This week it is an all-Serena Williams "Line Judge."  Over the past year, Serena has stepped out of the shadows of her older sister and in doing so put yet another feather in the ball cap of tennis's version of Nostradamus, Richard Williams, who predicted that Serena would eventually outshine her older sister.

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Just about three years ago, a hooded and somber Venus Williams watched in the stands as her younger sibling captured her first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.  Serena Williams's first Grand Slam title appeared to motivate Venus as she went on a 4-Slam tear of her own over the next two years. But what can Venus possibly be feeling this time around?  Serena's successes this year have largely come at the expense of Venus, with Serena dethroning her sister at Wimbledon and the US Open as well as replacing her as the #1-ranked player.  Serena has separated herself from Venus on the court and in the rankings, but is another "break" occuring between the sisters?  In a mildly startling development this month, Serena has started to play doubles without her sister.

In a dream team scenario, Serena Williams teamed with Martina Navratilova at the Princess Cup in Tokyo last week.  The wildcard team knocked off the #3 seeded team of Conchita Martinez and Nicole Pratt but lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champs (and scoreboard fitting nightmare) Svetlana Kuznetsova and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.  Navratilova let the cat (or is it the infamous "cat suit") out of the bag about the partnership:  "I asked her two years ago and she said she had made a pact with Venus only to play doubles together.  I asked again last year and got the same answer. Then finally at Wimbledon this year she came up to me in the training room and asked me."  One could have brushed off the Navratilova invite as simply a "once in a lifetime" opportunity on Serena's part... but this week Serena has entered the Leipzing doubles tournament with Alexandra Stevenson. Serena will regain a doubles ranking (probably just within the Top 50 based on her three doubles appearances) next week.

So while this may start a whole new round of conspiracy theories about fractures within the Williams camp, I say why not.  If this year is any indication, there is no doubt we will see enough of the Williams sisters on the same court in the future.  With Serena eating up the competition in rapid fashion, she definitely could use some additional match play.  The only scary part is that playing more doubles will probably make her a better player.  
 

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Winning her second US Open was not the only thing that landed Serena Williams on the front page of many a sports section.  Serena's black-lycra self-dubbed "cat suit" turned a head or two (or three!) when it made its debut at Arthur Ashe stadium last month.  The body-hugging ensemble left little to the imagination and was only another step in the escalation of sexy on-court attire on the women's tour.  However, the wildly popular outfit would serve an even higher purpose as ammunition for a fashion battle of the sexes.

When Tommy Haas walked out on court in a sleeveless white shirt, USTA officials could not get down to the court quickly enough to inform the German that the top was not considered "customary" tennis attire.  Haas did not even receive any support from ATP CEO, Mark Miles, who chimed in that fans must be able to tell the difference from what is worn on the practice court versus official matches.  Thanks for having our best interests in mind, Mr. Miles, but one would think that Haas was showing off an appendage other than his arm given this talk!   Haas, when asked to change the shirt, rebutted with a question on many a tennis fan's mind: "What is appropriate on the women's tour?"

The whole double standard regarding "appropriate" tennis attire these days is simply laughable.  On more than one occasion, I have seen fans three or four deep watching a practice session that involved a shirtless male or a female in nothing more than a glorified bikini, rather than watching an actual match going on in a nearby court.

"Absurd is the operative word", Mary Carillo chimed in about the debate, while Tracy Austin voiced the thoughts of many: "If Serena can wear that suit, he's got to be okay.  It's pretty tough to tell Haas that his shirt was not acceptable."  Austin added that she would "like to see the men's shorts a little shorter."  And why not?   Granted these are human beings we are talking about, but they are also a product that could only benefit from some new looks on the court.  It certainly has not hurt the women's game.  
 

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