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2012 OLYMPICS: "We're Looking Forward To Rio" Says Serena Williams As She And Venus Win Doubles Gold

Sunday, August 5, 2012

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."

Photos by Getty Images

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Open Letter To The New York Daily News/Staff Writer Filip Bondy

Thursday, July 26, 2012

July 24, 2010 New York Daily News headline.

Dear New York Daily News/Staff Writer Filip Bondy:

Over an hour ago I had the misfortune of reading the headline of an article dated July 24, 2010. That headline reads:
"Serena Williams comes to Olympics with millions in her pockets while Sarah Robles raises $20,000 to fly coach to London. Venus joked that she rarely shops in London, because the pound remains too strong a currency. That’s probably not a joke. She should try on the shoes of Robles, who has different kinds of money problems."
I sat in my "and???..." wonderment for a little while before returning to read the article in its entirety, hoping that the article backed off of the tone of the headline, an all too common ploy used to grab the readers attention, then the body of the story changes its tone, or reads entirely differently - but not here.

While the body does not completely fulfill the insinuation of the headline, it never substantiates that the disparity in the financial wherewithal between the American sisters and their compatriot weightlifter Sarah Robles has anything to do with fault, luck, favoritism or anything of the sort - which is what the headline intimates.

While I believe that it is common knowledge that two little African-American girls growing up in COMPTON, California learning to play the sport of tennis from their father on public tennis courts squarely negates a privileged upbringing, the fact that their talent, perseverance and hard work now affords them better choices in life should definitely be noted when their finances are being used as the base of a comparison against someone who has not yet achieved that level of financial success.

Wittingly or not, the underlying suggestion in the headline that the monetary disparity being discussed here is anything other than the bounty of career success, is a very unnecessary, bewildering, really cheap shot.


Shelia Johnson-Chatmon

P.S. Oh, and Mr. Bondy, I noticed that you were honored by the United States Tennis Writers Association, belated congratulations.


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2011 U.S. OPEN DAY 8: Serena And Tsonga Into Quarterfinals, And Fortunately Beat The Rain

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

 Serena Williams, USA

Ana Ivanovic, Serbia
With good friend Spike Lee in attendance cheering her on, three-time US Open champion Serena Williams advanced to the quarterfinals on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 16 seed Ana Ivanovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium. "I thought she played really well," Williams said of Ivanovic's performance. "I think we could have both played a little bit better 'cause of the conditions. But I think we were just both trying to do our best."

The 13-time major champion, yet to drop a set at the tournament, played a clean match in windy conditions. "It was crazy. I didn't even go for winners at any point," said Williams. "I just tried to get it over because it was so windy. It was like, Wow. It was definitely tough. But you just have to win in all kinds of situations."

Each player started the match off well, with the 28th seeded Williams firing an ace out wide to begin and Ivanovic crushing a cross-court return winner on the second point. But after Williams held, Ivanovic was shaky in her opening service game, hitting two double faults and floating a backhand long to hand the American the break.

The Serbian, however, showed signs of the form that saw her win the French Open and attain the No. 1 ranking in 2008. For a few games, she managed to control her nerves and broke back when trailing 3-1 on her second break point opportunity after Williams netted a backhand. At 30-30 in the following game, Ivanovic unleashed back-to-back first serves to even the set at 3-3.

From there though, Williams took full control of the match. A solid forehand put Williams up 4-3, and she broke the Serbian for a second time after Ivanovic tossed in a double fault. Leading 5-3, 40-15, Williams closed out the set with a strong forehand that the 23-year-old was unable to handle.

The 29-year-old American converted an early break in the second set and maintained her advantage the rest of the way through to notch her third victory in three meetings with the Serbian. Williams was solid in all areas of her game, finishing the match with nine aces, winning 83 percent of her first service points. She also had a positive winners-to-unforced errors ratio of 16 to 12 respectively. While Ivanovic struck 20 winners, she committed 29 unforced errors and also hit eight double faults in the 74-minute defeat.

Williams increased her 2011 undefeated hard-court record to a 16-0 mark, which includes titles at Stanford and Toronto, and advances to her ninth quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows. In the final eight, Williams will take on 17th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The 20-year-old Russian, a former US Open junior champion, upended No. 7 seed Francesca Schiavone 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 41 minutes.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, USA


Mardy Fish, USA
Mardy Fish’s excellent summer is over.

In a match played in extremely complicated, swirling winds in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the top-ranked American surrendered a two-sets-to-one advantage to the athletic and charismatic Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and finally ran out of steam in five long sets, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. The 3-hour, 45-minute match kept the massive night-session crowd at bay, shut out of Ashe and forced to congregate on the esplanade watching the big screen for more than an hour.

