Black Tennis Pros

Press Release

Local Author signs book at US Open tennis event.

Author, Bernard A. Chavis, signed copies of his book “The Games of Tennis” An African American Journey at this year’s US Open tennis event.



September 9, 2008: Local Philadelphia area resident Bernard A. Chavis had a successful book signing at this year’s US Open Championships. This event is the largest attended sports event in the United States. Held annually in September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on the grounds of the 1964 New York World’s Fair, the event draws an access of 500,000 tennis enthusiast during the two week event. Mr. Chavis’s book chronicles his journey of breaking racial and cultural barriers in the sport of tennis. The book goes into the inner workings of the administrative side of the game and the obstacles and resistance to leveling the playing field of diversity in this “sport for a life time.” Mr. Chavis has held many administrative positions at the local, regional, and national levels of the USTA and tennis industry related organizations, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) and the Tennis Industry Association (TIA). He resides in the northwest suburb of Philadelphia in Meadowbrook, PA.

NEW YORK (AP) — A memoir by Serena Williams will be released in 2009 by Grand Central Publishing, which beat out a handful of other publishers bidding for the life story of the No. 1 ranked women's tennis player.

"Serena Williams is one of the world's most remarkable athletes," Grand Central editor Karen Kosztolnyik said Tuesday in a statement. "We've watched her rise to No. 1 despite physical and emotional setbacks, and her hard work and determination have inspired legions of fans young and old. Serena will give her memoir a strong motivational slant."

Financial terms for the book, currently untitled, were not disclosed, although a publishing official with knowledge of the negotiations said bidding reached at least $1.3 million. The official, citing the confidentiality of the negotiations, declined to be identified.

Williams, 26, has won nine Grand Slam titles and, with sister Venus Williams, won a gold medal in women's doubles at the recent Olympics in Beijing.

Grand Central Publishing is a division of the Hachette Book Group.

Source

The sisters are seriously working the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week! I don't think that we have seen this much of them off court in a very long time. I'm loving all of the hair and clothes styles. One more day to go.

Serena Williams attends the Calvin Klein Spring 2009 fashion show today at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Serena Williams and Talk Show Host and Producer Tyra Banks

Editor's note:

WTA Chairman and CEO Larry Scott on Wednesday formally announced changes in the circuit's calendar and other rules and standards, including on-court coaching, the rankings system and mandatory player commitments. Many of the questions from reporters afterward concerned the Williams sisters' stance that they will not play at Indian Wells -- which will be one of four mandatory events in 2009 -- because of a racially tinged incident in the stands there in 2001. That's where ESPN.com writer Bonnie D. Ford decided to start when she had a chance to sit down one-on-one with the former player and ATP executive.

Bonnie D. Ford: You made this announcement Wednesday morning, you put all this work into these reforms, and yet much of the press conference was dominated by an incident that happened seven years ago, that involves two of your hundreds and hundreds of players, albeit two of the most important ones. How personally difficult and frustrating is it for you that you haven't been able to get closure on this?

Larry Scott: I'm disappointed that there's not an easy solution, but by the same token, I'm looking at moving on, the sport's moving on, the tour's moving on, and I don't think it's going to hold us back from making the type of progress we need to make. As I've dug into the issue, I've gotten heightened empathy for how Serena and Venus feel about the situation and I also feel empathy for the tournament. I've tried to do what I can to bridge gaps. You can only do so much. I respect where they're coming from.

Ford: Do you have any realistic hope that there's going to be movement on this between now and March?

Scott: Not for the 2009 tournament. I'm not expecting they're going to play; they've told me they're not planning on playing. If they do, it's a bonus. I think everyone's expectations are managed. I'd like to think that by the time both Venus and Serena's careers end, fans at Indian Wells will see them again, but I'm certainly not predicting that.

Ford: And the promotional activities players can do in lieu of attendance, they've agreed to do that, so you don't anticipate a suspension coming out of this?

Scott: No.