Black Tennis Pros

France's (R )Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and (L) Michael Llodra awarded Silver Medals during 2012 Olympics Medal Ceremony for Men's Doubles

(L-R) Richard Gasquet, Julien Benneteau, Bronze Medalists, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra, Silver Medalists.

(L-R) Silver medalists Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra of France, gold medalist Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan of the United States and bronze medalist Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet of France pose on the podium during the medal ceremony after the Men's Doubles Tennis final match on Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on August 4, 2012 in London, England.

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American sisters Venus and Serena Williams celebrate winning the Gold Medal in Women's Doubles

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Serena Williams relishes her role as copycat little sister. Even if it takes her 12 years.

Now, she has that remarkable Olympic double - just like Venus.

The overpowering American pair teamed to win the women's doubles title at the Olympics on Sunday, with Serena adding to the singles gold she won on Centre Court at Wimbledon a day earlier.

"Crazy," Serena said. "I'm always copying her. I forgot that she did it in Sydney and I do it here. We're the same doubles team, we just split this to singles, so it's cool."

The sisters beat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 under the roof on a rainy afternoon at the All England Club. Venus - with her red, white and blue braids pulled back into a bun - closed out the match on the very grass she has long loved with a backhand volley winner after the Czechs saved a pair of match points.

"We all talk about this, 'We have so many medals,' but to be able to add to that, it's like an unbelievable feeling," Venus said. "You know that in that count, there you are. It feels amazing."

On Saturday, Serena beat Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 for the singles gold. She joined Steffi Graf as the only women to complete the Golden Slam - winning the Olympics and the four majors.

When the Americans in the crowd at Centre Court broke into a chant of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" as the players left the court, the sisters each pumped their fists, turned around to wave, then slapped a high-five. The medal ceremony had to wait for the outdoor bronze-medal match, which was delayed by rain.

With Bob and Mike Bryan capturing gold in men's doubles Saturday, make it three golds for U.S. tennis in two days.

"It's great because America's added three gold medals to our medal count just in the tennis," Venus said. "I feel great to be a part of this U.S. team this year."

Serena became tennis' first double gold medalist at an Olympics since Venus won singles and doubles at the 2000 Sydney Games. The sisters also won the doubles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

With Sunday's victory, they each have a record four Olympic tennis gold medals, and the sisters didn't drop a set through their five matches at the London Games.

While Serena was thrilled to win on her own Saturday, with Venus rooting her on from the family box, the doubles is what she most cared about coming to the London Games.

Especially considering all the emotional and physical struggles for Venus, who was diagnosed last year with an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue.

"This is all I wanted," said Venus, who had all of about two months to raise her ranking and qualify for the Olympics. "Boy, was that a battle. That was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I really feel proud of what happened here at the Olympics."

But for years Venus has been comfortable on the lawn at Wimbledon, where she has won five of her seven Grand Slam titles.

"Venus has been going through so much and she's so strong and so she's so amazing," Serena said. "And to win this was my goal."

The Williamses also became the first tennis players to win Olympic gold indoors since the 1912 Stockholm Games, a match played in a pavilion on wood courts painted black.

On Sunday, they won the fourth game of the second set at love on Venus' ace, the first of three straight games in which they didn't lose a point.

Serena overcame two break points trailing 1-0 in the second set. She pumped her fist and cheered after a forehand winner down the alley past a poaching Hradecka, who was aggressive at the net all afternoon.

The Czechs held in four of their first five service games, including Hlavackova's first that went to deuce four times.

Venus Williams joins Conchita Martinez of Spain as the only tennis players to win medals at three different Olympics. Martinez's medals all came in doubles - silver in Barcelona in 1992, bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games and silver in Athens in 2004.

Gigi Fernandez and current U.S. coach Mary Joe Fernandez are the only others to win back-to-back Olympic tennis gold medals after they teamed for doubles titles in 1992 and 1996.

And the sisters insist they're not done yet.

"We're looking forward to Rio," Serena said, "and trying to get some sort of medal there."

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POREC, Croatia – Now that the sting of losing Davis Cup stalwart Andy Roddick is out of the way, the United States has re-grouped, come together as a team and begun its preparations to play in the 2009 Davis Cup Quarterfinals against Croatia.

The match-up took a dramatic turn on Monday when Roddick was replaced by Mardy Fish in the U.S. lineup. Roddick suffered an injured right hip flexor during his five-set loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Fish, who had just returned home from England to Tampa, Fla., following the Wimbledon doubles semifinals with partner James Blake, received the news late on Sunday from U.S. Captain Patrick McEnroe that he was needed to play against Croatia.

