Black Tennis Pros

2007 USA Fed Cup Team (l-r) Vania King, Lisa Raymond, Venus Williams, Serena Williams

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Venus Williams will return from illness and her sister, Serena, will play Fed Cup for the first time in nearly five years after being selected to the U.S. team to meet Belarus in a Feb. 4-5 World Group II match at Worcester, Mass.

U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez announced the team, also containing Christina McHale and Liezel Huber, late Tuesday.

"I am looking forward to having Serena and Venus on the team for the first time since I became U.S. Fed Cup captain," Fernandez said. "They bring so much to this team, not only for what they can do on court, but the influence they will have on Christina and the rest of the team."

It will be Venus Williams' first appearance in a sanctioned competition since the U.S. Open, when she revealed she had Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

Serena Williams, who lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open, has not played Fed Cup since 2007.

The 19-year-old McHale, ranked a career-high No. 42, will be making her second consecutive appearance and third overall for the American team. Her highlights last year included a win over No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki at Cincinnati and a run to the third round of the U.S. Open.

South African-born Huber, 35, has won six of her eight career matches for the U.S. Fed Cup team.

The winner of the Worcester match will advance to the World Group playoff and a chance to compete for the Fed Cup title in 2013.

Victoria Azarenka, who is expected to lead the Belarus team, will face defending champion Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday.

"Victoria is playing the best tennis I have seen from her, so we are excited to be facing Belarus in our first match in the United States in two years," Fernandez said.

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Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010



Thursday, February 25, 2010


Tonight was a battle. And I played a very worthy opponent. I had never heard of her before, but it was intense. I was having a hard time adjusting to the clay from the hard, and the courts here are playing very particular too, and then there was her game... It was one of those matches I'll be talking about for a while.

The crowd was extremely supportive. I've never had that support - EVER. Not even at Fed Cup or the Olympics. It was insane. I couldn't believe it. It was so nice! I find wherever I play, people root for the underdog, hoping that player will come up with something special. Maybe this time I was the underdog? She was a true clay courter and I was forced to adjust. When you're one game away from losing you have to find something... I got a game, then another, and finally when it was 5-3, I felt I had momentum. I started playing more aggressively from there.

These kinds of matches are fun (especially when you win them!)

Earlier, I forced myself to go to sleep. I knew it would help me in the match. So I slept. No multitasking, no brochure editing... Although I did wake up first thing in the morning to finish editing some marketing materials. Who knows, tomorrow I may crack open a book... but no one can be sure ;) The Make A Wish event raised $10,000 - which is very exciting! There are three big galas we do in my area in the year and this was one of them. I wish I could have been there...

Well... it's Friday and my mom hasn't made it. I doubt she'll come. She won't rush to another final. Maybe she's just relaxing at home...

One last thing... I want to say a huge thank you to all of my Mexican fans for tonight. I've never, ever felt that before. It was wonderful. Hopefully I never find myself down 1-5 in the third set - but if I do, I hope it happens in Mexico :)

Venus

How do you feel about this tournament? Evelyn

I've had some good wins here. I don't know why I play so well here. Last year and this year... even when I'm not playing my best, I've found a way to win the match. I'm going to have to channel this determination at the French! Crazy... I guess I'll have to make this a regular stop. I should have played here before last year. Now I know. I'll have to keep coming back.

Friday, February 26, 2010


Hi everyone. How are you?

Tonight I played another tough player who was on her game. Very impressive. After I lost the second set, I knew I had to make a few more shots. Missing doesn't really help my cause! She played really well though, I have to give her credit. I feel like I'm improving with each match. It was very exciting not to be down 1-5 in the third. I'll always remember that, but hopefully won't repeat it!

Before matches I eat just enough so I won't get tired. There's a certain amount and I have a numbering system. Whenever I feel I've had as much as I need, I stop. But I don't eat pasta after the match anymore. I'm done this lifestyle.

I didn't work on anything during the day, I just rested. And watched Smallville. My older sister is a huge fan of it too. We could talk about it for years. I would always tease her before for watching it... but now look at me.

I just love things that can't happen in real life I guess. Amazing things happen in Smallville. I love that. It's too early to tell who my favorite character is on the show, though. It always changes for me, because some characters annoy me, and so on. I only just finished Season 1, too. I also didn't crack open any books... It's just not going to happen this week - I'll start when I go home...

There were these little girls outside my court today looking through the fence. Now I don't speak Spanish but I know a little, and one girl said 'My name is Venus too!' It was so sweet. I don't know if that was her name or not. Actually, I doubt it. But I guess she wanted to be a tennis player, it was so cute.

I'll talk to you all after the final. Have a good night!

