# Junior Tennis Champion-Too fat to play. Fair? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244 "2012-09-09T22:20:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/41 "2012-09-11T01:45:47Z")
What does “fair” have to do with it? The USTA apparently decides who they will fund and who they won’t. If she wants USTA funding, then she needs to do what it takes to get USTA funding. I don’t see how anyone else can say that the USTA is either “being fair” or “not being fair.” And if someone does want to say that, I don’t see why they’d even bother since their opinion of the fairness of the USTA’s actions is worth less than one fuzzy yellow hair on a tennis ball that’s been hit by a chick witih a jiggly belly. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/42 "2012-09-11T01:57:11Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > The real issue is probably tennis’ “image” and the perceived marketability of "hot"stars. What’s your evidence for that assertion? ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/43 "2012-09-11T01:59:47Z")
She is headed straight towards some serious health problems with all that belly fat as she gets older, and if she has that many rolls of belly fat at age 16 with her current activity level, she is going to be a huge adult. Her coach and family would be doing her a great disservice if they didn’t intervene and make it very clear what the long term risks and disadvantages of her unhealthy eating habits are and help her learn how to maintain control. The Williams sisters are solid muscle, not roly poly. Serena is larger than most tennis players and puts on a little weight when not competing, but gets right back in serious shape for competition. > **[williams sisters – Sunshine+Design](https://sunshineanddesign.wordpress.com/tag/williams-sisters/)** > > Posts about williams sisters written by Sunshine Design ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/44 "2012-09-11T02:21:07Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > All of that may be true, but if she had the same stats with a lower BMI, I seriously doubt she’d be getting a Very Special Lesson about the unsustainability of her winning streak. > > But I do agree with the last part of your post. Even if you do think the girl needs to lose some lbs, there must have been a better way for the USTA to handle this situation that wouldn’t have garnered such negative press. Given that they have been supporting her training and travelwise for several years I suspect this disagreement is the result of a long period of battling wills and recalcitrance on her part to listen to their advice re eating healthier. If she has a belly at her extreme level of activity she is probably eating like a human vacuum cleaner to support that 10-15 lb spare tire. While you can get by on raw athleticism for while at some point i n the very near future her eating and nutritional lifestyle is going to become an impediment. Judging by this article [Why the USTA Benched America’s Best Junior Taylor Townsend May Be the World’s No. 1 Junior Girl, but Her Coaches Say She Needs to Get in Better Shape](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444273704577635530959121916.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) Mom is not on board with the associations view re nutrition and eating, whereas I suspect most tennis parents would be. The association is not comprised entirely of idiots and martinets, being overweight is a serious crimp in competitiveness when you get to the big leagues and need every last ounce of endurance, especially in a sport like tennis where aerobic endurance is extremely necessary. They are crafting her to be an elite athlete and assumedly she is 100% on board with this plan. If she is not on board with that regime she needs to follow her own star and work elsewhere. They do not owe her support any more than she owes them the obligation to listen to their advice. She needs them a lot more than they need her at this stage of the game. If someone was supporting my ability to be an elite tennis player I would listen to them with some attention if they told me to eat less and get in better shape. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/45 "2012-09-11T03:46:55Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > All of that may be true, but if she had the same stats with a lower BMI, I seriously doubt she’d be getting a Very Special Lesson about the unsustainability of her winning streak. Do you mean they’d be handling this differently if she looked less heavy? ---
**Author:** ![emeraldia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@emeraldia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emeraldia)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/46 "2012-09-11T05:11:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Our concern is her long-term health, number one, and her long-term development as a player," said Patrick McEnroe, the general manager of the USTA’s player development program. "We have one goal in mind: For her to be playing in [Arthur Ashe Stadium] in the main draw and competing for major titles when it’s time. That’s how we make every decision, based on that. > [@](#): > > “I’ve gotten a lot of great opportunities, great fitness, great coaching,” she said. “I’m doing everything that they ask me to do and being professional about everything.” Shelia Townsend, who moved to Florida with her daughter and works in the Palm Beach school system, agreed the USTA academy had been good for her daughter. “It has afforded her a lot of opportunities,” she said. I’m going to assume the USTA knows what they are doing, and if they think she ought to lose weight, then she ought to lose weight. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/47 "2012-09-11T05:37:01Z")
I don’t understand how someone clearly not in tip-top shape is the best in the world. I don’t know squat about tennis, but if my kid is playing her the strategy is clearly to keep the ball in play and make her run around. By the third set, she’d be done. It might say a bit more about the quality of her competition than her own fitness. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/48 "2012-09-11T07:17:02Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > She’s part of the “Player Development” program, not the “Win Junior Tournaments” program. > > If her fitness isn’t up to snuff, she’s going to get creamed once she faces up against adults. The entire point of the program is to develop players who can compete as adults, not develop players who can tear up the junior circuit and don’t have the tools to compete once they turn 17. Yeah I am with you on this one. I see junior basketball players dominate in under 16s at all kind of sizes but once they step up to U18 and Open comps they really do fall behind, particularly at state and national levels. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/49 "2012-09-11T09:36:31Z")