Through three sets, Fish appeared to have the advantage, using a focused and contained game, punctuated by frequent trips to the net to withstand that powerful artillery of the Frenchman. Yet Tsonga kept swinging freely and turned the match around in the fourth set with a crucial service break at 4-4.

Behind tremendous serves that routinely topped 130 mph and forehands that saw Tsonga lift off the ground to pummel the ball, the Frenchman hit through the windy conditions.

“The wind was really hard today,” Tsonga said. “You play against yourself, against your opponent. It’s really difficult.”

This was the first meeting between the two versatile veterans, who are still hoping for that elusive Grand Slam breakthrough. The Frenchman has more big-match experience, having been to the Australian Open final and the semis at Wimbledon.

Tsonga, 26, advanced to his first US Open quarterfinal by crunching 51 winners, including 12 aces. Although not known as a returner, the Frenchman crucially converted on four of six break-point opportunities.

The strong winds may have propelled both players – each of whom is known for his all-court game – toward the net even more than usual. It was an effective ploy for both Tsonga and Fish; together they attacked the net 121 times (with Tsonga winning 63 percent and Fish 69 percent of those points).

Fish began limping noticeably at the end of the fourth, and he was treated on court for a strained knee prior to the start of the final set. Tsonga immediately came out firing and seized the early break after a ricochet net rally that saw Fish push a backhand volley long, followed by a rifled forehand pass.

Tsonga has an excellent record in five-set matches, having now won seven of nine. He has been working with Andre Agassi's former trainer, Gil Reyes, who told him to “trust your legs and make it burn,” Tsonga said.
Appropriately enough on this Labor Day, he did. “Today I make it burn,” he said.

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2011 U.S. OPEN SERIES: Serena Williams And Mardy Fish Clinch Series Titles - First Time For American Sweep

Thursday, August 25, 2011

2011 Olympus U.S. Open Series Champions Americans Serena Williams and Mardy Fish.
 

Serena Williams clinched the 2011 Olympus US Open Series women’s title on Tuesday.  This is the first career Olympus US Open Series title for Williams, who earned 170 points by winning titles at Series events in Stanford and Toronto.

Williams will now compete for the largest payout in tennis history at the 2011 US Open -- $2.8 million ($1.8 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series).  The women’s second and third place finishers in this year’s bonus challenge have yet to be determined, with Agnieszka Radwanksa, Maria Sharapova and Marion Bartoli still in contention.

Top-ranked American Mardy Fish clinched the 2011 Olympus US Open Series men’s title with a 7-5, 7-5, round of 16 win over Richard Gasquet at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Thursday (now that the field for the Winston-Salem Open, the final event of the Series – has been closed). This is the first Olympus US Open Series title for Fish, who finished third in the standings last year. The men’s second and third place finishers in this year’s bonus challenge have yet to be determined.

Fish will now compete for the largest payout in tennis history at the 2011 US Open -- $2.8 million ($1.8 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series).

This year marks the first time in Olympus US Open Series history that Americans have won both the men’s and women’s titles, as Mardy Fish clinched the men’s title last week.  Novak Djokovic has clinched second place, and the third place finisher will be determined at the Winston-Salem Open.  

Fish will also compete for $1 million in bonus prize money at the 2011 US Open. The second and third place finishers on both the men’s and women’s sides will compete for $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.


source: usopen.org


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(VIDEO/PHOTOS) Serena Williams And Heather Watson In The WTA's "Strong Is Beautiful Campaign"

Saturday, August 20, 2011


ROME, Italy - The WTA unveiled a new global ad campaign with the tagline "Strong is Beautiful", featuring 38 current and next generation stars of the sport. The campaign includes TV, print and digital ads along with social media applications and will be unveiled across 80 markets over the next two years.

Drawing upon athleticism and grace - a unique combination that has turned the stars of the WTA into the most recognizable and followed female athletes on the planet - the campaign places the personal stories, pressures and dreams of the players front of stage. The creative is designed to support the WTA's efforts to establish a deeper engagement with fans around the world and to promote both the sport's next generation of players along with current established names.


In addition to a WTA driven media campaign to promote women's tennis and the WTA Championships in Istanbul, the advertising is expected to be utilized by WTA events around the world, establishing a unified promotional message.
 


More WTA Ladies Photos and Videos Here





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US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: A Very Fatigued Serena. Tsonga And Blake Advance

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A very fatigued Serena Williams rests after her defeat of Lucie Hradecka, CZE.