“We are certainly disappointed that Roddick could not come to play,” said McEnroe at the team press conference on Tuesday. “He’s been a Davis Cup stalwart for many, many years, so we’ll miss him. We are certainly very happy and confident with the team that we have that we have a good chance to get a win this week.”

Last year, playing in his first Davis Cup match since the 2004 final, Fish filled in for an injured Bob Bryan and partnered with Mike Bryan to win the doubles, keeping the U.S. alive against Spain in the 2008 semifinals.

“Part of Davis Cup is being able to have other players step in,” said McEnroe. “That is what Croatia is doing in some way, and we’re doing the same. We have guys that have a lot of experience and have played a lot of big matches for us in Davis Cup.

“It is a great opportunity for these guys to do it without Andy. It’s a big challenge for us, but we’re excited about the challenge. We’re all a team. Everyone is going to pull their weight. They’re going to have to pull a little more weight this time.”

The 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal tie between the United States and Croatia will take place from Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 12, in Porec, Croatia, at the Zatika Sports Hall on a temporary indoor clay court.

Croatia is 2-0 against the United States in Davis Cup, making it the only country that the United States has not beaten and also the only country to have a winning record against the U.S. Davis Cup team.

Roddick had played in 18 consecutive Davis Cup matches, tied for the second longest streak in U.S. Davis Cup history with current teammate Mike Bryan.

“Andy has had a very tough recovery from Wimbledon,” said McEnroe. “He injured his right hip flexor a little bit during the match. He is pretty spent physically and emotionally.”

Coincidentally, the only other tie Roddick has missed since joining the U.S. Davis Cup team was the 2003 first round at Croatia after suffering a wrist injury during his epic five-set win over Younes El Aynaoui en route to the Australian Open semifinals.

Without Roddick, the U.S. will look to Blake to fill in as its No. 1 singles player. In a recent playing slump, including a first-round loss at Wimbledon, Blake is looking to rebound against the Croatians and carry that momentum into the Olympus US Open Series and US Open.

“I feel good about it now,” said the 17^th-ranked Blake. “I put that first-round loss way behind me. Luckily I have had a couple of weeks to distance myself from that. Hopefully here will get me going on the right track going into the summer.”

Also missing one of their key players, former top 10-ranked player Mario Ancic, the Croatians will be led by Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic, both coming off excellent performances at Wimbledon.

“Mario Ancic is not here, and he is very important for us as a team leader,” said Croatian Captain Goran Prpic. “We will try as much as possible to take advantage of Roddick not being here, but I don't agree that we are favorites right now. It seems that many people now think we only have to walk on the court, and that's it. It is an open tie. We have quality, there's no doubt about it, but so does the U.S. team. We can win all four singles matches, and we can lose all four."

“Croatia has a great team,” said McEnroe. “(Marin) Cilic and (Ivo) Karlovic are very, very good players. Obviously, them playing at home, the home team always has a slight advantage. But we have a lot of experience playing Davis Cup and playing against their players. I think it is a pretty even match.”

Blake is a career 2-3 against Karlovic and 2-0 against Cilic. Fish lost to Cilic in the 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis final, their only meeting, and is a career 1-4 against Karlovic.

The order of play will be determined on Thursday at the draw ceremony, scheduled to be held at 1 p.m. local time at the Istrian Council House in Porec.

The weekend schedule consists of two singles matches on Friday (10 a.m. ET), the doubles match on Saturday (9:30 a.m. ET), and two reverse singles matches on Sunday (10 a.m. ET).

Tennis Channel will air live daily coverage of Friday’s and Sunday’s singles matches at 10 a.m. ET. Saturday’s doubles match will air live at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Tennis Channel will continue its Davis Cup primetime tradition and rebroadcast matches nightly at 8 p.m. ET.

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — James Blake is joining Andy Roddick and the Bryan brothers on the U.S. Davis Cup team that will play Croatia in next month's quarterfinals.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe has picked Blake over Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish.

Blake lost in the first round at Wimbledon last week. Fish reached the third round, Querrey the second.

This is the 12th time in the last 13 Davis Cup contests that McEnroe is using the same quartet of players.

The best-of-five quarterfinal will be July 10-12 on an indoor clay court in Porec, Croatia.

Croatia has beaten the U.S. both times the countries have played in Davis Cup — the only country that has a winning record against the Americans.