Gosh, am I suddenly glad that neither Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario nor Conchita Martínez were under the wings of the USTA: both of them would have been told to lose weight, judging by those pics. “Lose weight” isn’t a logical target for any athlete whose sport doesn’t involve weight classes. “Run faster”, “be able to keep X speed for longer”, “lift more”, “have a faster starting shot”, sure; “lose weight” without any explicit sport-related target, no. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/50 "2012-09-11T10:40:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Do you mean they’d be handling this differently if she looked less heavy? No, I’m saying her stats are not relevant to the discussion. Or they shouldn’t be relevant, is maybe a better way of phrasing it. Presumably, even if she had a perfect record, the USTA would be taking the exact same stance with her. This isn’t about her past, according to the USTA. It’s about her future. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/51 "2012-09-11T12:11:41Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Gosh, am I suddenly glad that neither Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario nor Conchita Martínez were under the wings of the USTA: both of them would have been told to lose weight, judging by those pics. > > “Lose weight” isn’t a logical target for any athlete whose sport doesn’t involve weight classes. “Run faster”, “be able to keep X speed for longer”, “lift more”, “have a faster starting shot”, sure; “lose weight” without any explicit sport-related target, no. The trouble is the reports say she was asked to do two things, lose weight and get fitter (though trusting a report in the Daily Mail is unwaise :dubious: ). You are right that “lose weight” is not a logical target but “get fitter” certainly is. Presumably the coaches think - in her case - the two go together and the combination will give her problems if she want to progress the the top flight pro ranks. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/52 "2012-09-11T12:38:04Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Gosh, am I suddenly glad that neither Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario nor Conchita Martínez were under the wings of the USTA: both of them would have been told to lose weight, judging by those pics. > > “Lose weight” isn’t a logical target for any athlete whose sport doesn’t involve weight classes. “Run faster”, “be able to keep X speed for longer”, “lift more”, “have a faster starting shot”, sure; “lose weight” without any explicit sport-related target, no. This is exactly why I’d have to assume we’re only getting part of the story. It seems to me that the coaches would have said something along the lines of “we notice that your serve falls off by xx% in the third set, you need to improve fitness - to do that you need t lose weight” I don’t for one second that the coaches have said “lose weight” just for the fuck of it. And to those that claim the pretty and cute are goals - have you taken a look at the Williams sisters? Yeah, those two are just so damn hot I have dreams about them every night. But they are still two of the biggest pulls in women’s tennis. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/53 "2012-09-11T13:23:53Z")
The Mother needs to take her ego out of this and look at the long term success of her child. The young girl needs to get on a program so she can max out her ability and not get beat deep in the third set. Also… Serena Williams acknowledged and has gotten herself in better shape as her career has gone on… Fitness is def an issue… God only knows how Joko and Murray got through that battle yesterday… I’m getting my freshman son ready for varsity basketball. He’s 6’4 190… but he’s also just turned 15… and he’s going to be going up against 17-19 yrsolds… with grown men bodies. Sometimes as a parent you have to swallow your immediate instinct to defend your baby and listen… LISTEN to what someone is trying to tell you. It’s in Patrick McEnroe and the USTA’s interest to do ANYTHING they can for this girl… so why in the hell would they be working against her. Trust me… the USTA dropped the ball on Serena and Venus… and don’t want to do the same with Sloan Stephens and this young lady… ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/54 "2012-09-11T13:37:37Z")
Reminds me that a UK athletics official called the heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis ‘fat’ just before the Olympics. I mean, [Jessica](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/opening-ceremony-london-2012-jessica-1174060) [Ennis](http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/olympics/4470878/Jessica-Ennis-of-Team-GB-closing-on-Olympic-gold-in-womens-heptathlon.html)! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/55 "2012-09-11T14:22:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > No, I’m saying her stats are not relevant to the discussion. Or they shouldn’t be relevant, is maybe a better way of phrasing it. Presumably, even if she had a perfect record, the USTA would be taking the exact same stance with her. This isn’t about her past, according to the USTA. It’s about her future. That’s the USTA’s position. But if she had a lower ranking I don’t think a lot of people would object to the idea that she could get in better shape or that she could use some rest. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/56 "2012-09-11T14:30:37Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > All of that may be true, but if she had the same stats with a lower BMI, I seriously doubt she’d be getting a Very Special Lesson about the unsustainability of her winning streak. I think the issue wasn’t her “winning streak” I think what prompted the response from USTA was the downward trend in her singles performance the past 5 months relative to the previous year. Her doubles performance has stayed strong, so it is reasonable that the conclusion is that her fitness has suffered (you don’t have to cover as much of the court in doubles). But bringing her weight into it was a major gaff. The Williams sisters have proven beyond a doubt that you can be pretty large and in charge in tennis. If you are fit enough. Her body weight shouldn’t have been the issue, her cardio fitness should have (assuming fitness is the issue with her more recent performance). She has a couple of natural gifts that I imagine have some people seeing a big future for her. She is a crafty lefty and has power. Hopefully this all blows over and I wish her the best of luck in her future professional career. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/57 "2012-09-11T16:07:58Z")
Monstro, why do you think it’s your business whom the USTA chooses to fund? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/58 "2012-09-11T16:12:47Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Monstro, why do you think it’s your business whom the USTA chooses to fund? Why does she have to justify her interest in something that’s in the news? ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/59 "2012-09-11T16:14:07Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Monstro, why do you think it’s your business whom the USTA chooses to fund? Why do you think it’s your business what’s Monstro’s business? ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244/60 "2012-09-11T19:34:27Z")
Oh good, really bad non-arguments implying that I’m a hypocrite. How original. The point is that Monstro seems to think that the USTA must only do things that Monstro thinks is fair, and I’m inviting Monstro to reflect upon why she feels that way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-tennis-champion-too-fat-to-play-fair/634244.md?page=4)