Too much too soon?

"I'm going to have to figure that out," responded Serena with regard to whether she is overplaying. "Nothing against Cincinnati or Toronto or the Stanfords that I've played, but everyone is preparing for the U.S. Open. I have to be smart and make sure it's not too much."

Serena is currently topping the U.S. Open Series Leaderboard with 170 points, having won the last two titles. On Tueday at the Western and Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, she began to rack up even more points with a first-round-straight-sets win over the Czech Republic's Lucie Hradecka, 3-6, 6-7 (5).

At the same time, the match took a gradual toll on Serena that was very evident in her play and body language as well. It appeared towards the end of the second set that she would either be withdrawing, or calling for the trainer. In typical Serena fashion though, neither occurred -- she trudged along and found a way to win.

Hopefully a good night's rest will do the trick for play on Wednesday... wouldn't want to see her have to drop out of the Series -- and definitely not the U.S. Open!


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga used a powerful serve and a spotless return game to pick up his first career win at the Western & Southern Open, 6-3, 6-4 over Marin Cilic in the first round on Tuesday.

Serving near 130 mph, Tsonga hit nine aces and took advantage of more than 20 unforced errors by Cilic. "It was really a fluid match," Tsonga said. "Like everything was easy for me today, to serve and everything."

"This morning in warmups, I was feeling really good," said Tsonga, who has been battling an arm injury. "And during the match I felt really good."

After beating Cilic for the first time in his career, Tsonga next will play qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the second round today or Thursday.


American wild card James Blake will meet Switzerland's Roger Federer in a repeat of the 2007 Cincinnati final. Federer holds a 9-1 record against the former World No. 4, with his only loss coming in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Blake, who currently stands at No. 84 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings, comfortably rolled past Italian Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 in 58 minutes as he converted three of his five break points.






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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: Draw

Saturday, August 13, 2011



WOMEN'S SINGLES


Round 1


Serena Williams, USA defeated Alona Bondarenko, UKR
6-0, 6-3

Round 2

Serena Williams, USA defeated Julia Goerges, GER
6-1, 7-6(7)

Round 3

Serena Williams, USA defeated Jie Zheng(Q), CHN
4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Quarterfinal Round

Serena Williams, USA defeated Lucie Safarova, CZE
4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Semifinal Round

Serena Williams, USA vs. Victoria Azarenka, BLR


WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Round 1

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated
Barbara Zahlalova Strycova, CZE and Iveta Benesova, CZE
3-6, 7-5, 10-7

Round 2

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated by
Su-Wei Hsieh, TPE and Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
4-6, 7-6(4), 5-10


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Heather Watson, GBR
Stephanie Foretz Gacon, FRA


MEN'S SINGLES

Round 1

Gael Monfils (5) FRA, vs. BYE

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Fabio Fognini,ITA
6-4, 7-6(0)

Round 2

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated Alex Bogomolov, Jr. (Q), USA
6-2, 7-6(5)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Bernard Tomic (WC), AUS
6-3, 7-6(1)

Round 3

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated Viktor Troicki (12), SRB
3-6, 7-6(0), 7-6(5)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Roger Federer (3), SUI
7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1

Quarterfinal Round

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated by Novak Djokovic (1), SRB
2-6, 1-6

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Nicolas Almagro, ESP
6-4, 6-4

Semifinal Round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA vs. Novak Djokovic (1), SRB


MEN'S DOUBLES

Round 1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
defeated
Alexander Dolgopolov, UKR and Dick Norman, VEL
6-2, 6-4

Gael Monfils, FRA and Pablo Andujar, ESP
defeated by
Sergiy Stakhovsky, UKR and Mikhail Youzhny, RUS
3-6, 5-7

Round 2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
defeated
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Horia Tecau, ROU
6-4, 6-3

Round 3


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
vs.
Max Mirnyi, BLR and Daniel Nestor, CAN

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Nicholas Monroe, USA


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(PHOTOS) Serena Pretty In Pink At The 2011 ESPY Awards

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Serena Williams attends the 2011 ESPY Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on July 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.





Photos by WireImage

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Serena Withdraws From Billie Jean King Cup Exhibition

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Black Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Withdraws From Billie Jean King Cup ExhibitionNEW YORK — Serena Williams has pulled out of an exhibition at Madison Square Garden because of a left leg injury.

Williams announced her withdrawal from the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup on Thursday. She'll be replaced in the four-player field by former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.

The 12-time Grand Slam singles champion was to face Kim Clijsters on March 1.

The leg injury has forced Williams to miss tournaments in Paris and Dubai.