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No, not a law firm, but a significant doubles match between four Americans.

Top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan survived a match tie-break against close friends James Blake and Mardy Fish before advancing Friday night to the final of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. The Bryans rallied from a break down in the second set to force a tie-break, but ultimately had to go the distance to close out a 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-4 win after saving six of seven break points.

The Bryans improved to a 25-3 match record on the year and now are one win away from their fourth title of the year and their second title in Houston (2007).

The twins improved to 3-0 lifetime against their countrymen and now will play the first all-American doubles final in Houston since 2004 against Jesse Levine and Ryan Sweeting, who defeated Australians Ashley Fisher and Jordan Kerr 3-6, 6-3, 10-4.

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In the quarterfinal round the USA will have the opportunity to avenge the significant loss they suffered to the 2005 Davis Cup champions, Croatia. When the USA and Croatia last met in Carson, California, the USA was eliminated in the first round.

On Sunday in reverse rubbers with the USA standing at 2-1, Andy Roddick defeated Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, handing the Americans the win and a slot into the quarterfinals.

In the fifth and final match, which was a dead rubber, James Blake defeated Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 7-6(6), sending the USA up 4-1 for the first round.

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American super twins Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan got the job done in Birmingham, Alabama today by chalking up a 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6(2) win over the Swiss doubles team of Yves Allegro and Stanislas Wawrinka. The USA takes a 2-1 lead over Switzerland.

This win gives the Bryans their 15th out of 17 Davis Cup match wins. They now become the most winning doubles team in US Davis Cup history.

Mike Bryan said, “obviously it feels very good to be considered one of the best US doubles teams. We have a lot of respect for teams like McEnroe-Fleming and Flach-Seguso, guys like that, but we just do what we do and treat every match like a grand slam final and put everything into it and here we are six years later, we have 15 wins and being considered one of the best teams.”

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The United States and Switzerland draw even at 1-1 in the first round of 2009 Davis Cup play.

In the first rubber, after an impressive first set, James Blake was defeated by Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-7(3).

The second rubber paired Andy Roddick against Marco Chiudinelli whom Roddick defeated 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5). This win brought Roddick his 30th Davis Cup victory, tying him in total wins with Andre Agassi in sixth place in American Davis Cup history.

Tomorrow’s doubles line-up will feature Bob and Mike Bryan against Yves Allegro and Wawrinka. The USA is favored against the team even with Wawrinka having won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with Roger Federer, beating the Bryan brothers in route to the final.

On Sunday in reverse rubbers, Roddick will face Wawrinka in the opening singles followed by Blake against Chiudinelli.

Photos by AP/Getty Images

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DOUBLES

Round 1

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA and Heidi El Tabakh, CAN
defeated
Maria-Fernanda Alves, BRA and Riza Zalameda, USA
6-4, 1-6 [10/6]


Quarterfinal Round

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA and Heidi El Tabakh, CAN
defeated by
Abigail Spears, USA and Tian-Tian Sun, CHN
6-2, 3-6 [8-10]


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA
Jennifer Elie, USA


SINGLES

Round 1

Donald Young, USA defeated Artur Chernov, RUS
6-4, 6-2

Nicholas Monroe, USA defeated by Antonio Ruis-Rosales, MEX
1-6, 2-6


Round 2

Donald Young, USA defeated by Tigran Martirosyan, ARM
2-6, 6-7(4)


DOUBLES

Round 1

Jarmere Jenkins, USA and Ryan Lipman, USA
defeated by
Stephen Bass, USA and Sheeva Parbhu, USA
3-6, 1-6


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Jarmere Jenkins, USA

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Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe is sticking with familiar faces in sending out Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan against Switzerland in the Birmingham, Alabama first-round match which has been hit by the withdrawal of Federer due to a back injury.

"With Roger pulling out, that changes the dynamic," McEnroe said in a conference call.

"If Roger had been playing it would have been pretty even. Roger being out makes us a pretty solid favorite, but we're not overlooking the team the Swiss are bringing."

World number two Federer, runner-up at the Australian Open in January, announced his withdrawal last week.

"To be honest, I was a little disappointed."

"We were all looking forward to the challenge of playing Roger and the buzz he would help bring to the match."

The United States won the Cup two years ago and last year reached the semifinals before losing to Spain, the eventual champions.

"For us the goal is to try to get back into the later rounds and try to win the cup again," the U.S. captain said.

"We certainly have the capability of doing that and that's the bigger term goal, so we certainly like the fact that we have a better chance to advance.

