Black Tennis Pros

Greetings Black Tennis Pro's Fam and Friends!

I guess I don't have to tell you that I took an extended holiday vacation, and was sworn off my computer during the entire time.

I had an absolutely amazing holiday season with family and friends. I have cooked, decorated, and wrapped to the limit. I don't think that I could have taken anymore. At this very moment my house is shockingly quiet - nice.

I hope that each of you were as richly blessed, and that your 2009 is filled with as much as your heart, head and hands can hold.

Oh well, back to the grindstone of Black Tennis Pro's 2009!

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Leadership is the theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008, promoted with the campaigning slogan, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”

Leadership encourages leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. Building on the 2006 theme of accountability, leadership highlights the discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to halt the spread of AIDS, and actions taken to follow them through. Leadership empowers everyone – individuals, organisations, governments – to lead in the response to AIDS.

In 2007, people around the world were encouraged to take the lead to stop AIDS. Campaigns took the shape of marches, leadership discussions, public awareness events and pledges from leaders. These events all helped to put leadership in the spotlight.

People have offered their leadership – now it is time to deliver. Promises must be kept, and people must feel empowered to act.
Why is 2008 important?

2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Since 1988, the face and response to AIDS has greatly changed. While many of these changes are positive, this anniversary offers us an opportunity to highlight how much more still needs to be done.

For example:

* Leaders in most countries from around the world now acknowledge the threat of AIDS, and many have committed to do something about it. As of 2007, nearly all countries have national policies on HIV. However, despite these policies, most have not been fully implemented and many lack funding allocations.

* While treatment for HIV and AIDS has improved and become more widespread since 1988, many still do not have access to it – in 2007 only 31% of those in low- to middle-income countries who need treatment received it.

* Despite HIV awareness now reaching nearly all areas of the globe, infection rates are still happening 2.7 times faster than the increase in number of people receiving treatment.

* While the number of countries protecting people living with HIV continue to increase, one third of countries still lack legal protections and stigma and discrimination continues to be a major threat to universal access.

* More broadly, real action on HIV and AIDS and human rights remains lacking. Legal barriers to HIV services still exist for groups such as women, adolescents, sex workers, people who use drugs, and men having sex with men, and programmatic responses promoting HIV-related human rights have yet to be prioritised.

World AIDS Day began in 1988 when health ministers from around the world met and agreed on the concept of the day as an opportunity for all of us to come together to demonstrate the importance of AIDS and show solidarity for the cause. In 2008, this underlining principle of solidarity and awareness remains the same.

We have only two years to go for “the goal of universal access to comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010”[1].”

To achieve this goal, leadership and action is needed now. Governments must deliver on the promises they have made. Communities must encourage leadership of its members. Individuals must feel empowered to access treatment, to know their rights and take action against stigma and discrimination, and to know and use methods of prevention against receiving and transmitting HIV.

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Activity came to a stop in the sleepy village of Matooni on the foothills of Manooni hills as Serena Wiliams, the world number two ranked tennis player, opened a secondary school named after her in the area on Friday.

Spends Saturday At The Sadili Oval Tennis Academy in Nairobi



Serena Williams, the world number two ranked tennis player, was quite at home on the court as she took children through the paces at Sadili Oval Tennis Academy in Nairobi on Saturday.

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I have NEVER seen Russian Nikolay Davydenko this emotion filled at the end of winning any match that I've ever seen him play. You know Davydenko, he's pretty low key. When he wins he's pleased, and when he loses he pleased...comme si, comme ca, it's all good, right on.

Well, at least that's how he was before he was so brutally saddled with being the face of illegal betting inside of tennis. COME ON! Davydenko? I know that looks can be deceiving, but Davydenko?

In the wake of that pitiful investigation, Davydenko's game went south quick, fast and in a hurry. He had become one of my favorites on the tour, especially for being so nonchalant in scraping the court with his opponents behinds so unsuspectingly. The guy was just masterful at maintaining the most even temperament I'd ever seen on court.

Now that he's been cleared, looks like Davydenko has his groove back and this time with a passion! After defeating Britain's Andy Murray in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinal of the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai yesterday, Davydenko got his tennis yell on. I for one am glad to see it. I am glad that he's recovering his game, and this time putting some feeling into it... in yo face!

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On Sunday November 16, for the first time since the November 4th election, President-Elect Barack Obama and wife Michelle will sit down together for an interview with with CBS's 60 Minutes.


Actual Interview


Watch CBS Videos Online

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The Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai began a bit rough for France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. You remember, the whole "towelgate" thing? Then there was the very tight loss to Spanaird Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). After having just won the Paris Masters, the tables turned dramatically on Tsonga. All of that drama ended today.

Tsonga, who was already eliminated from competition and having lost the first set, came swinging back and stopped a potential clean sweep of the Gold Group by Serbian Novak Djokovic. Tsonga defeated Djokovic 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. The Frenchman fought back in the second set and was a man on fire in the third. It was poetry in motion.

It seems as if ever since his loss in the Australian Open final this year, Tsonga has pretty much had Djokovic's number. This defeat gives Tsonga three wins in a row over the Djokovic after his victories in Bangkok and Paris.

"He was better than me in the first two sets, but I took the second one. It was daylight robbery!" Tsonga said.

Djokovic's status wasn't harmed by the loss, he will still win the Gold Group and moves on to the semifinals. However, judging from his "crowd" comment, he's feeling a bit funky about the loss.

"It's not easy. This is the tournament for the best eight players in the world. Every match is difficult and you've got to give your best to win," Djokovic said.

"He had more support from the crowd, but I don't blame them. He's a good player, an interesting player, plays with a lot of emotion. He deserved to win today."

Shanghai is hosting the 4.45-million-dollar Tennis Masters Cup for the last time before it moves to London as the World Tour Final. It will hold Asia's only tournament of the new Masters 1000 series from next October.

Photos By Getty Images

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You know a force from heaven. You know something that God made. And Aretha is a gift from God. When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing.

Aretha has everything — the power, the technique. She is honest with everything she says. Everything she's thinking or dealing with is all in the music, from "Chain of Fools" to "Respect" to her live performances. And she has total confidence; she does not waver at all. I think her gospel base brings that confidence, because in gospel they do not play around — they're all about chops, who has the vocal runs. This is no game to her.

As a child, I used to listen to Aretha's music because my mom played "Do Right Woman" and "Ain't No Way" every single day. I would see my mother cry when she listened to those songs, and I'd cry too. Then I discovered her on my own with the Sparkle soundtrack. I must have played "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" 30 times in a row; eventually, I connected the dots to that voice my mom was listening to.

Even the way she pronounces words is amazing: In "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," when she sings, "Many say that I'm too young" — the way she says "I'm," you can almost see her saying it, like she's all in your face, but you're still right with her. You can really visualize her hands when she sings, "You're tying both of my hands," on "Ain't No Way" — it's the powerful way she hits the word "both."

When you watch her work, you can see why Aretha is who she is. When we did the song "Don't Waste Your Time" on my album Mary, she just went in there and ate that record like Pac-Man. She could be doing a church vocal run, and it would turn into some jazz-space thing, something I never encountered before. You'd say, "Where did that come from? Where did she find that note?"

It's beautiful to see, because it helps people with a lack of confidence in their ability, like myself. I look at her and think, "I need a piece of that. Whatever that is."

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