Williams' sister, Venus, will play Svetlana Kuznetsova in the other semifinal at the one-night event in New York.


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(VIDEO) Serena Williams: "What Athlete Really Is At 100% Every Time? Probably Never"

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Black Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Australian Open Sydney Interview

World No. 1 Serena Williams says she is happy with the condition of her knee ahead of her Australian Open title defense.

Williams suffered from knee soreness during her straight-sets loss to Elena Dementieva in Friday night’s Medibank International final in Sydney.

At Melbourne Park for a press conference this afternoon, Williams said her knee was much better and that the injury had not hampered her preparation for the year’s first Grand Slam.





“If anything, it helped. I played a lot of matches (in Sydney) in a row, you know, back to back. I had a long three‑set match. Eventually, you know, I had a quick turnaround time,” she said.

“But that was good preparation for me because I do plan on playing both singles and doubles here (at Melbourne Park).”

The American said she did not like to use injury as an excuse for her 6-3 6-2 loss in the Sydney final.

“I don't know if that would be very nice,” she said.

“I definitely wasn't at my best. But, you know, I feel like it's very comforting to know that I wasn't at my best in that particular match … I think Elena played well. She always plays me well. I think we always have really fun, tough, tough matches. With that being said, I thought she played amazing.

“What athlete really is at 100 per cent every time? Probably never.”

The top seed will begin her Australian Open campaign on Tuesday against Poland’s Urszula Radwanska, who she defeated at Wimbledon in 2008. Williams described her as a “tough cookie”.

“She's a tough player, and she's definitely no push‑over. She's a younger sister (of 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska), and younger sisters always want to play really hard and really tough. I know that for a fact,” she said.

“It's definitely not an easy first round.”

Talk inevitably shifted to the return of Belgian star Justine Henin, a player with whom Williams shares a fierce – and occasionally acrimonious - rivalry. However, the American said she was pleased to see Henin competing again.

“What an amazing effort and quality for both her and (fellow Belgian comeback queen) Kim Clijsters. It's so good to see two such good players back,” she said.

Williams will be attempting to win her fifth title at Melbourne Park, having previously lifted the trophy in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009.


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Is It Me, Or Is Tampax Campaign Starring Serena And 'Mother Nature' Kinda Tacky?

Friday, September 25, 2009




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Serena Williams Withdraws From Family Circle Cup

Saturday, April 11, 2009



CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Family Circle Cup because of an injury to her left leg.

The world's No. 1 player announced in a statement Tuesday that she still plans to attend some tournament events.

Williams said she originally hurt her leg at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka earlier this month.

Azarenka withdrew from the Family Circle Cup on Tuesday because of an injured right shoulder.

Williams' sister Venus and No. 3-ranked Elena Dementieva are among those slated to play in the tournament.

Qualifying play begins Saturday.




Photo by Getty Images


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Loss In Spain Leaves Serena At No. 2

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Black Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Andalucia Tennis Experience

Serena Williams, USA

Not only did American Serena Williams lose in the first round of the Andalucia Tennis Experience in Marbella, Spain on Wednesday, she will also fall out of the World No. 1 spot come Monday, April 20; Russian Dinara Safina will take over. Serena lost to Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Serena's left leg remained taped as it was in the Sony Ericsson Open Championship match on Saturday. Her movement appeared to be the same, and I can't imagine that the change of surface with very little practice helped. Although, had Serena been one hundred percent, she still would have had to contend with a very well prepared Zakopalova who was not having any trouble with the clay surface. Zakopalova's shots were nowhere near as powerful as Serena's, but her movement was better, and shot placement more accurate.

Black Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Andalucia Tennis ExperienceAfterwards Serena said, “I am very sad about my defeat, in every moment I wanted to play my best tennis, but due to my injury I could not perform better”.

Serena also stated that at no point had she regretted coming to the tournament and she profoundly regretted saying goodbye to her numerous fans in Spain.


Serena Williams Shopping In Marbella


Black Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Shopping In MarbellaBlack Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Shopping In MarbellaBlack Tennis Pro's Serena Williams Shopping In Marbella



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The L. A. Times Touches Base With Venus Williams

Friday, February 13, 2009

Black Tennis Pro's Venus Williams 2009 Australian OpenSince it's all A-Rod, all the time, it was practically inevitable that Venus Williams was asked by the New York Post to weigh in on the controversy during a conference call this morning.

"Once again, I'm not cool, so I don’t know much about the controversy with him," she said. "I haven't read anything. I am aware of something going on."

The question was re-framed, and put in terms of tennis, as to whether this sort of explosive news and subsequent admission would cast suspicion on other sports.

