Venus Williams def Anna Kournikova Miami Final 1998

[kljMN2]

Remember Kournikova also beat Seles at this event in 1998.

[JayIsTheRealDeal]

Mary Carillo has always hated the Williams sisters success.

[westherie]

@JayIsTheRealDeal I agree but it never stopped their star from shining or rising. Hingis is very good though.

[dc3fan2003]

the problem with kournikova is: yes, she is very talented and did beat some good players. HOWEVER, she never improved and everyone around her did...this was around the time that other young players were emerging just like her...the only difference is venus and serena and davenport and hingis all got a lot better and she just stayed the same or got worse

[nelle069214]

Anna lacked the passion needed to win championships. Venus proved she had what it takes to win. By far the superior player here.

[TurdFergusonJunior]

@Sessylius are you black? im sorry but the fact IS that venus and serena are unattractive to the majority of men..men are visual...they are far superior tennis players compared to the prettier sharapova and kournikova

[westherie]

@TurdFergusonJunior. Do you have your facts right? have you done research or a census count for all the men and women around the world to determine who is or is not attracted to Serena and Venus. Don't generalize your ignorant opinion. I don't find sharapova and kournikova pretty. They are just have long blond hair. You just sound racist and hater.

[TurdFergusonJunior]

@westherie I did not mean to insult you but to call me a racist is worse than saying Venus is less attractive than Kournikova though she is more skilled at tennis. Shame on you..no where did I say White women were more appealing than black. But in the utilitarian scheme of things where majority rules I would bet money that 8 out of 10 of any race would opt for Anna over Venus.I'm sorry Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder but the majority..not my rules

[westherie]

@TurdFergusonJunior. So you do acknowledge it was an insult. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But before you travel taking opinions from men and women who do or do not find the williams sisters attractive. I suggest you keep your view to yourself. Sharapova and Kournikova are just blond which is the ideal for a majority of white males. unfortunately they are the ones who control air waves so like you, they perpetuate their opinions without credibility and are prejudicial

[TheArab27]

beauty and the beast

[TurdFergusonJunior]

Venus is better at tennis and Anna is much much more attractive although that is irrelevant to tennis..in real life Kournikova's looks double bagel the mannish williams

[JordanjamesX]

I was very happy for Venus that she won this match because the media were making it seem Kournikova was hyped because she was young, white, and blonde. Venus proved she is the superior player. I also must point out Venus has an 8-0 record against Kournikova she NEVER lost to that blonde bimbo!

[nelle069214]

anna made it to the semis at wimbledon in 97. i wish she would have won that year. at least she wold have a title AND it would be a major.

[tuckanowb]

I am a huge Venus Willaims fan, but even i'll admit that was a cocky move from Venus at the end of the match

[DavidKTMS]

damnnn venus back then used sooo mcuh top spin!!!! she hits through the ball more now

[itsjonkuo]

Mary Carillo drives me insane.

[Oryem]

@itsjonkuo tell me about it!

[KFactor93]

Venus looked very muscular here, almost Serena like, however I've never seen her play a match like this. It's veru unusual, her groundstrokes appear to pack no power at all, and she basically relied on Kournikova to make the errors and hand her the match.

[Oryem]

@KFactor93 that's what Kournikova said in her interview. You can check asapsports

[jpfasho]

why was Venus playing so defensively here. Boy has has forehand improved. she was just spinnin the hell out of her forehand in this match. I have NEVER seen her play like that and am glad she doesn't any more. I'm thinkin she was tight in this match. was this her first title?

[JamiieOwen3T]

i have the first set of this match where anna showed why people were exited about her tennis as much as her looks she was simply superb,her backhand is a thing of beauty when on.

[JordanjamesX]

Yes Venus was very cocky when she was a teenager. Remember, Venus was only seventeen years old when she won this match.

[nickelwindow53]

this is the venus williams I love! That straight out of Compton attitude. Wish she was not as reserved today.

[penuswilliams1980]

Haha Penus was very ugly here with her hair.

[NigelAhmad]

Venus has changed so much! It looked like she was crip walking, after she won the match! Love her! lol

[corypatrick]

@NigelAhmad yea i lol'ed at her crip dancing there

[roter13]

i hate mary carillo! worst commentator ever!!!

[NigelAhmad]

@roter13 Isnt she just horrible!? She always seems to get a kick when the Williams sisters have any chance of losing. Then when they start coming back in the match, she gets so quiet! Every single time!

[RothdeMan]

Venus with sass and attitude! Loving it!

[milot1masha]

What the hell did Venus did there at the end..!She was so Cocky back then..I don't like that on her

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@milot1masha ;-) nah, she was just bein confident lol

[annakfan]

As a Kournikova fan this is so tough to watch :( :( :(

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@annakfan i know right? lol. damn, she shoulda totally had won. im also a venus fan but anna should've won

[Elohite]

Howd'ja do it?

