INTERVISTA CONGIUNTA DI BUD COLLINS, PETER BODO, CHRIS CLAREY, DOUG ROBSON, JON WERTHEIM, DOUG ROBSON, MATT CRONIN (la creme de la creme del giornalismo sportivo americano) A SERENA WILLIAMS

Contrariamente a quello che pensano molti, e lo dimostrano purtroppo anche tanti di quei direttori di giornali, radio e tv che mandano chiunque, esperto o inesperto, spesso alle prime armi, spesso in…viaggio premio ma senza alcuna preparazione… a intervistare i campioni dello sport negli spogliatoi e nelle arene sportive, io ritengo invece che fra una domanda ben fatta e una domanda mal fatta la differenza sia enorme. Molte conferenze stampa si svolgono nella più assoluta banalità, molte interviste che io sento fare in tv sono fatte da gente che sa tenere il microfono in mano ma poco più. E che fanno domande del tipo “Sei andata in campo per vincere?” oppure “Che cosa hai pensato dopo che ti ha strappato il servizio sullo 0-4?” e “Sei un giocatore migliore rispetto all’anno scorso? E che cosa pensi di dover migliorare?”, e dopo una sconfitta: “Allora…sei delusa?”. Uno ha domandato a Gonzalez ieri: “Sei contento di trovarti per la prima volta nella finale di uno Slam?”
Dopo aver fatto per anni l’intervistatore di Tele+, e ricordo quante volte per via del fatto che alle interviste veniva data importanza relativa _ tanto che nella programmazione di chi dovesse commentare cosa non se ne teneva gran conto (e quante volte stavo commentando un match quando invece avrei potuto trovarmi ad intervistare il vincitore a sorpresa del match precedente, con una diversa programmazione) _ io ritengo invece che le interviste possano caratterizzare la qualità di un’emittente quasi quanto i commenti, se non di più. Ritengo anche che il rapporto che negli anni un giornalista può essersi costruito con un atleta stimoli l’atleta in questione (certo più a suo agio con un interlocutore conosciuto da anni e con continuità) a rispondere con maggior impegno, con più sincerità, magari con più sense of humour, e sono abbastanza certo del fatto di aver ottenuto risposte dai vari McEnroe, Lendl, Borg, ma anche Federer, Nadal, Nalbandian, Roddick e tanti contemporanei che a molti altri _ per una semplice questione di confidenza _ non avrebbero mai dato. Presunzione? Non credo, nel caso specifico. Per inciso: ieri sera alla cena per i media c’era un quiz per tutti i tavoli cui erano seduti i vari giornalisti, tenuti a rispondere in gruppo. Uno dei 13 quesiti del quiz era il seguente: qual era la domanda che Andy Roddick, nella conferenza stampa post match con Federer, ha definito “questa è la miglior domanda cui mi sia stato chiesto di rispondere”. Devo aggiungere qual era e chi l’aveva fatta?
Tutto questo prologo per dirvi che trovo l’intervista fatta a Serena campione dai migliori giornalisti americani, Bud Collins (Boston Globe), Peter Bodo (Tennis Magazine), Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated), Doug Robson (Usa Today), Matt Cronin (Tennis-Reporter-Network), Chris Clarey (New York Times) che qui riporto integralmente in lingua originale, ha tirato fuori da Serena cose che altrimenti non avreste mai saputo. Ed è chiaro che se fossero andate a parlare con lei Pinco Pallino dell’Urlo di Gallarate, o Teddy Sberla dello Strillo di Canicattì non avrebbe risposto quelle cose. Prima o poi chi ha la responsabilità della gestione delle interviste (e mi riferisco a tutti gli sport: anche nel calcio le fanno fare sempre ai ragazzini “stagisti” o quasi: che colossale sciocchezza) capirà? Intanto qui mi scuso per la mancata traduzione, ma davvero non ne ho il tempo.

Bud Collins: Petrova had you in a pretty tough spot. Did you consider it could have been all over in three minutes?

Serena: That would have been third round. She had me in a tough spot. But the funny thing about that match is, I never thought I was going to lose. She beat me like, 6-1 in the first. But I thought I was playing really well. When I was down 5-3, I thought “this is awful.” But as long as I keep doing what I’m doing and just making sure that I look at my notes, look at the ball, do this, do that, it will come together. My balls were going out, but I remember my dad always said it’s better if the ball is going out than in the net, so I was thinking it’s just a matter of time before they start falling in. I just never felt I was going to lose that match. I always thought it was going to come together, Down 5-3, I was like, okay, it’s got to come together right now.