"Umm, you know, I think tennis is a completely different sport," she said, adding that being the strongest player isn't necessarily the determining factor in tennis.

Then she had a clever sound bite.

"You have to hold your nerve, and I don’t know if there’s a drug for that," Williams said.

Venus was on the call to promote the upcoming BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden. The exhibition, on March 2, will also feature Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. Additionally, the one-night, single-elimination event honors Billie Jean King.

The Indian Wells tournament starts the week after the New York exhibition, and Venus, as expected, will again skip the event, as will Serena.

They have not played Indian Wells since 2001, when Venus at the last minute pulled out of a scheduled semifinal match against Serena because of an injury. The family was booed before and throughout Serena's match in the final.

Venus was asked what promotional event she would do instead of playing Indian Wells, and said it would be something she planned with the tournament. The last question on the matter, on the call, was whether King had tried to persuade her to play Indian Wells again.

"No, I don't think that’s her job or aim," Venus said. "With Billie, her interest in me is if I'm OK and happy."


Photo by AP




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Australian Open Doubles Trophy Goes To Venus And Serena

Friday, January 30, 2009

Venus and Serena Williams 2009 Australian Open Doubles ChampionsBefore a packed house in the Rod Laver Arena, Americans Venus and Serena Williams captured the 2009 Australian Open doubles title. The sisters played a high-powered match that gave Japan's Ai Sugiyama and Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova very little room for success.

This victory gives the sisters their third Australian Open doubles title and 8th grand slam doubles title overall.

During the presentation ceremony Venus said, "also, thank Serena for being the best partner, I would never play with anyone else; she' amazing, I'm sure you saw her."

Post match Venus said, "I think we compliment each other on the court because we're both extremely positive. We know, when the other one moves, what the other one needs to do to compensate for that or to add to it. I think that we're so good at putting the ball away, I think it helps us so much."

Love these two!

Venus and Serena Williams 2009 Australian Open Doubles ChampionsVenus and Serena Williams 2009 Australian Open Doubles ChampionsVenus and Serena Williams 2009 Australian Open Doubles ChampionsVenus and Serena Williams 2009 Australian Open Doubles ChampionsVenus and Serena Williams 2009 Australian Open Doubles Champions


Photos by Getty Images



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Serena Williams Co-Founds MISSION Skincare (TM): Athlete Engineered Skincare That Benefits Charity

Monday, January 26, 2009

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- MISSION Skincare(TM), the first and only line of athlete-engineered skincare(TM) products, is pleased to announce that tennis superstar, Serena Williams, has joined the rank of some of the world's most-esteemed athletes as a Co-Founder of the brand. MISSION Skincare(TM) products are designed and tested by elite athletes in all areas of sport to help them and active consumers everywhere prepare, perform and recover in training, competition as well as in everyday activities.

MISSION Skincare(TM) is the brainchild of entrepreneur Josh Shaw, who founded the company in 2007 after meeting ultra-endurance runner Charlie Engle and hearing firsthand of the void in the marketplace for effective, functional and innovative skincare solutions. Serena Williams will join an impressive list of co-founders that includes 2-time league MVP Steve Nash, 2-time gold medal soccer player Mia Hamm and basketball phenom Carmelo Anthony among others. In addition to working closely with athletes in product innovation, MISSION Skincare(TM) proudly supports the charities of its partners and athletes.

"I'm excited to join MISSION as Co-Founder and partner. I've always been disappointed with the lack of skincare products that can keep up with the demands athletes place on their skin. When I learned about MISSION and their focus on innovative skincare solutions for everyone with an active lifestyle, I knew I could have an impact on the company!" said Serena Williams.

"Serena is the definition of MISSION. Her high performance lifestyle on and off the court, coupled with her sincere passion for giving back, makes her the ultimate MISSION partner. I'm honored to have her on board with us as we change the face of skincare as we know it today," said Josh Shaw, Founder and CMO.

The deal was negotiated by Serena's agent, Jill Smoller of William Morris Agency, and Serena's attorney, Keven Davis, ESQ. of Garvey Schubert and Barer.

The MISSION Skincare(TM) starting lineup includes Facestick SPF 30, Lip Protector SPF 20, Foot Cream, Anti-Friction Cream, After-Sun Revive Gel and Lip Balmers. The products are engineered with breakthrough technology, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and are irritant and animal-cruelty-free. Additional product launches are scheduled for 2009.

MISSION Skincare(TM) is available at select sports specialty retailers including Champs Sports, Lady Foot Locker and Vitamin Shoppe, as well as at www.missionskincare.com.

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