

Where's the article? I don't see it when I clicked on the link.

That's weird. The link stopped working. Try this:

http://www.salon.com/writer/mary_elizabeth_williams/

That brings up a list of the author's articles, and the Serena one is at the top.

 

[Federberg]

I have had this discussion with someone before. My view is that Serena's body shape is genetic. Furthermore she has ALWAYS been muscular. This is not something that's suddenly happened. You can see by looking at Oracene, where Serena's body will end up. I would not agree that just on muscularity and shape that she has taken PED's.

But at the same time I would disagree with the poster who suggested that testing in tennis is up to standard. It is far far from that

 

[Kirijax]

I despise these sort of articles and cringe when someone brings it up. Serena is Serena. She is and should be proud of who and what she is. I'm sure she has learned how to block out the negative comments and remarks about how she looks. But it still has to sting a bit. I look at Serena and the way she carries herself. She is such a great example to anyone out there who maybe doesn't fit the "accepted image or mold" that people crave. And for the record, I think Serena is one of the most beautiful players on the tour, not just on the outside but for the way she has grown and matured over the years.

 

[jhar26]

I have had this discussion with someone before. My view is that Serena's body shape is genetic. Furthermore she has ALWAYS been muscular. This is not something that's suddenly happened. You can see by looking at Oracene, where Serena's body will end up. I would not agree that just on muscularity and shape that she has taken PED's.

But at the same time I would disagree with the poster who suggested that testing in tennis is up to standard. It is far far from that

Truth be told - I would be EXTREMELY surprised if there was no PED abuse in tennis on a much bigger scale than we know for a fact, regardless of whether testing procedures are sufficient or not. After all, if taking PED would automatically result in getting caught nobody in any sport anywhere would take them. The intention of the substance abuser is of course taking them WITHOUT getting caught. It's a constant game where the hunter and the hunted try to outsmart each other. And both sides have medical experts at their side who's job it is to catch the PED abuser or to prevent him/her from getting caught. Tennis is a high profile sport - arguably the most popular individual sport in the world with loads of money and worldwide fame at stake. Nobody is going to convince me that it's only going on in other sports but that tennis players are all saints. Human nature is what it is, regardless of whether the athlete rides a bike, runs the 100m or plays tennis. Having said all that, it's of course very unfair to accuse anyone in particular of anything without any real evidence whatsoever. Personally I suspect everyone but nobody in particular.

 

[jhar26]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

Always hard to take comments on the internet very seriously though. A minority of them probably really means it. But others are just jealous, or they enjoy some celebrity bashing or getting under other people's skins. And you probably have some frustrated fans of other players there as well.

 

[sk310]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

Always hard to take comments on the internet very seriously though. A minority of them probably really means it. But others are just jealous, or they enjoy some celebrity bashing or getting under other people's skins. And you probably have some frustrated fans of other players there as well.

t

I agree but Slate.com commenters are fairly educated people who engage in pretty measured debate. I think it's difficult as someone who follows the WTA really closely to stomach that kind of claim.

I think of course there is probably PED abuse on both tours. Although I think a lot of people know that the difference between the top 10 and top 20, top 50, top 100, and top 500 is VERY large. Tennis is such a game of finesse, skill, and technique. My point is that sports like Baseball where if you know how to strike a ball but would be helped along by more strength then yes there's obvious huge advantages (Barry Bonds). In football you have to be massive and athletic and if you know the basics of the game there isn't exactly the level of technique needed. Tennis is the kind of game where I just really can't see that taking PED's when you're ranked 250 would really help you even get into the top 50.

 

[colleen66]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

Always hard to take comments on the internet very seriously though. A minority of them probably really means it. But others are just jealous, or they enjoy some celebrity bashing or getting under other people's skins. And you probably have some frustrated fans of other players there as well.

David Frum, a former Bush advisor posted on his twitter account the reasons why he felt Serena takes PEDs (pic.twitter.com/W3PqajqGrU). Frum is currently the Senior Editor of the Atlantic. I am sure he is not jealous of Serena Williams, however what he claims is dangerous and can be taken seriously by new fans to tennis or those on the fence about the sport. While he deleted his tweets, he then went on a talk show (Roland Martin's TV One on Monday) where instead of clarifying his tweets, he stood by his misinformed statements. Of course he mentions the panic room incident of being evidence to cheating by Serena and that during 2010-2011 she was not tested out of competition (she was tested 8 times during tournaments). Of course he fails to mention that very few players were tested out of competition during this time frame. What he has stated is nothing new; I have read the same misinformation several times on this and other boards. Yes, it is easy to take the internet "seriously" when misinformation is repeated over and over again until it somehow becomes "truth or fact".

 

[colleen66]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

The testing regime in tennis isn't rigid at all. It's one of the least rigid in sports and has been one of the most widely criticised.

According to ITF data, in 2011 professional tennis players were subjected to only 21 out of competition blood test; in 2104 1134 out of competition test were done. An improvement, but without knowing the population mean vs the sample mean it is difficult to see if those improved numbers are statistically significant.