"I'll probably sleep a little bit better next week as we prepare for the match and not have to prepare for Roger."

Photo by Getty Images

Source

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In an interview Blake said, "Monday's going to be a lot of fun. I did an exhibition with him last year, and we had a really good match. He's obviously one of the great champions we've ever had in the sport if not the greatest. It's a lot of fun being around someone like that, a great tennis mind. Someone who can still teach you plenty.

You know, it's not really pressure packed, we're just having fun. He still obviously has the game that he can compete, you know, for one match or two matches at a time. I think what's gotten him the most is he wasn't able to do the grind all year, playing three out of five sets every other day and playing match after match and getting on the practice court and putting in the time. But on a given day, he can put up a pretty good fight."

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Madrid, SPAIN – After losing the services of No. 2 singles player James Blake last week, the U.S. Davis Cup team has been thrown another obstacle in its quest to repeat as champion.

Bob Bryan, the hard-serving, left-handed compliment to twin brother Mike, withdrew from the 2008 Davis Cup World Group Semifinal on Tuesday, citing a left shoulder injury. He had hoped a cortisone shot would allow him to play in the important tie but was told by doctors to shut down all tennis activity for several weeks.

“His shoulder has been bothering him since Wimbledon,” said Mike Bryan. “With the long summer, he was taking anti-inflammatory medicine. After the Open, he was pretty sore. I’m not a doctor, but I think it’s fairly serious. He’s going to take a few weeks off and then start rehabbing in Florida.”

Virtually inseparable over the years, the Bryans have played every doubles match together as professionals since a brief hiatus in 2002, beginning at a tournament in Long Island, N.Y., when Bob was still playing in singles qualifying matches. For the record, Mike Bryan was a career 13-2 in doubles without his twin.

“There might be some things that these guys do better than Bob. They could return a little bit better,” said Mike as the team erupted in laughter. “It’s a good experience to step away from Bob and find my own identity.”

On the heels of capturing their second US Open title, the world’s top-ranked doubles team has excelled over the years on Davis Cup Saturdays, compiling a sterling 14-2 record.

A central piece in their remarkable run to the 2007 title, the Americans knew that they could count on a point from their doubles team. Now, suddenly, that point is in jeopardy.

“Spain was always the favorite, so we don’t look at that as making any big difference,” said U.S. Captain Patrick McEnroe.

“The time is coming for us to get a couple of young guys into the mix. Obviously, this is a difficult match, we’re all well aware of that. But at the same time, I think it’s a great opportunity for us to come out and play with the kind of enthusiasm that these guys have always had for Davis Cup. In no way do we look at this as a setback but as an opportunity for these guys to show what they can do.”

An able replacement for Blake, Sam Querrey has seen his ranking spike in the past year and recently took a set off Nadal at the US Open. Twice a practice partner, how much can be reasonably expected from the Davis Cup rookie in his big debut?

“Well, let’s see… He’s playing in his first Davis Cup tie, against Spain away, against arguably the greatest clay-court player of all time, so he better win,” smirked McEnroe.

“Sam has come a long way in the past year and has earned the opportunity to play. He’s going to get a lot out of this experience.”

Drawing from a suddenly deep pool of players, McEnroe quickly filled Bryan’s vacancy with steady veteran and close team friend Mardy Fish. An in-form player on the heels of a career-best quarterfinal result at the US Open, Fish can play either singles or doubles. In 2004, Fish was a member of the U.S. team that fell to Spain before a record crowd.

“I had a couple of days to put it all together,” said Fish, who was asked to join the team last Friday after Bob Bryan was declared unfit to play. With his wedding to “Deal or No Deal” model Stacey Gardner in just three weeks time, Fish was able to squeeze in the trip.

“I’m not planning it – I just have to show up,” said Fish. “I helped with the time and the date and the place, and that’s it.”

Bryan and Fish have practiced together over the last few days and are likely to get the nod against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

Entering the series as prohibitive favorites, Spain has retained its imposing four-man unit, headlined by top-ranked Rafael Nadal, along with rugged top-5 talent David Ferrer, Lopez and Verdasco.

Four-time defending French Open champion Nadal was given extra time to rest by Captain Emilio Sanchez and will be a heavy favorite on slow, red clay, a surface he has dominated.

The best-of-five World Group Semifinal series is expected to attract over 21,000 fans daily at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in the heart of downtown Madrid.

