In undoubtably one of the greatest Australian sporting achievements, Sam Stosur captured the US Open title to be the first Australian female in 31 years to hoist a Grand Slam. In her second Grand Slam final, The Queenslander produced an absolute clinic of tennis to take out hot favourite Serena Williams.
With her shy smile and modest attire, Stosur showed the world that not all Australians celebrate with large fist-pumps and ‘come-ons’. The softly spoken Stosur presented a different image to the world. One of grace, subtle charm, and a down-to-earth attitude. Not that her humble appearance doesn’t mask a fire deep inside; Stosur served, powered, and held her nerve to a victory almost nobody was expecting. Even Serena Williams – the queen of hard-hitting – commented on the amount of power Stosur produced, “She was cracking them today… She definitely hit hard and just went for broke,” she said after the match.
Australians all over have celebrated and commented on Stosur’s victory, from Julia Gillard to Shane Warne to Megan Gale. Onya Magazine would like to join in the celebrations, and say Good Onya mate for a victory well deserved.
It has been a magnificent year for Australian tennis, with Ashleigh Barty and Luke Saville winning the junior Wimbledon titles. Indeed, it has been a fantastic year for Australian sport, with Cadel Evans winning the Tour de France and the Wallabies snagging their first Tri Nations in a decade. Such performances are sure to inspire Australian children and continue this country’s sporting success on the world stage. As for now, we hope Stosur revels in her victory as we wait in great anticipation for the next Grand Slam: The Australian Open.
4 comments
A Quick Congrats To Sam Stosur « Any Given Surface says:
Sep 12, 2011
[...] http://www.onyamagazine.com/lifestyle/sport/good-onya-sam-stosur/ [...]
jeanius says:
Sep 12, 2011
It’s great that Stosur won. Who couldn’t be glad for her? It’s also great that she has such a ladylike demeanor. Which she does. But since when did fist pumping behavior, and come on verve become a negative? At this point, so many players express their competitiveness with this behavior that the television commentators usually note the lack of it as an indication of a player’s confidence and energy level. It’s not always becoming to the player – male or female. But there is an implication here that doesn’t go down well.
Kait says:
Sep 12, 2011
I didn’t mean to imply that as strictly negative. It is just many people think of Lleyton Hewitt – a very polarising figure- when they think of Australian tennis. Sam presents an alternative to that and I wanted to make a point of it.
jeanius says:
Sep 12, 2011
It never even occurred to me that you might have had Hewitt in mind. People have loved his “come ons” as an expression of enthusiasm and self-congratulation. However, I have always said come on to myself when I make a bad shot, not a good one. Add to that a few mental expletives and an eye roll. In fact, when other players began to yell come on after a good shot, I couldn’t understand why. To me, “come on” was a fan’s plea of encouragement, as in, “Come on, Sam!” or was a player’s response to poor to his/her own poor shot-as in “Come on! You can do better than that, Jeanius!” I still say come on in that circumstance (a lot, because of all my poor shots) but only to myself. I don’t even know how to do a fist pump propertly. Maybe if it is ever warranted it will just come naturally.