 

[colleen66]

Here is the full "Tennis players balance body image" article
WIMBLEDON, England — While most celebrities go incognito behind a hat and sunglasses, Serena Williams uses a different tactic to blend into a crowd: long sleeves.

During an appearance on Home Shopping Network for her clothing line, Williams said that one particular long-sleeved garment would help her go unnoticed in public.

“My arms are really fit, but I wanted to cover them, because when I do people don’t recognize me as much,” she said.

Williams, who will be vying for the Wimbledon title against Garbiñe Muguruza on Saturday, has large biceps and a mold-breaking muscular frame, which packs the power and athleticism that have dominated women’s tennis for years. Her rivals could try to emulate her physique, but most of them choose not to.

Despite Williams’s success — a victory Saturday would give her 21 Grand Slam singles titles and her fourth in a row — body-image issues among female tennis players persist, compelling many players to avoid bulking up.


“It’s our decision to keep her as the smallest player in the top 10,” said Tomasz Wiktorowski, the coach of Agnieszka Radwanska, who is listed at 5 feet 8 and 123 pounds. “Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.”

Radwanska, who struggled this year before a run to the Wimbledon semifinals, said that any gain in muscle could hurt her trademark speed and finesse, but she also acknowledged that how she looked mattered to her.

“Of course I care about that as well, because I’m a girl,” Radwanska said. “But I also have the genes where I don’t know what I have to do to get bigger, because it’s just not going anywhere.”

For many, perceived ideal feminine body type can seem at odds with the best physique for tennis success. Andrea Petkovic, a German ranked 14th, said she particularly loathed seeing pictures of herself hitting two-handed backhands, when her arm muscles appear the most bulging.

“I just feel unfeminine,” she said. “I don’t know — it’s probably that I’m self-conscious about what people might say. It’s stupid, but it’s insecurities that every woman has, I think. I definitely have them and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I would love to be a confident player that is proud of her body. Women, when we grow up we’ve been judged more, our physicality is judged more, and it makes us self-conscious.”

“People say, ‘Oh, you’re so skinny, I always thought you were huge,’ ” she said. “And then I feel like there are 80 million people in Germany who think I’m a bodybuilder. Then, when they see me in person, they think I’m O.K.”

Williams, 33, who has appeared on the cover of Vogue, is regarded as symbol of beauty by many women. But she has also been gawked at and mocked throughout her career, and she said growing confident and secure in her build was a long process.

“I don’t touch a weight, because I’m already super fit and super cut, and if I even look at weights, I get bigger,” she said. “For years I’ve only done Thera-Bands and things like that, because that’s kind of how I felt. But then I realized that you really have to learn to accept who you are and love who you are. I’m really happy with my body type, and I’m really proud of it. Obviously it works out for me. I talk about it all the time, how it was uncomfortable for someone like me to be in my body.”


Not all players have achieved Williams’s self-acceptance.

“That is really an important acceptance for some female athletes, that their best body type, their best performance build, is one that is not thin; it’s one of power,” said Pam Shriver, a former player and current tennis analyst.

Shriver, who cited Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki as similarly powerfully built, believes Williams’s physique and confidence should serve as an example to others.

“The way Serena wears her body type I think is perfect,” Shriver said. “I think it’s wonderful, her pride.”


Heather Watson said that she was proud of how she looked and that she thought she and her fellow players had some of the best bodies possible.

“I actually like looking strong,” Watson said. “I find strong, fit women a lot more attractive than lanky no-shape ones.”

Like many others, Caroline Wozniacki said that putting herself in the best shape for tennis would be the priority until she stopped playing, when she could then trim down.

“Right now I’m a tennis player, so I’m going to do everything I can to be the best tennis player that I can be,” said Wozniacki, who was featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue last year. “If that means that I need to add a little muscle to my legs or my butt or whatever, then that’s what I’m going to do. I can be a model after I finish.”


Madison Keys, a 20-year-old American, was recently angered by a television show in which men discussed their picks for the most attractive female athletes.

“One of the guys on it was like, ‘Well, aren’t they all really masculine?’ and I kind of took it personally,” Keys said. “I was like, ‘No, I’m not, actually.’ I think it still is a little bit against kind of what society thinks that you should be doing.”

Timea Bacsinszky, who openly discusses the work she has done with a psychologist to come to grips with her playing career, said she had become more comfortable with her body and more at peace with the emphasis placed on appearance in the sport.

“If I’m getting bigger, then I’m getting bigger,” Bacsinszky, 26, said, adding, “I know if it’s for my sport, and the good of my forehand and my backhand and my serve, then I will do it.”

Maria Sharapova, a slender, blond Russian who has been the highest-paid female athlete for more than a decade because of her lucrative endorsements, said she still wished she could be thinner. “I always want to be skinnier with less cellulite; I think that’s every girl’s wish,” she said, laughing.

Sharapova said she avoided weights in her training, instead focusing on stretching and preventive exercises, which she believes are more beneficial for tennis than adding muscle.

“I can’t handle lifting more than five pounds,” Sharapova said. “It’s just annoying, and it’s just too much hard work. And for my sport, I just feel like it’s unnecessary.”

