Black Tennis Pros

Whether wearing the beads in her braids that popped like pearls at a party, the sleek Diane Von Furstenberg-designed dress she wore at the 2003 Wimbledon, the hoop earrings that orbit her ears like small satellites, the ever-present adhesive tape wrapping her wrists during matches, the bold black mini-skirt that’s part of her recently-launched EleVen By Venus line or the cap and gown she donned for the graduation ceremony while receiving her associate’s degree in Fashion Design from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale last week, Venus Williams has always had her own singular sense of style.

It’s not enough for Venus to play great tennis, she wants to look great playing it.

Now the woman has complemented her decorating firm, V Starr Interiors, with the August launch her new clothing line, EleVen, has cracked a very exclusive top 10: Venus is in Vogue.

The four-time Wimbledon winner and dress designer makes her mark as one of the world’s best-dressed women in Vogue Magazine’s Top 10 Best Dressed List for 2007.

Venus joins Kate Bosworth, Kathryn Neale, Astrid Munoz, Georgina Chapman, Kelly Wearstler, Amy Greenspon, Caroline Sieber, Huma Abedin and Agyness Deyn on Vogue’s elite list.

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Defending Australian Open champion Serena Williams has shaken off a knee injury in time to take her place in the Hyundai Hopman Cup at the Burswood Dome later this month.

Williams had to pull out of the season-ending tournament in Madrid early last month due to a recurrence of the knee complaint.

But the eight-times grand slam champion proved her fitness for the $1 million ITF Perth mixed teams international, starting in a fortnight, when she played at a charity event in the United States last weekend.

Williams played mixed doubles with Mardy Fish, who she will partner at Hopman Cup XX, and James Blake.

Blake and Williams are former winners in Perth, combining to beat Alicia Molik and Lleyton Hewitt in the final of Hopman Cup XV in 2002-03. It was the last time Williams played in the tournament.

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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.

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Good Sunday Morning!

Another year of our lives is concluding, and a new one is beginning. As we gather with family and friends and enjoy the celebrations of the Christmas season, it is also a time for reflection. A time to perform an intense analysis of where, and who we are thus far. I do this every year to help determine how I've grown spiritually, what I have accomplished, how I've met the goals that I set and where I may have fallen short. Severe and gentle adjustments in various areas are always necessary to begin the new year. Whatever changes I make, I am now renewed and ready to be purposeful in the new year. This leads to the very appropriate Seventh Law from Deepak Chopra's book, "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success."

The Law Of Dharma

The Law of Dharma says that we have taken manifestation in physical form to fulfill a purpose. The field of pure potentiality is divinity in its essence, and the divine takes human form to fulfill a purpose.

There are three components to the Law of Dharma:

The first component says that each of us is here to discover our true Self, to find out on our own that our true Self is spiritual, that essentially we are spiritual beings that have taken manifestation in physical form. We're not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences -- it's the other way around: we're spiritual beings that have occasional human experiences.

Each of us is here to discover our higher self or our spiritual self. That's the first fulfillment of the Law of Dharma. We must find out for ourselves that inside us is a god or goddess in embryo that wants to be born so that we can express our divinity.

The second component of the Law of Dharma is to express our unique talents. The Law of Dharma says that every human being has a unique talent. This means that there's one thing you can do, and one way of doing it, that is better than anyone else on this entire planet. When you're doing that one thing, you lose track of time. When you're expressing that one unique talent that you possess -- or more than one unique talent in many cases -- the expression of that talent takes you into timeless awareness.

The third component of the Law of Dharma is service to humanity -- to serve your fellow human beings and to ask yourself the questions, "How can I help? How can I help all those that I come into contact with?" When you combine the ability to express your unique talent with service to humanity, then you make full use of the Law of Dharma.

Applying The Law Of "Dharma" Or Purpose In Life

1. Today I will lovingly nurture the god or goddess in embryo that lies deep within my soul. I will pay attention to the spirit within me that animates both my body and my mind. I will awaken myself to this deep stillness within my heart. I will carry the consciousness of timeless, eternal Being in the midst of time-bound experience.


2. I will make a list of my unique talents. Then I will list all the things that I love to do while expressing my unique talents. When I express my unique talents and use them in the service of humanity, I lose track of time and create abundance in my life as well as in the lives of others.


3. I will ask myself daily, "How can I serve?" and "How can I help?" The answers to these question will allow me to help and serve my fellow human beings with love.

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