Serena Williams regains the WTA's No. 1 ranking Monday, albeit narrowly. A mere five points separate her and Russia 's Dinara Safina, and the top slot could change hands again before the end of the season.
There's reason to hope it doesn't. It has been painful to watch Safina gasp for breath at the summit these past few months, and one can only wish her well in her quest to rebuild her shattered confidence. In Williams, by contrast, the tour has a queen bee with unassailable competitive credentials and one who will embrace rather than be unnerved by her standing.
However, Williams' latest reinstatement to the throne is clouded by the question of whether the International Tennis Federation will further sanction her for an uncharacteristically vicious outburst directed at a line judge in the U.S. Open semifinal.
The rankings dance has upped the stakes in that process.
If the ITF announces that Williams is suspended for the next Grand Slam event in Australia -- one of the possible punishments -- tennis' international governing body will have beheaded the defending tournament champion and prevented a No. 1 from protecting the rankings points she has on the line.
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