Eugenie Bouchard, who was often dubbed “the next Maria Sharapova” as she ascended the rankings last year, said she hoped to gain more strength and muscle as her results have fallen off.

“If I start to see it, I’ll be happy,” Bouchard said. “If it’s what you need to lift trophies, who cares what you look like?”

 

[sk310]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

Always hard to take comments on the internet very seriously though. A minority of them probably really means it. But others are just jealous, or they enjoy some celebrity bashing or getting under other people's skins. And you probably have some frustrated fans of other players there as well.

David Frum, a former Bush advisor posted on his twitter account the reasons why he felt Serena takes PEDs (pic.twitter.com/W3PqajqGrU). Frum is currently the Senior Editor of the Atlantic. I am sure he is not jealous of Serena Williams, however what he claims is dangerous and can be taken seriously by new fans to tennis or those on the fence about the sport. While he deleted his tweets, he then went on a talk show (Roland Martin's TV One on Monday) where instead of clarifying his tweets, he stood by his misinformed statements. Of course he mentions the panic room incident of being evidence to cheating by Serena and that during 2010-2011 she was not tested out of competition (she was tested 8 times during tournaments). Of course he fails to mention that very few players were tested out of competition during this time frame. What he has stated is nothing new; I have read the same misinformation several times on this and other boards. Yes, it is easy to take the internet "seriously" when misinformation is repeated over and over again until it somehow becomes "truth or fact".

WOW I thought I followed tennis and Williams really closely but I totally missed that story. Maybe thats because it was totally a non-story. Every time there is a player avoiding tests (Wickmayer) we as a tennis community usually hear about it. I doubt Serena would get away with it.

 

[Federberg]

^It really wouldn't shock me if that David Frum guy turned out to be a racist. Why he feels the need to specifically focus on an African American woman who has been tremendously successful escapes me :nono

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

Always hard to take comments on the internet very seriously though. A minority of them probably really means it. But others are just jealous, or they enjoy some celebrity bashing or getting under other people's skins. And you probably have some frustrated fans of other players there as well.

t

I agree but Slate.com commenters are fairly educated people who engage in pretty measured debate. I think it's difficult as someone who follows the WTA really closely to stomach that kind of claim.

I think of course there is probably PED abuse on both tours. Although I think a lot of people know that the difference between the top 10 and top 20, top 50, top 100, and top 500 is VERY large. Tennis is such a game of finesse, skill, and technique. My point is that sports like Baseball where if you know how to strike a ball but would be helped along by more strength then yes there's obvious huge advantages (Barry Bonds). In football you have to be massive and athletic and if you know the basics of the game there isn't exactly the level of technique needed. Tennis is the kind of game where I just really can't see that taking PED's when you're ranked 250 would really help you even get into the top 50.

This is a common argument that has been debated many times. Yes, a player ranked 250 cannot beat a player ranked in top 50, just by using PEDs. That does not mean, PEDs are not useful in tennis. PEDs are still useful in tennis to get competitive advantage among equals. That 250 ranked player will get an advantage over 240 ranked player if using PEDs. Also, a #2 ranked player using PEDS can get advantage over #1 ranked player not using PEDs. This is even more true in Men's tennis where matches of these days often end up as a 6 hour 5 set war of attrition with baseline rallies of 64 shots. If PEDs can give you stamina to keep going like energizer bunny, that surely can make a difference between winning and losing.

 

[jhar26]

I was reading comments on an article on Slate.com about this article. I was so horrified at the amount of people outright believing Serena uses performance enhancing drugs and that its common in tennis. The testing regime is VERY rigid and as we know from certain players its not easy to get around. Sure other sports have had regimes of testing and still people got around it but Serena has ALWAYS had a muscular body. She also didn't suddenly develop skill at a weird point in her career like Barry Bonds suddenly getting massive.

Always hard to take comments on the internet very seriously though. A minority of them probably really means it. But others are just jealous, or they enjoy some celebrity bashing or getting under other people's skins. And you probably have some frustrated fans of other players there as well.

David Frum, a former Bush advisor posted on his twitter account the reasons why he felt Serena takes PEDs (pic.twitter.com/W3PqajqGrU). Frum is currently the Senior Editor of the Atlantic. I am sure he is not jealous of Serena Williams, however what he claims is dangerous and can be taken seriously by new fans to tennis or those on the fence about the sport. While he deleted his tweets, he then went on a talk show (Roland Martin's TV One on Monday) where instead of clarifying his tweets, he stood by his misinformed statements. Of course he mentions the panic room incident of being evidence to cheating by Serena and that during 2010-2011 she was not tested out of competition (she was tested 8 times during tournaments). Of course he fails to mention that very few players were tested out of competition during this time frame. What he has stated is nothing new; I have read the same misinformation several times on this and other boards. Yes, it is easy to take the internet "seriously" when misinformation is repeated over and over again until it somehow becomes "truth or fact".

I suppose that until proven otherwise we can put that one into the "Iraq has weapons of mass destruction" category then.