Venus

What did you do with the sombrero you won last year? Raymond

I gave it to my dad! He loved it so much. He saw pictures of me with it on and told me he loved the hat, so I gave it to him, and I haven't seen it since. But I'm hoping to have a doubles partner for it soon ;)




Saturday, February 27, 2010



Well I played a very worthy opponent today. She really played so well. I made a few errors in the first set and there was no room for that, because she made none and was playing aggressively. I had to turn it around in the second. So I started working on getting the win, and I'm happy I was able to do it.

The thing about me... I never feel pressure to defend titles. I think that makes me better at defending titles, because whenever I return to a tournament, I usually do pretty well. I guess Dubai and Acapulco is one of my specials...

As for the sombrero... this one's mine :)

I've been informed that this title ties me for No.10 for all-time titles with Martina Hingis. That's great! I guess I'll be passing her soon... I have the advantage because I'm still playing :) I'll be working on getting further into the Top 10.

Next for me is the Billie Jean King Cup in Madison Square Garden. That's hopefully another two matches for me on Monday. Last year I had a great time playing and hopefully it'll be even better this year. Last year there was a blizzard there... and I hadn't been in snow before. Well, I had landed places with snow already on the ground and a few flurries, but never where it was REALLY snowing. I thought people didn't go out in that kind of weather. It was so funny, like something out of a movie - one day when I was leaving the hotel, the coldest rush of wind came and I ran back inside... I thought, 'Are you serious?' I'm not used to that in Florida. We chase the Sun...

I had fun doing the blog again! I look forward to doing it again soon. I'll see you all in New York at the Billie Jean King Cup... Stay tuned! And visit my Facebook and Twitter pages, and my website too...

Until next time!

Venus

You never seem angry on the court. How do you do it? Olivier

It kind of follows my attitude off the court. Nothing ever bothers me. It helps on the court to think clearly, without emotions. It's just harder with emotions. I have been emotional before... but for the most part I'm a cucmber.

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Serena Williams is back on the U.S. Fed Cup team for the first time since 2007.

Surprise U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin is also on the roster announced Tuesday by the U.S. Tennis Association for the Nov. 7-8 final against host Italy.

Williams leads active women with 11 Grand Slam singles titles and is 4-0 in Fed Cup singles matches over her career. Her sister Venus is not on the team.

Top-ranked doubles player Liezel Huber and Alexa Glatch round out the roster.

U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez says she strongly believes her team can win the Fed Cup title, something the country hasn't done since 2000.

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NEW YORK -- Former Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison has settled her racial discrimination lawsuit with the U.S. Tennis Association.

Papers filed in federal court on Wednesday show that a deal was signed on Aug. 27, though its terms were not disclosed.

U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said the association is happy the case was resolved and was looking forward to working with Garrison in the future.

Garrison filed her lawsuit in February, saying she was treated unfairly because she was paid a lower salary than Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe and was held to higher standards.

Attorneys on both sides did not immediately return messages for comment.

The USTA announced in December 2007 that 2008 would be Garrison's final season at the helm.

Garrison, the first black captain of the U.S. Fed Cup team, replaced Billie Jean King in 2004. As a player, Garrison was the 1990 Wimbledon runner-up, becoming the first black woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to reach a Grand Slam singles final.

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ROME, May 3 (Reuters) - The Williams sisters hope to represent the United States in November's Fed Cup final against Italy after missing the first round and semi-final wins over Argentina and the Czech Republic.

"Serena and I would both love to play," Venus Williams told a news conference on the opening day of the Italian Open in Rome. "We talked about it and we just have to stay healthy. I really hope we can both play. It'll be great for the U.S."

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The New York Daily News is reporting that former tennis star Zina Garrison says she was dumped as captain of the Fed Cup team after objecting to racist comments about Venus and Serena Williams made by a top U.S. Tennis official.

Garrison made the claim in a race discrimination lawsuit filed Friday against the United States Tennis Association in Manhattan Federal Court. She also said she was paid less than her white counterpart, Patrick McEnroe, who led the men's team.

Garrison, who in 1990 became the first African-American woman to make the Wimbledon finals, was captain of the U.S. Fed Cup team, which competes against other nations' best players, for five years. In Garrison's tenure, the U.S. never made the Fed Cup final - the longest drought in the 45-year history of the competition.

"The USTA elected not to renew Garrison's Fed Cup captaincy based on her performance, and strongly denies any allegations of discrimination asserted by Ms. Garrison," said USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier.

Garrison says Fed Cup Chairwoman Sara Fornaciari once complained to her that Venus Williams hadn't called her back about playing in a tournament, saying: "Venus was like you and just like Serena; none of you people call back."

