By Franklin L. Johnson
© Mark Peterson/Corleve

(October 11, 2010) You say you haven't seen Serena Williams play since Wimbledon? I say she's been busy playing a charade on us all. I've been a long-time supporter of the Williams sisters and chronicled their entire careers, but this latest chapter is nothing short of competitive farce.

Serena announced on her official web site she is "likely" done for the season after aggravating her foot injury during a training session in Florida on Saturday. Her announcement came days after older sister Venus told the world she was done for the season due to the knee injury that knocked her out of the US Open Series.

Look, I'm not the kind of guy to say "I told you so" but is anyone really surprised by the actions of a woman who has only played six tournaments this year? Serena basically bailed out on the second half of the season over a foot injury that was shrouded in so much secrecy when it occurred even WTA Chief Stacey Allaster seemed in the dark over what was going down with Serena's foot. Then, as if to bolster the limpy, gimpy tale, Serena began showing up all over the place sporting a boot on her foot.

As I wrote in my last column, Venus and Serena said  they would play the Fed Cup final against defending champion Italy November 6-7th in San Diego. The USTA was positively patriotic and giddy in announcing the Williams sisters would join the team in a press conference during the US Open and surely some faithful fans went out and bought tickets based on the promotional promise of the sisters' presence.

I said then: I'd believe it when it happens. It pains me to say that as a long-time Williams sisters supporter, but these ladies just don't make it to the starting gate too much these days.

If Serena played half as many matches as she's bailed out of she'd come close to actually playing a season.

Yes, Venus has delivered in her past Fed Cup performances and usually has kept her word when she's says she'd play. Serena pulled out at the last minute before the 2009 Fed Cup final and if she pulls the same stunt before next month's final — and let's be fair here, Serena has not actually yet pulled out of Fed Cup, but it seems her "likely" statement makes it unlikely she will play —  it will do more than harm the hopes of captain Mary Joe Fernandez's crew, it will mean Ree's credibility is shot.

While Mary Joe, who has led the USA to consecutive finals in her first two years as captain, would love to have them both playing the singles, I'm sure she's of mixed feelings for the real team members who did the heavy lifting to put the team in the final.

As champions, Venus and Serena have already ensured their future well-deserved places in the Hall of Fame, but as champions they have a lot to learn about keeping commitments.

Committing to Fed Cup isn't a frivolous act like changing your over grip. You're either committed to playing for your country or you're not.

Defending Fed Cup champion Italy, led by French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta, will be a strong favorite against a Williams-less American team.

The other young women —  including No. 59 Bethanie Mattek-Sands and 69th-ranked Melanie Oudin, who are probable singles starters in the absence of Venus and Serena — will do the best they can to take the title, but it shouldn't have come down to this in the first place.

The Williams sisters have played on a Fed Cup championship team and have been highly successful Olympic champions for this country. They should be commended for it, which makes this latest bait-and-switch move even more unsettling because it comes from champions, who should know better and who have done much better.

The bottom line is from the day the USTA announced Vee and Ree would play this was a disaster which didn't have to happen. I'm really very disappointed with both of them.

Quite frankly, I still don't believe Ree told the truth about how she cut her foot, if that was indeed what actually happened. Message to Serena: don't play your supporters for fools. Be honest, be real, be the champion you are, but by acting like an alibi-artist you effectively spray-paint graffiti over the masterpiece of a career you've crafted.

Even if the sisters don't play Fed Cup, they both should show up and support the team by being in the players' box with captain Fernandez.

This is the very least they could do — if they're indeed serious about providing champions' leadership and maintaining credibility.


Tennis Now contributing writer Franklin L. Johnson is a writer, poet and avid tennis player based in New York. He has covered professional tennis for three decades. His recent columns include Can Defense Carry Caroline Wozniacki To The Top? Elena Dementieva Will Master A Major; The Revival Of Maria Sharapova; Why Roger Federer Fell To Novak Djokovic; Open Observations: Only The Strong Survive; Champs Can Sow Seeds of American Tennis Growth;  The GOAT Game Changer; What Do Roger Federer and Andy Murray's Coaching Changes Mean?; American Anthem Needs New Tune; Tomas Berdych Played Tame Final and A Case For Vera.