Reminiscent of the final in Seville four years ago, the Americans’ task is daunting, staring down not only the best clay-court player in the world but a partisan and raucous crowd, encircling them in an intimating bullfighting ring.

“I think it’s pretty awesome,” said McEnroe. “When you walk in, it’s not your traditional tennis venue, but I think it’ll make for a great weekend. I think the guys are really excited about being here and playing in such a unique environment.

Spain’s No. 1 singles player arrived in Madrid on Sunday and has declared himself fit, following a torrid recent stretch that included a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and a semifinal result at the US Open.

Versus and Tennis Channel will air same-day coverage of all three days of competition. Versus will broadcast each day at 12 noon ET. Tennis Channel will re-air coverage at 8 p.m. ET.

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MADRID, Spain (AP) — James Blake was left off the defending champion U.S. Davis Cup team because of exhaustion and replaced by Sam Querrey on Tuesday.

Querrey was chosen ahead of Blake for the best-of-five series against Spain on outdoor clay Sept. 19-21 in Madrid.

Andy Roddick and doubles specialists Bob and Mike Bryan round out the U.S. team selected by captain Patrick McEnroe.

"James is just exhausted physically and mentally after a grueling summer," McEnroe said. "He said he needed a break and we respect that. This is also a great opportunity for Sam, who has had a solid year, strong results on clay and has been a loyal practice partner for this team."

Last year, Blake teamed with Roddick and the Bryans to lead the Americans their record 32nd Davis Cup title.

Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario selected top-ranked Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez.

Querrey was listed on the official nomination released by the International Tennis Federation, but it noted it was still awaiting confirmation on his eligibility. Querrey, ranked No. 40, has never played in the Davis Cup.

Last week, McEnroe said Blake would be on the team with Roddick and the Bryan brothers for a record 11th straight time.

Nicolas Almagro was listed as a reserve for Spain, while 16th-ranked Tommy Robredo was left off the team.

Nadal, who lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals of the U.S. Open on Sunday, may get a few days rest before joining the team.

"He lost a match, but the tiredness and stress are within the usual limits," Sanchez Vicario said of Nadal, who may not attend practice Saturday. "He is very enthusiastic about this tie."

Argentina will host Russia on outdoor clay in Buenos Aires in the other semifinal series.

Sixth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia will play alongside Igor Andreev, Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Kunitsyn. Marat Safin was again passed over.

Argentina will counter with David Nalbandian, Juan Martin Del Potro, Agustin Calleri and Guillermo Canas.

In the World Group playoffs, U.S. Open champion Roger Federer will lead Switzerland, and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will guide Serbia.

Federer rebounded from losses in the French Open and Wimbledon finals to win his 13th Grand Slam title on Monday at the U.S. Open — one shy of Pete Sampras' all-time record.

Federer will play against visiting Belgium on indoor hardcourts in Lausanne, and Murray will help Britain against Austria on the grass at Wimbledon.

Murray will team with brother Jamie Murray, Alex Bogdanovic and Ross Hutchins against Austria's Jurgen Melzer, Alexander Peya, Martin Fischer and Julian Knowle.

Djokovic, who lost to Federer in the U.S. Open semifinals, will team with Janko Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic on outdoor hardcourts against Slovakia.

The Davis Cup final will be played Nov. 21-23.

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U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe was unswayed by recent events at Flushing Meadows when making up the team for the semifinal in Spain later this month. McEnroe passed over two hot-handed American men, Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish, and named the same team of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan to meet the Spaniards in Madrid as the Americans defend their 2007 title.

"I'm happy to see those guys doing well," McEnroe said of Querrey and Fish, who had breakthrough runs at the Open. "I hope those guys continue to put up good results and to make it a difficult decision for me in the future. But for this match it wasn't a difficult decision."

Fish beat Blake in the third round and made it to his first Open quarterfinal before falling to world No.1 Rafael Nadal. Querrey, a 20-year-old Californian, fell to Nadal in four sets in the fourth round. Blake remains the second-highest-ranked American, McEnroe argued. He also said he wanted to stay with a team he has used in 11 straight ties. "I want to go with the guys I think give us the best chance to win," McEnroe said. "At this point, I still thoroughly believe that Roddick and Blake give us the best chance."

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Venus, Mike and Serena ham it up.

Team spirit.

Getting ready for 10:30 a.m. match.

Former President George H.W. Bush comes out to support U.S.A. tennis.

Serena and Bob make a trip to the famous Beijing silk market.

Serena, the master negotiator.

A silk spinner.

© Bob's iPhone

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