Peter Bodo: Do you remember Monica Seles’ comeback at the U.S. Open by any chance?

Serena: I know she won Canada. I don’t remember the Open. Did she win? Oh yeah, lost in the final then she won here. She was one of my favorite players to watch, I love Monica, to this day. That’s what I always think of when I’m coming back. Wow. She came back, she won Canada. That was a huge tournament, Tier 1. I thought about that. If she can do that, nothing is impossible. It’s been done before, so I can do it as well.

Doug Robson: What was it like coming here to play a Tier 4 event (Hobart)?

Serena: You know, that Tier-4 was special. I stayed at this really amazing hotel. It wasn’t like those horror stories I’d heard about. I was a little nervous, but nothing like I expected. I was expecting something totally different. I was really nervous. But when I got there, the court was small, but really romatic. This background, like the ocean. I felt like i was practicing. I really liked it.

Chris Clarey: No youth hostel?

Serena: No, I’ve heard some war stories, and this was not one of them. there are worse Tier-4’s than Hobart. The tournament director was really nice, facilities were great. There are a lot worse Tier-2’s out there.

Bud Collins: Was the loss to (Sybille) Bammer discouraging?

Serena: After I lost to Bammer I locked myself up in my room. My mom wrote me, like, eight to ten emails. Serena, it’s okay. She wrote me, like, where are you? She wrote, yo need to come out, you need to train. Like, she wrote me so may emails. I was so upset I lost that match. So I left the hotel, Ieft my sidekick and my phone. I ran, got in shape. Went to this field where no one was at - it was like a Rocky moment - I was like in this big park in Hobart. I had no water. I just had all my workout gear.

I was determined not to let that happen again. I was doing all the exercises that my physio had me doing. I did some squats and then I was doing some sprints. I was doing shuttle runs, when you run and run back. . . I was doing like six sets of shuttle runs. I had no water. I remember I had my Ipod on, I walked to get some water. I came back and did squats on one leg, then I’d do the other leg, like on these stairs. Then I was running. I was, like, so mad I lost that match and I just did, like, the ultimate workout, basically. I think it paid off.

Then I flew in here and I went for a run later that day. That’s how I knew I was fit. Because I was still running. I got here, said, Okay I’m going for a run. I ran up this big hill. I ran around and ran back to the hotel.

Clarey: Was it because you lost to Sybille Bammer, or you just couldn’t handle losing in a Tier-4?

Serena: She, by the way, played unbelievable. Not only that, it was the fact that I hadn’t won a tournament in a while. I was sure I was going to be a winner. I didn’t do it. It was a disappointment to me, I let myself down.

Peter Bodo: Do you understand how some commentators, and ultimately even many of your fans, almost gave up.. like what’s Serena doing with her career? She’s letting herself go, is it ever going to happen for her again?

Serena: I can definitely see how some people were like, what happened to Serena? I hadn’t played in a while. But when I did play there was a lot of coverage. For tennis players, it’s really weird, you play like once, twice a month at the very least. I can understand some of it. I was dealing with a lot of stuff, and I was just tying to figure out my game, what I wanted to do. All I wanted to do was be the best tennis player and at the same time I wanted to do what made me happy. I love winning, the thing that makes me happy is playing tennis,. I love winning, I don’t care if its Uno (a simple card game) or running a race. I love winning.

Matt Cronin: Your mother said you’ve been playing since 4, you needed a mental break.

Serena: Like I said before the Open, I not only wanted to take a physical break, I needed to take a mental break. I really needed it. My career has been like always, whether playing or not, I’ve always been like in the spotlight, or in the media. I needed time to reflect, pull myself together, get myself together physically. So when I had that break, I was able to get a mental break as well. I desperately needed it. I was going through my sister’s death, my grandmother’s death (maternal side). Surgeries. I just needed to re-group. Once that all came together. . . Then I was able to take some time off and look at some matches and say, wow, I can be there again. I got my hunger back. Nothing like being hungry for sport of tennis. I was like really hungry, famished, eager to feed.

Jon Wertheim: Taking nothing away from your ability to fight, do you sense the intimidation factor is back?

