It has bothered me for a long time that the Williams sisters seem to be always injured. I've speculated that, perhaps, they don't train properly. Or maybe they lack the required discipline. It's possible also that they fail to surround themselves with qualified professionals to help with their aches and pains.

More than likely, the reason Venus and Serena are always injured is a combination of all of the above.

I had never, however, considered the possibility that they just over dramatized their aches and pains. Serena, certainly, seem to have done that the other day with her highly publicized cramps.

I do not believe that her pain was that serious; after all, she did come out after to win the match. I think she believed she was in great pain. And she probably was. The problem is that other players also suffer injuries and annoying aches, but they don't fall on the ground, tears in their eyes, dramatizing their pain. (Neither do other players beg the chair umpire for a bathroom break and then refuse to go later when the umpire says it is okay to go.)

Most players, male and female, play through pain and seldom let anyone know what they are going through. They tough it out and keep going. But the Williams sisters, I've come to believe, were raised to cry, kick, and scream when experiencing minor major aches. And that doesn't go well with the tennis culture. Imagine if they were hockey players!

It is easy to see where their mental fragility toward injuries comes from. Their dad was quoted as saying that Serena had a "career threatening injury." How  you go from cramps to career threatening injuries beats me.

So, their dad and coach has let his feelings get in the way of his coaching and has convinced his daughters to withdraw from tournaments and matches at the first sign of pain. If other players threw the towel as easily as Venus and Serena, we would have few matches happening at anyone time. Most players do compete even if they're suffering from injuries. These people play day in and day out. What are the chances that they will ever be perfectly healthy?

Okay, I could be wrong. I've been wrong before. But if they really are injured all the time, why don't they get phone numbers of doctors and physical therapists from the other players. It seems to work for others, why wouldn't the Williams' be able to find "good help" to reduce their aches.

At the very least, I would like Serena to taper her tantrums. If she is unable to do that, perhaps the television networks could stop showing the annoying tape.