Black Tennis Pros

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)—Outgoing WTA Tour chief Larry Scott says he began thinking about leaving tennis when his proposal for a merger with the men’s tour was rejected last year.

Scott will become Pac-10 Conference commissioner this summer after six years as chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA Tour.

Long an advocate for merging the women’s tour with the men, Scott met with the ATP board of directors in December to discuss his plan.

“For a variety of reasons it wasn’t accepted,” he said Wednesday. “It’s clear that tennis, for whatever reasons, isn’t ready for that vision to be realized.

“And then I realized, you know, I’ve done most of the major things that I could want to do. And if this coming together of the men’s and women’s tours is impossible right now, maybe it is a time to think about what else I could do that could be gratifying.”

Scott’s departure on July 1 was announced Tuesday. With three small children, he said the amount of travel was another reason for his decision.

“This Pac-10 opportunity really affords me the opportunity to sort of put away my passport for a little while,” he said.

Several top players said they were sorry to see Scott leave, and they praised his leadership in the growth of the sport. The women’s tour says revenue has increased 250 percent under Scott.

“We’re all sad,” Venus Williams said. “He had a special vision and the personality and character and talents and abilities to carry it out. It takes someone special like him.”

Scott said his greatest achievement was equal prize money for men and women at the sport’s 10 biggest events, including the four Grand Slam tournaments. He said he leaves the women’s tour in good shape financially despite the recession.

“All our major revenue contracts are long-term agreements that aren’t coming up soon,” he said. “We haven’t lost any tournaments or title sponsors. I think women’s tennis is holding its own extremely well compared to other sports.”

Speaking at the Sony Ericsson Open, Scott said he favors a merger of the tours because he believes both are hurt by differences in rules, branding and sponsorship.

“The easier we make it for fans to follow tennis and understand, the more following there will be, and the stronger we’ll be commercially,” he said. “We would present the sport in a less fragmented way if it was together.

“An example: This tournament, if you’re a fan in Europe, you watch the men’s matches on one channel, the women’s matches on a different channel. That can’t be the smartest way to present the sport.”

Read the rest of this post...........

CORRECTION: This is NOT Russian Dinara Safina. While the photo houses have it labeled as such, the very sharp eye of Facebook friend Molly James correctly identified the photo as Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.


Whoaaaaa!

I usually upload these photos, publish the post and that's that. However, an entire day later I am still looking at Russian Dinara Safina. When I originally posted the photos I was reluctant to put her name under the picture because I didn't think that it was her.

This young lady totally morphed into a glamazon! Her glam squad deserves every nickle. She even made sure not to have the "sock feet" that a number of other ladies neglected to address, and you all know who you are.

Very impressive - kudos Safina!

Read the rest of this post...........

MIAMI - MARCH 25: Sony Ericsson Open players and others arrive on the red carpet of the Liv Nightclub at the Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami, Florida.

Rafael Nadal, Spain

Serena Williams, USA

Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland

Producer Wyclef Jean

Jelena Jankovic, Serbia

Vania King, USA

Novak Djokovic, Serbia

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA

Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia

Maria Sharapova, Russia

Actress Megan Goode and football player Thomas Jones

Mary-Joe Fernandez, U. S. Fed Cup Captain

Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark

Fernando Verdasco, Spain

Singer Santigold

Ryan Sweeting, Bahamas

Photos by
Marc Serota/Getty Images for Sony Ericsson
WireImage

Read the rest of this post...........

MIAMI, March 25 (Reuters) - Serena Williams believes the United States needs to get more tour events if it is to address the lack of American women in the top 100 -- and she could be willing to play a role in bringing about that change.

The world number one is followed by her sister Venus, number six in the rankings, but the only other American women in the top 100 are Bethanie Mattek (37) and Jill Craybas (85).

The anticipated flood of talent following the emergence of the high-profile Williams sisters has not happened with the rankings dominated by East Europeans -- or as Serena puts it: "It seems like there are 12 Russians in the top 10".

"I just think, when I was growing up there were lots more tournaments in the United States, a lot more American players, now there are five or six tournaments and no American players.

"You don't see the players, they are in Europe and Asia which is where all the players are coming from," Williams told Reuters in an interview arranged by the WTA Tour's sponsor Sony Ericsson.

In recent years, a popular WTA tournament in San Diego has been dropped and Williams said this could have a knock on effect on attracting young girls to the sport.