Serena: I would like to believe that it is. I think of Roger, how many matches does he win because he’s Roger Federer? On the name alone. And that’s always fun. But you gotta still work, and you gotta play. In ‘03, I would win matches on reputation alone, like Roger. But I don’t sense that I won any matches in this tournament because I’m Serena Williams. I do feel that people were wary, even though the press were saying some things. The players were sensing something different. They knew that I was a competitor, that I was in good form, and I have a good serve and a great return. Obviously, a top competitor. Maybe in the second set in some of my straight sets matches, they would realize, “Oh I’m not going to win this” anyway. Maybe it had a little something to do with it.

Peter Bodo: Leaving Venus out of it, can you think of another athlete who has the kind of character you have, who shows comparable combative skills and hunger?

Serena: Well, I would never compare myself to Michael Jordan, but. But, seriously, I do not compare myself to Jordan. I remember one time he was really sick, and he retired obviously, and he came back and won three championships. I would love for my career to be like that. He was really awesome.

Doug Robson: Serena, are you in better shape than people give you credit for?

Serena: I definitely think so., Just because I have large bosoms, and I have a big ass (laughter), I swear, my waist is 30 inches - 29 to 30 inches, it’s really small! (Steggy notes: That’s a modern size 10) I have the smallest waist, but just because I have those two assets, it looks like I’m not fit. Just in the locker room staring at my body, I’m like, “Am I not fit, really not fit? Or is it just that I have all these extra assets?” You know, it just looks like I’m not fit. I don’t care if I didn’t eat for two years, I still wouldn’t be a size 2. No matter how slim I am, I always have this and that. We’re living in a [Mary-]Kate Olsen world (gales of laughter now). I’m just not that way, I’m. . . bootylicious, so to say. That’s just how it is and always going to be (sheer anarchy, with Serena laughing as hard as anyone).

Doug Robson: At 5-0 you took an overhead into the body, can you comment on that? Do you think she was gong for you?

Serena: You know, I think she was going for me. I think she was going for me and I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing. At that point, you gotta either take your opponent out - to survive. At that point it was like, take me out — it was her only hope. I definitely would have done the same thing. I didn’t see the replay. But for the record, I didn’t say any bad words. Someone said I said the “B” word, but I didn’t. I said something else. I won’t say what I said. It was no curse words, and nothing negative toward her.

Chris Clarey: Today, no watch controversy. Just tennis.

Serena: Today was just two Grand Slam champions going out to play tennis. Two great athletes who played great tennis. I just happened to play better. You can bet that Maria’s going home tomorrow to try to get better, and I’m not going to sleep on it. I’m going to go home and train.

Peter Bodo: We’re more worried about you, actually. We need to keep you around for 5 months.

Serena: (laughs) Somebody said that - Hey Serena, when do you play next, the French Open?

Clarey: Who said that?

Serena: John Roddick (Andy’s brother) . It was a couple of days ago. We always joke. It was funny. I was like, “Shut-up, John, I’m not. . .”

Cronin: What happened after the U.S. Open. You said you were going to play in the fall and you didn’t.

Serena: I definitely wanted to play. I just didn’t make it. I don’t know what happened, really. I remember my dad, and Nick Bollettieri, said I would be better off training. No matter what I did, the year was a lost cause. Why not let go and start the New Year over? It’s funny, I thought I was striking the ball better at the U.S. Open. But I just felt I needed to just practice. And I think it paid off.

Doug: Your serve bailed you out so often in this tournament.

Serena: My serve. I’m so happy for it! My serve was awesome this tournament, even in that second game of the second set today. I thought that was a really important game for me to win. She had a break point. I aced out the T. My serve is back and when I’m serving well, I’m playing well.

Peter Bodo: You looked really disorganized and in disarray at the Open. The tide seemed to have turned against you.

Serena: I’m still trying to figure out what went wrong there. I felt good, but then I was overconfident. It was going so right - I felt I was playing so well, though.

Wertheim: Colts versus Bears (Super Bowl)

Serena: You know what, I love the Mannings. I obviously root for Eli, because he’s the younger brother. I always root for younger bro’. But you gotta want Peyton to win.

Clarey: Did you have fun playing with no pressure based on your ranking?

Serena: It’s over now. I’m so excited, I’m number 14 now. It was nice to have no pressure but in a way it sucked. You always had to get wild cards. You had to meet seeds in third round. I don’t want to play Petrova in third round. That wasn’t fun. I’m back on track. It took me a while. I got a little off the train tracks, but I’m back on now.

Questo articolo è stato pubblicato Domenica, 28 Gennaio 2007 alle 08:17 e classificato in Australian Open, Grand Slam, Interviste. Puoi seguire i commenti a questo articolo tramite il feed RSS 2.0. Puoi inviare un commento.