Source

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The U.S. Fed Cup team was swept 3-0 in live play in the semifinals this past April, but the USTA is hoping the loss, and a new-look line-up, will kick-start a new generation of U.S. women players.

When the Williams sisters took a pass on the tie and Lindsay Davenport was still recovering from an illness, captain Zina Garrison and coach-and-future-captain Mary Joe Fernandez decided to go with the rookie singles squad of Vania King and Florida's Ahsha Rolle, both ranked outside the Top 100. The deep Russian squad, led by former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova (Maria Sharapova was not called to duty), moved fairly easily into the final, but not before some bright spots for the U.S.

King, with a 1-2 career win-loss record in Fed Cup for the U.S. entering the tie, stretched Anna Chakvetadze in 6-4, 7-5 loss, then gave Vera Zvonareva a scare before succumbing 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Rolle lost 6-2, 6-1 to Kuznetsova in her Davis Cup debut, but then in the "dead rubber" fourth singles match defeated Elena Vesnina in straight sets.

Rolle, a 23-year-old Miami Shores resident, employs an exciting all-court game, which can take longer to mature than the typical baseline basher.

"I think it's 'cause I have so many things in my game, like I have a one-handed backhand, I can slice, I can come to the net," Rolle says. "There's so many things that I have that I can do on each ball, whereas the girls that are young are pretty much just big hitters, they know what they want to do with each ball. I think it's taken me longer to develop my different shots and just how I want to play each point."

Rolle also has a Howitzer of a serve which benefits her on any surface, as it did during her win on the red clay in Russia.

"Ahsha served unbelievably well and I think it was amazing that she was able to keep her serve on that level for the whole match," Garrison said. "That kind of serving is a high level for anyone and is Grand Slam material."

Last year Rolle compiled her best season since turning pro in 2004. She qualified into the main draw at the Australian Open, and beat countrywoman Meghann Shaughnessy en route to the third round at Indian Wells. She then caught fire toward the end of the year with a runner-up effort at the Bronx Challenger, and defeated Tatiana Golovin en route to the third round at the US Open.

At the end of 2007 she was working toward putting an ankle injury and also some anger issues on court behind her.

"I was working with a sports psychologist for a while because I was just getting angry, then I'd lose," Rolle said at last year's US Open. "So it wasn't good. But I think I'm starting to control my emotions a little bit better. But I'm an emotional person, especially on the court. I'm competitive. So when I lose a point, then you're probably going to know I lost a point. But I'm trying to hold it together a little bit better."

She has held it together thus far in 2008, approaching the Top 100 once again (after reaching a career-high No. 82 last year), and substantiating the hundreds of thousands of dollars her parents have put behind her and her younger sister, Tiya, even tapping into their retirement fund.

For now it looks like the USTA has committed to Rolle, King, and the next generation of U.S. players for Fed Cup. It's a formula that was successful when the USTA first employed it in 2001, when new Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe took a chance with rookies Andy Roddick and James Blake. Six years later the same crew, along with the Bryan brothers, brought home the Davis Cup and have been readily on-call for the international competition ever since � a fact not lost on Garrison and Fernandez, who could not get either Venus or Serena Williams to play in 2008.

"Mary Joe Fernandez and I talked about it and we decided to take this direction since she is coming in next year as Fed Cup captain," Garrison said. "I wanted to make sure that Mary Joe had input, as they are players she will be working with next year."

This article appears in the June issue of Play Tennis Florida magazine, Official Magazine of USTA Florida, www.PlayTennisFlorida.com

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USA 0 - Russia 2, and this is how the story begins.

The USA arrived here depleted but not desperate with captain Zina Garrison calling on her squad to forget the opposition, focus only on themselves and to learn from not just the play on court but the week leading up to the tie. That was evident from early morning practice on Saturday when all but their two singles players were courtside in the Luzniki stadium.

Courtside they stayed as play kicked off with World No. 7 Anna Chakvetadze, who in fairness had it far from all her own way, in a 6-4, 7-5 win over 19-year old Vania King.

Chakvetadze hasn't done a lot of winning this year and it showed at times as King, who was playing without any pressure, took it to her opponent. The only break in set one came in game five, with the American choosing to move forwards caught out from thirty all by Chakvetadze's defensive skills. The Russian holding on and serving out the set to love.

It looked as though the writing was on the wall when history repeated itself and Chakvetadze again broke in game five of the second set but King, who comes from a family of tennis players, was not to lay down lightly.

If the first match was competitive, the gulf in class was more evident in the second. Ahsha Rolle, a Floridian making her debut in Fed Cup, was outclassed by Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-1 in under an hour.

