Man unable to run a 5K believes he can score a point against Serena Williams

‘I feel like it would be lowkey easy, I don’t know’

A groundbreaking 2019 survey by the British census site YouGov revealed that 12% of men think they can score a point against world renowned tennis champion Serena Williams. The poll was conducted across a sample size of 1,732 adult men, an eighth of whom responded that they were confident they could get the ball past the 23-time Singles Grand Slam champion.

Following its publication, the survey results quickly sparked conversation across social media platforms as a representation of modern male confidence. In order to better understand the thought process behind their answers, we asked men here in Davis to answer the same survey question.

One responder, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, let us interview him regarding his rather optimistic response. We initially asked him to explain his answer and provide us with some insight into why he was confident he could score against Williams.

“I feel like, if the match was long enough, she would probably make a mistake at some point,” he said.

When asked if he was aware of William’s accomplishments and skill as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, he acknowledged her achievements.

“She’s like one of the best female players, for sure,” he said, quick to point out his own advantages. “I hit the ARC hella… I bench basically 140 [lbs].”

He added that he had also started running recently, clocking an impressive 11 minute mile.

“I think after I cut, I’ll be able to run a 5K in like 30 minutes, no problem,” he said.

A few years before the survey, Williams had inadvertently put this idea to the test in a YouTube video where she served against a group of five men. After one man failed to return her serve, he was heard in the background stating that “she put some spin on it,” as he was surprised “it was further out than I was ready for.”

When asked if he thought he could win a game against any female tennis player, our respondent was skeptical, but didn’t rule it out completely.

“I think after some training, if I played enough girl players, I could maybe win one or two games,” he said.

Even after I pointed out the strict training regimen and years of practice professional athletes undergo, he seemed rather unfazed.

“I played varsity soccer so I know a thing or two about training,” he explained.

Written by: Anjali Iyer — amiyer@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.