BNP PARIBAS OPEN, INDIAN WELLS: SERENA’S DAY BY GLOBAL CHICK

Written by: Global Chick on 12th March 2015

BNP PARIBAS OPEN, INDIAN WELLS: SERENA'S DAY BY GLOBAL CHICK

epa04659738 US tennis player Serena Williams during an interview at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 12 March 2015. EPA/PAUL BUCK |

Wait, what day is it? Whatever day it is, because this Global Chick’s body clock is beyond upside down, it is a beautiful day in Indian Wells. When we arrived it was somewhat cloudy but nice and warm, but today strolling around the grounds it has made me realise that leaving the sunscreen in the Louis Vitton was a BIG mistake.

Now where were we? What day is it? It is the day when the two World No. 1s greet the press for their pre-tournament press conference. Well we will just gloss over the fact that the tournament has started for most of the rest of the players here, with the amazing backdrop of mountains off in the distance.

Scenic view of the practice courts at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 12 March 2015. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Yesterday was the Media Access hour(s) where players came in and chatted, or charmingly in the case of Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki, traded some banter as the former cut through the room while the latter was chatting to us gathered media types about marathons, getting old(er) and about Serena.

Because you can’t get away from it, the big story coming up to 7pm and her appearance on court, it is all about Serena, as players answered questions in good measure about what it means to the tournament to have her back.

But Serena herself gave us perhaps the best measure of all as she explained how much has changed since that teenager lifted her second Indian Wells title.

US tennis player Serena Williams during an interview at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 12 March 2015. EPA/PAUL BUCK EPA/PAUL BUCK

She said: “The whole point of me coming back was not to necessarily focus on what happened 13 years ago. It was more or less to focus on how I felt, if it was the right opportunity for me to come back now and for me to be at this tournament..”

She will take to the court for the first time since clinching her sixth Australian Open title and her 19th Grand Slam to boot, but still the doubts may linger.

“I think there will be added nerves. I would not be telling the truth if I said that there wasn’t. To be honest, I was a little nervous to come out here. In the beginning I was like, ‘What was I thinking?’”

But there is a bigger picture to all of this, at a time when society could do with giving itself a long hard look sometimes, she realises it is a chance for her to really make a difference.

“I thought it was really good timing, not just for me but for Americans in general to step up and say we as a people, we as Americans we can do better, we can be better and we are better.

“I think it’s a great opportunity if you’re in a position where you can stand up and speak and be a role model, then why not do it?”

All we can hope is that when she takes to the court, the crowds welcome her back like the champion that she is, and give a 19-time Grand Slam winner the respect she deserves no matter what happened in the past.

Topics: BNP Paribas Open, global chick, Indian Wells 2015, Serena Williams, Sports, Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

March 12, 2015 at 10:49 pm

-@BNPPARIBASOPEN, #IndianWells: @serenawilliams’ DAY BY GLOBAL CHICK- http://t.co/bo56v0ZgPf #tennis #BNPPO15 #SerenaWilliams