[errolmiranda]

Can anyone see Venus' groundstrokes ? Are these looking hard and fast ??

If they are then people are blind.

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@errolmiranda you're right cause i was like wait a minute, its rare to see venus bein careful with her groundies. anna was rippin a lot of those shots.

[personify505]

@errolmiranda playing smart tennis i call it

[kljMN2]

Looking back at this, I'm a huge fan of Venus, but I kind of wish Anna had won this match because that whole 'no singles title' label never would have started...

[TheTennis808]

very true indeed

[juju1305]

Yup agree. Anna had beaten so many great players throughout the tournament, she would have deserved to win :)

[TheTennis808]

what the general public dont understand is that Anna was a great player... you dont beat players like Graf, Hingis or Davenport without knowing how to play

its just unfortunate that she lost cinfidence and didnt knuckle down to get that elusive title... even play tier 3 tournaments to get that monkey off her back

[TheJBeat1]

@TheTennis808 incredible talent indeed. She was also abused by her mother and everything about tennis became too negative for her. She was a brilliant athlete but much more sensitive than people would ever know.

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@TheJBeat1 you know what, i like your comment cause you hit it right on the head. especially the "sensitive" part. i never thought about it that way...that's why she preferred doubles cause she could relax more and her game just flowed, u know? not all that singles pressure to deal with.

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@TheTennis808 exactly...she was a great player who never got the credit she deserved...all that beauty shit the media forced on her was wrong

[mamapapalong]

@TheTennis808

AT the time, Kournikova was so popular, it was impossible for her to play in smaller event because the sponsor wouldn't allow her! And yes, she is a great player on her own class... those who complaint about her not having a single title just showed how litle they know about tennis!

[aquarianbabe]

@TheTennis808 excuses as excuses...we all have great days and we all have bad ones. I don't want to hear that. We know she can play. Dementieva doesn't have any singles titles, but we know she's good. I'm sorry, I've watched Anna...this means 0 to me. and if people say the media hype of her being pretty has wrecked her tennis that's BS, because there are many gorgeous stars who've done better than her...so cut that out. Maria Kirilenko is way better looking and it hasn't gone to her head.

[TheTennis808]

@aquarianbabe ahhh i agree but the majprity dont know "she can play" they see it as black and white... no singles titles therefore shes crap... and thats usually end of discussion

[aquarianbabe]

@TheTennis808 we know anna can play, but I just find it ridiculous that people blame her beauty and the media for her failure. No, constant injury killed her career, that and the fact that I really don't think she worked as hard at it. I mean damn, Taylor Dent broke his back, so what's Anna's excuse?

[dc3fan2003]

@TheTennis808 with someone who brought as much attention as ana did when she came on the scene, its sad that she couldnt back it up with a game/title. i think thats everyone's point. all this attention and nothing to back it up

[cooktash]

@aquarianbabe elena has many singles titles -.- learn your facts before you try to state them

[aquarianbabe]

@cooktash I should have said major (slam) titles, excuse me...and no need to be so snarky about it. Thanks.

[sexygreen2010]

@juju1305 winning a tournament aint all about beating just one player... u have to beat everyone and play the 7 matches and the winner on the day which was VENUS deserved it.

[juju1305]

@sexygreen2010 I did not say Venus did not deserve it, she had a fantastic run herself. Simply, I wish kournikova had won this one.

[sexygreen2010]

@juju1305 oh okay!! keep wishing... i really wish anna is still playing though!

[juju1305]

@sexygreen2010 she took the wrong path and lost her tennis in the process. She's better off not playing anymore...

[sexygreen2010]

@juju1305 agree but i think it maybe more than that... u know it mustve been hard for her to comprehend all the attention and put her tennis life into perspective... i dont think she was mentally strong enough!

[juju1305]

@sexygreen2010 yes, that's right. Beauty was her curse as her matter of fact. Had she been less beautiful, she wouldn't have got that much attention and her tennis could have developed to its full potential.

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@juju1305 u gotta a point there cause i remember reading so many interviews where the interviewers deliberately got under her skin with the beauty bullshit and she would flat out diss them. i would be rollin lol, she was so blunt and sarcastic...them muthas deserved it though lol

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@sexygreen2010 well, she does play exhibitions and world team tennis so we at least have that

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@juju1305 right! if only anna hadn't made those few errors :-(

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@juju1305 absolutely...surely that was a huge heartbreaker for her. an awesome player nevertheless.

[ICANDIGUOUT]

@kljMN2 i know right?! anna would've been looked at totally different and that public/media fixation on her beauty would've at least died off a little

[robikha]

@kljMN2 you are very correct , another problem is that she came at the wrong moment , when WTA was heating , where you have great players and champions competiting .Another example is dementieva

[eizyaws]

ugh! Where's the rest of the interview?

[TheTennis808]

thats all i have im afraid