I was really sorry for serena when I saw her cramp, I was nearly in tears but later i just get tired of it, dont know why, but I did not like her at that moment, a bit exaggerated I think. Maybe she is what she like but others, including me, find it really hard to accept her performance.

laputa, surrey , UK

Serena has no class. Her interviews are standard fares, very abrasive and never give credit to other players. She always claims that she is the best if her game is on that day. You'll never hear that from Chris, Martina, Steffi, Monica..... Give me a break!
I give her that she is physically strong (mental too) but she is far from being a real champion as far as her tennis skill is concerned. At her best, her strokes are no better than those ranked in the 20s to 30s. Henin is 100% more talented than her.

Hang, Oakland, USA/CA

Playing squash one day following months of intense training of 2-3 hrs/day my calf cramped in a most excruciating way. The muscles in my calf balled up,the pain was unbelievable. As usual I bent my toes towards the shin to ease the cramp. It eventually went away but I fould out that I had a muscle tear and could not use that leg for any training for two weeks. It happened also to one of my female teammates in the same manner.
It was obvious that Serana's calf had cramped badly and I can say I have seen and know what she felt. You could see the muscles ball up horribly. Yes she does like a little bit of drama but be realistic- would you be putting on such a show that you lose the second set in a timebreaker because you are faking ? In the last 16 at Wimbledon? Unless she is the greatest actress in the world trying to put off Henin then I think it is safe to say that she indeed has an injury that I personally think may prevent her from winning against Henin.

Joseph, Castries , St. Lucia

Yes, watch the closeup carefully next time, and you'll see her calf muscles tightening up (which she then proceeded to instinctively hit with her racket to try to loosen it). Have you had a cramp in your life? This isn't acting, folks. Why would she want to act like she had a really bad cramp when she's 5-5 against Hantuchova anyways? She could have easily broken her and won 7-5 on her serve. And if you don't think cramps can be that painful, try having it some time...

Chris, Portland, OR, USA

The Williams sisters should not be allowed to get away with the gamesmanship that they constantly use. How can any opponent be expected to play the game to be best of their ability when they are faced with these women shrieking viciously at them as they play their shots. As for Serena's 'performance' yesterday, why don't the LTA officials and also the commentators accept what is glaringly obvious to all lovers of the game of tennis? These two women will use EVERY trick in the book to cheat their way to victory. It is sickening that they get away with it and also very bad for the game.

Cendrillon, Perigord, France

do you think serena is made of stone and can not get injured like any other sport person.did she not play venus who was then injured

jimmy kamalunga, hatfield, britain

Its obvious some posters here are just biased against Serena.A cramp can be so painful and the effects can last the whole day.There was no way Daniela was gonna beat Serena.There head to head is 6-1,why would she embarrass herself like that at a big event when the whole world is watching,her muscle was clearly tight when the camera focused on her leg if it was Sharapova will there be all this noise.I am glad she pulled through and showed us that she is a champion.

GIGI, quebic city, canada

Why is it hard to believe, for Hantuchova and some fans, that Serena had muscle cramp? Not every player is an emotionless robot. Serena was destined for victory, cramp or no cramp. Thank God for the Williams sisters' talent and spirit - they have injected life into tennis and cranked up the standards by several notches!

Bernadette Pereira, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

soccer players have cramps in their legs and they are great actors,but serena deserved a RED CARD. Lutz Anders Etobicoke canada

Lutz Anders, toronto, canada

And the award for best actress of 2007 goes to...........Serena Williams!!!!!!
Bravo is the only way to describe what was in effect the most overt manipulation of tennis court rules in a very long time.
A sad thing to see, from what otherwise was once a great talent in the world of competitive tennis.....
Well done to Miss Williams opponent Hantuchova who maintained a level of dignity throughout this whole shabby episode.

Samantha Park , Belfast, Ireland

Why do some find Serena's leg cramp implausible? She isn't an emotionless robot. Thank God for the Williams sisters' talent and fighting spirit - they have raised the bar for women's tennis and injected much-needed life and colour into the game!

Bernadette Pereira, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Serena isn't that good of an actress (she's done a few TV shows in the USA). the tears and faces of pain and uncertainity can't be acted.

Tyrone, Baltimore, USA,

Serenna Williams was not only fortunate the rain came at an opportune time, she was fortunate to be playing someone who has been known for being probably the most mentally fragile player on the women's tour.

RH, Winnipeg, canada

Serena should be awarded an Oscar for that acting yesterday.

Barb Garner, Stockport, Cheshire

You ALL missed the point! No one who has ever played competitive tennis doubts that Serena's calf muscle cramped. No one who has ever experienced a severe calf muscle cramp denies that it can hurt like crazy. And no one who saw Serena lying on the court could seriously think that she wasn't in some pain.

But the question is: Having gotten a(n initially mild) cramp, did Serena milk the moment for all it's worth, or did she do whatever she could to make it go away? I vote the former.

Have you ever seen anyone get a calf muscle cramp who didn't try to straighten out his/her leg and/or pull up on the end of the foot in order to stretch out the calf and MAKE THE PAIN GO AWAY? No you haven't...ever. Not until you saw Serena's performance.

Not only did she lie on the ground and not straighten out her leg, she actually lay there curled up. She was surely in great pain, but she was doing nothing at all to make it go away. To the contrary, she milked the moment to the fullest

John Copeland, virginia beach, virginia

Following up on Barb Garner's statement on Serena, with which I fully agree, Richard Williams added to the embarassment by making himself completly obnoxious,
standing, hooting and hollering in front of Hantuchovas's mother and trainer. I started out, as an American, pulling for Serena, but before the match ended I was hoping Hantuchova would pull it out, and for her trainer to punch out Serena's father. Someone from the Wimbledon committee should have spoken to him about his crude support of his daughter.

Art Ocone, Vero Beach, FL