INDIAN WELLS A SIDESHOW TO WILL SMITH’S SKIN
IT BEGGARS belief that, at the onset of a mouth-watering desert clash at Indian Wells, boasting a full house of top seeds (bar defending champion Juan Martin Del Porto) has been eclipsed by the announcement of who is going to play Serena Williams’ father in the forthcoming film King Richard.
Sport followers are more concerned about whether Will Smith is dark enough to match Richard Williams’ skin, than whether real court ‘jester’ and recent Acapulco Champion, Nick Kyrgios, can continue his demolition course after knocking off Novak Djokovic, John Isner and Sascha Zverev – not to mention Stan Wawrinka – in one week, and whether he can repeat the feat at Indian Wells:
This tsunami of political correctness (Remember Rafa Nadal, mop in hand, berating the ATP for not assisting victims in the wake of October’s Mallorcan flood?) is turning social media followers into lemmings – hurling themselves over the edge of reason.
Since when is the ATP responsible for famines, fires and all manner of natural disasters? Their budgets are drying up as it is, in trying to extinguish fires within their own divided house and what new rules to introduce to keep fans watching live tennis instead of reality shows – and King Richard.
Having sat within touching distance of Daddy Williams, when he performed his famous ‘chicken dance’ on Centre Court after Venus’s 2000 Wimbledon win, I can assure you, the colour of his skin pales in comparison to the colour of his personality. We know post the Academy Awards that reincarnating a renowned presence on screen – or on court – not matching a skin colour, is what ultimately wins you gold.
Meanwhile both Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas have made history this week, the Swiss winning his eighth Dubai title and the latter becoming the first Greek to make it into the Top Ten, but the spotlight is on the enigmatic and much maligned Kyrgios, riding the crest of a wave bigger than one hitting Mallorca. His ex coach Andre Agassi claims Kyrgios’ lightning-fast service action and equally-fast second serve is almost impossible to read. Djokovic has yet to take a set off the Australian, extraordinary when one remembers how easily the World
No 1 took three sets off World No 2, Nadal, in Melbourne.
Also making waves in Acapulco were the Zverev brothers, righthanded Sascha and left-handed Mischa, a relentless serve volleyer. They won the Doubles Trophy, which should sharpen Sascha’s volleying tactics, his biggest weapon when he won the 2018 Tour title, and underutilised of late. The brothers are in the same side of the draw.
Tsitsipas, Gregor Dimitrov and Kevin Anderson (nursing an elbow injury) not to mention Milos Raonic, who has parted with coach Goran Ivanisevic, were practising in the desert sun with spin doctor Fabrice Santoro. So there could be a twist in this tale of big servers.
Federer meanwhile potentially faces compatriot Wawrinka in the quarters, followed by old nemesis, Nadal in the Semis.
Ostensibly good for Djokovic, on the opposite side of the draw, yet he is on that early collision course with Kyrgios. So with clashes on a biblical scale in store, Will Smith knows where to go to get that hotly disputed Williams’ ‘veneer’ and be guaranteed a finale more explosive than on the silver screen..