Luckily for us, tennis media has become as up-to-date as national news. Whether it's the ticker, the Tennis.com front page, or some obscure twitter handle, no news goes unseen for those who seek it. But when does coverage cross the line?
Let's look at Maria Sharapova's latest misfortune: a sprained ankle.
During her quarterfinal clash against Petra Kvitova in Tokyo—a rematch of the Wimbledon championship—Sharapova's serve added a whole new problem to her already inconsistent play. We've seen her flub her toss, we've seen her mistime her swing, but never before have we seen her stumble on a landing. In the WTA, however, you have to expect the unexpected. Serving at 3-4, all six feet, two inches of tall blonde came crashing to the ground when her ankle suddenly gave out. Sitting on the court, Sharapova looked dismayed and bewildered. Moments later, she was forced to retire.
Okay, so there's the news, but what about the news coverage stood out? The fact that it was all you could read about or watch for 24 hours.
There were tweets, there were headlines, there were countless videos and photos. Tennis.com was clogged with information about whether the injury was minor, serious or somewhere in between. How big was the swelling? (The answer: the size of a tennis ball, ironically.) How soon would she play again? (She has withdrawn from Beijing and looks to make the year-end final). Etc. etc.
Yes, an injury for the world no.2 is "big news" and word is bound to spread, but can't it be compiled into one place? Does it need to mask an entire website like some sort of internet virus?
Maria, I wish you the best and I am disappointed that your injury will deny you the chance of knocking unworthy Wozniacki from the top ranking by the end of 2011, but I don't need facebook updates about who's bringing you ice, okay?
I'm glad you've moved on, Tennis.com, but let's try and have more widespread news the next time someone trips.
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| ...21,430 people liked that she brought you ice. Impressive. |
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