It was Kuznetsova's first competitive match on clay since Roland Garros and she'll be grateful to have eased her way back onto the dirt. Rolle was broken twice in the opening set and Kuznetsova raced through the second set gaining in confidence, at times she admitted to over confidence. "I wanted to play too good, I saw the difference in the level and I wanted to play too good, I wanted to practise some shots but in the end I’m happy," admitted the World No 4.

For Rolle it was somewhat of a baptism by fire, representing her country at this level for the first time. "You want to do as best you can for your country, but now I know how the World No. 4 plays so I know now I have to go back and work even harder.”

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The USTA has announced that former doubles partners Zina Garrison and Mary Joe Fernandez will serve as Captain and Coach of the U.S. Fed Cup Team, respectively, for 2008.

In addition, it was announced that Fernandez will become the United States Fed Cup Captain in 2009. Fernandez will work closely with Garrison and the team for the 2008 Fed Cup campaign as she transitions from Coach to Captain. The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club will host the 2008 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal between the United States and Germany on February 2-3 in La Jolla, Calif.

“I anticipate an exciting final year as Captain in the hopes of bringing the Fed Cup home to the U.S.,” said Zina Garrison. “Mary Joe and I are looking forward to building a strong transition as she evolves from Coach to Captain over the course of 2008. I can think of no better person to assist as Coach in 2008 and serve as Captain in 2009.”

“I am thrilled to be part of the U.S. Fed Cup team once again,” said Fernandez. “Fed Cup was one of the most important and memorable times of my career. I am excited to be working with Zina in 2008, and then taking on the Captain’s role in 2009.”

"We have a great history in this competition and one of our top priorities is to bring the Fed Cup back to the U.S.," said Jane Brown Grimes, USTA President and Chairman of the Board. "With Zina and Mary Joe working together, we like our chances in 2008."

Zina and Mary Joe have been two of the most committed Fed Cup competitors and certainly two of the greatest ambassadors for the sport today, and we’re thrilled they will be working together in 2008,” said Arlen Kantarian, CEO, Professional Tennis, USTA. “In addition, we are very pleased that Mary Joe - one of the classiest and most respected people in the game - has accepted the role of Captain for 2009.”

The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, which hosted sold-out crowds for a U.S. Davis Cup first round tie in 2006, has been selected as the host site for the quarterfinal between the United States and Germany, February 2-3. The USTA will construct a temporary stadium for the two day, best-of-five match quarterfinal.

Fernandez, 36, helped the U.S. Fed Cup team reach the finals in four of her six years as a member of the U.S. Fed Cup team, including a title win in 1996. Overall, she posted a 16-10 Fed Cup record (12-8 singles) in 18 Fed Cup ties. Fernandez is a three-time Olympic medal winner, capturing a gold medal in doubles and bronze medal in singles in Barcelona in 1992, and a second doubles gold medal in Atlanta in 1996. In her pro career, she captured seven WTA Tour singles titles and 19 doubles titles. She won two Grand Slam doubles titles, one at the 1991 Australian Open and one at the 1996 French Open. Fernandez is a well-known ESPN
commentator and has been broadcasting US Open Series tournaments for the past four years. She also is one of the commentators for CBS Sports during its coverage of the US Open.

Garrison, 44, is the 18th U.S. Fed Cup Captain since the competition began in 1963 and first African-American Captain in the competition’s history. She debuted as the U.S. Fed Cup Captain in 2004, succeeding Billie Jean King, and has led the team to one runner-up and three semifinal finishes in her four-year tenure. As a player, Garrison spent eight years on the U.S. Fed Cup team (1984-87, 1989-91, 1994), helping the U.S. win three titles and posting a 22-5 overall record (7-4 singles) in 23 ties. Garrison also represented the U.S. at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, winning a gold medal in doubles and a bronze medal in singles.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the world’s largest annual international women’s team competition with 86 countries competing in 2008. The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, the last coming in 2000, and is one of eight nations competing for the 2008 Fed Cup title as part of the Fed Cup World Group.

Technorati Tags: Sports Tennis Zina Garrison
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MOSCOW -- Russia won its third Federation Cup on Sunday after world no. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova battled back from a set down to beat Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, giving the host an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Kuznetsova, 22, won 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 in two hours 44 minutes, clinching her seventh win in nine head-to-head meetings with Schiavone.

“I was really too nervous today, especially at the beginning,” Kuznetsova said. “But later I managed to settle down and find my rhythm. I’m so happy to win! Francesca played very well today. Probably it was her best match in recent years. But our fans’ and my teammates’ support helped me a lot to win. And I feel I was slightly better physically prepared for today’s match.”

The results: Russia 3 Italy 0 (Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Mara Santangelo 6-1, 6-2; Anna Chakvetadze bt Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 4-6, 6-4).

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