"We have got to get tournaments back, like San Diego which was well established but was cancelled. Those tournaments were the ones I grew up watching. I grew up going to (the event at) UCLA because it was close to me. My Dad would take us there and I wanted to be a tennis player because of going there," she said.

ENTICE TALENT

The 27-year-old Williams said she could be interested in a role, after her playing days are over, trying to entice tournaments back to the U.S and developing young talent.

"That could be interesting it would be fun to get a lot of support back -- that is the only way we will get the players," she said.

Williams though has not completely given up hope on the next generation of players making the breakthrough.

"There are a few American players coming up, they are really, really young and haven't got attention yet and you never know.

"I didn't get much attention when I was very young, I came out of nowhere. I am hoping the same thing can happen," she said.

Despite her sadness at the decline of U.S. tennis, Williams boycotts one of the biggest events in Indian Wells -- where she was jeered by the crowd in 2001 after Venus pulled out of a semi-final clash with her sister.

Although that event has become one of the new mandatory tournaments, with penalties for non-attendance, Williams skipped this year's edition and says she has no intention of ever returning.

"I don't play Indian Wells, I haven't played it for forever and I will never play it again. After that bad experience there is no need for me to go back, I've been there and I left in glory," she said.

Read the rest of this post...........

Serena Williams announced this week that she's partnering with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) to launch her new line of accessories and clothing called Signature Statement.

The collection will feature a wide range of jewelry, handbags and knits, starting around $29.95 and topping out at $100.

"I always want to make a statement both on and off the court," Williams told Women's Wear Daily. "One of my dreams has always been to share gorgeous gifts of fashion and luxury with the world. Off the court, my passion is fashion. Signature Statement is my own line of accessories and fashion, complete from jewelry to dresses."

The collection will be available April 30 and be exclusive to HSN. Williams has already been running her Aneres clothing line for the last five years, which is available in most department stores.

Read the rest of this post...........

FEDERER RECEIVES DOUBLE HONOUR

Roger Federer continues to shine as the fairest and most popular player on the ATP World Tour after the 2008 ATP World Tour Awards were announced in Miami today. Fellow players voted Federer the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for a record fifth consecutive year. Only Edberg himself won the award five times (over eight years). And in a poll of fans, Federer for the sixth consecutive year was voted ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite.

Of his dual honours, Federer said: “It is great to receive two more awards. It is always important for me to be a good sportsman on the court and give the right example for others to follow and hopefully inspire the next generation. It also means the world to me to be the fans’ favourite player for the sixth year in a row. The support I receive from the fans around the world is so motivating and it is humbling to receive this award once again."

ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal and ATP World Tour Doubles Team Champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic were announced as the Player of the Year and Doubles Team of the Year respectively.

James Blake won the prestigious Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for his many charitable efforts, including several fundraising initiatives for cancer research.


Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Of The Year

James Blake: In the summer of 2008, James Blake announced the creation of the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with the goal of raising $1 million for cancer research within 12 months. Important fundraising initiatives include his tennis charity exhibition Anthem LIVE! and the J-Block merchandise program. Blake also helps to raise funds for the Harlem Junior Tennis Program and hosts the organisation’s annual fundraising event each year.

Most Improved

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No. 43 to No. 6): The top Frenchman broke into the Top 10 with two titles, including his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 shield in Paris. He made an impressive showing at the year’s first Grand Slam, upsetting No. 9 Murray, No. 8 Gasquet and No. 2 Rafael Nadal before falling to No. 3 Djokovic in the Australian Open final. The 23 year old missed three months of the season after undergoing right knee surgery in May, but compiled a 16-4 record upon his return. He won his first ATP World Tour title in Bangkok (d. Djokovic), and beat three Top 10 opponents – Djokovic, Roddick and Nalbandian – to win the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and clinch a Tennis Masters Cup berth. Tsonga won 20 more matches than the previous season, best among the Top 10.

Read the rest of this post...........

KEY BISCAYNE, FL - MARCH 25: Serena Williams and other ladies of the WTA talk to the media during day three of the Sony Ericsson Open at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on March 25.

Ana Ivanovic, Serbia

Venus Williams, USA

Vera Zvonareva, Russia

Photos by Al Bello/Getty Images

Read the rest of this post...........

KEY BISCAYNE - MARCH 24: Fernando Gonzalez (C), Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (L) and Nenad Zimonjic (R) feed the dolphins at the Miami Seaquarium prior to the Sony Ericsson Open on March 24, 2009 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Read the rest of this post...........