Wow the bias and prejudice on full display. Describing one as fit and well trained another imposing and muscular when their physical appearance was almost identical. Crazy what people could get away with.
I watched the video and I didn't hear anything bad about the Williams sisters... Being called imposing or muscular is NOT a bad thing... and the commentator even said "exquisite well conditioned athlete" right after...
It's just strange to look back on this knowing what great champions the Williams sisters would become, yet at this point, they hadn't won any Grand Slams in singles, while Hinigs already had 5. So it's just interesting to hear how the commentators talk about them, with that in mind.
Not just the 5 GS in singles, but Hingis also already had 7 GS in doubles (including all 4 in 1998). So yea their comments definitely need to be seen in that context. Hingis was pretty incredible late 96 to 99.
1:54 It's amusing now, in hindsight, to hear McEnroe suggest that Kournikova was "not at the level of Hingis and Venus, perhaps even slightly below Serena". I guess in 1999 the Williams sisters were still relatively unknown variables, whereas Hingis had already built up her doubles credentials and Kournikova had just had a victory over Graf.
Haha They just added more salt to Hingis' wound. Coming from a heart-breaking loss the day before, only to lose this final after having a championship point 😂
How ironic that commentator’s comment from 1:56 ranking Serena below Venus and Hingis, it’s funny how Serena went on to garner more achievements and grandslams
Serena was quite muscular, Venus was too but Venus was slimmer . In 1999, there really weren't too many women who could maintain the physiques that the Williams sisters had. Mary Pierce and Jennifer Capriati tried but creatine led to injuries for both of them
