Black Tennis Pros

What can you say about the Family Circle Cup fans and the popularity of you and Serena in Charleston?

"I have enjoyed playing in Charleston. The fans are very knowledgeable about tennis and really seem to rally around the event. Over the years, I look forward to returning to markets where the fans are so excited about our sport."

Why do you think the fan support for you guys is different here?

"There is such a rich tradition of tennis with Charleston, and this market has seen so many of the very best players here. I guess Serena and I are seen as a continuation of the great history at the Family Circle Cup and we are proud of that. The event organizers and Family Circle also deserve a lot of credit for making sure that the fans and players continue to have a great experience."

What do you think you will be doing in 10 years?

"I hope that I have transitioned into a successful career that will focus on my fashion and design interests."

Why is charity work so important to you and what are the projects closest to your heart?

"I realize that my access to the media gives me a chance to help bring awareness to the good work that so many people are doing to help others. I am always impressed on the charitable projects that I work on to see people commit their time to selflessly help others who are in need. I have worked closely with the WTA to establish a gender equality initiative with UNESCO (which is a United Nations charitable organization) to help educate and empower women around the world. This has been a great experience. I have also lent my time to a variety of educational initiatives as well as supporting the Women's Sports Foundation."

When can we expect to see a Venus Starr Interiors outlet open in Charleston?

"Hopefully within the next 10 years."

What do you like so much about interior design?

"The creative process has always intrigued me. Every project is a new creative challenge and I really enjoy seeing my ideas come to life."

What are your favorite things to do in Charleston when you are not playing tennis or watching Serena play tennis?

"The restaurant and food scene is something that I always look forward to. I don't think many people know about how great the culinary tradition is in Charleston."

Why do you think there are not more Americans near the top of the WTA Tour rankings?

"Young people in America have so many options that pursuing a career in sports is not always the first priority. The educational system is great and there are so many great job opportunities. Having said that I have seen some talented young American players. I also believe that things come in cycles and we will see another generation of great American players before long."

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At a time when recreational tennis is on the rise in the United States an emphasis is being placed on recruiting youngsters, Americans are conspicuous by their absence in the late-round singles draws at most professional tournaments.

Officials of the United States Tennis Association say junior development has never been more organized, with national and regional training centers, dozens of former pros as salaried coaches (with Patrick McEnroe as the general manager of elite player development) and a serious commitment to finding future champions.

“There’s no secret formula, and that’s our strength,” says Martin Blackman, a former touring pro, college coach and now the senior director for talent identification and development with the U.S.T.A. He acknowledges a “paradigm shift in the late ’80s” that opened opportunities for players in Eastern Europe and in Latin America.

“What we’re doing at the national level now is complementary and inclusive,” Blackman said.

But critics like Robert Lansdorp, the California stroke guru, and Pete Fischer, who developed Pete Sampras’s serve and his tactical all-court game, say the focus is misguided.

“Everything is fragmented,” Fischer said during a recent telephone interview from California, citing conflicting coaching techniques and different competitive priorities as inhibitors to producing champions. “I don’t see one vision. The U.S.T.A. is graded on how their players do in I.T.F. events. Who cares about that? Short-term goals get in the way of long-term goals.”

Lansdorp, who prefers one-on-one coaching to academy and training centers, said he talked to McEnroe recently.

“He has the right ideas,” Lansdorp said, “but you don’t get a champion out of a group. You have to find talent. And then you have to develop that talent.”

In a phone interview, McEnroe acknowledged the appointment of José Higueras as a national director of coaching.

“The No. 1 important thing is to get a coaching philosophy in place for our program,” McEnroe said.

Of the top 100 ranked players on the WTA Tour as of March 23, only four were American, and two were in the top 10, the Williams sisters, Serena (No. 1) and Venus (No. 6). (The other two were No. 37 Bethanie Mattek-Sands and No. 85 Jill Craybas.) By contrast, 14 Russian women were ranked among the top 100, including 10 in the top 50 and five among the top 10.

The situation is little better on the ATP men’s tour. Spain has 14 players among the first 100, including at No. 1. France has 13. Of the seven Americans in the top 100, only one, Andy Roddick (No. 6), is in the top 10.

Ten years ago, four American women were in the top 10, and 15 among the top 100. Three men from the United States were in the top 10, and 12 in the top 100.

Historically, American tennis champions have developed through a combination of player skill and drive, parental pride and persistence, and the technically sound acumen of a dedicated coach.

For all of his eccentric off-court pronouncements, Richard Williams recognized his daughters’ natural gifts and work ethic, and extracted mechanical refinements and support from a number of quality coaches (Rick Macci and Nick Bollettieri, to name a few). The result: the Williams sisters have combined for 17 Grand Slam singles titles in the last 10 years.

Bollettieri, whose tennis academy in Florida produced Andre Agassi and Jim Courier among others, said players had to be ready to work 365 days a year.

“This is what it takes to be successful in tennis in America,” he said.

The latest examples of works in progress reflect the scope of the search.

Victoria Duval, 13, whose family is from Haiti, won the U.S.T.A. National 14s last year. She lives with her mother and grandmother in Bradenton, Fla., near Bollettieri’s academy, now owned by IMG Academies. Madison Keys, 14, was a finalist in the Orange Bowl 16s, and is scheduled to make her pro debut Monday at a WTA event in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

The Williams sisters played a limited age-group schedule until the age of 14 and tailored their tournament commitments. That may explain why they still have a competitive zest while other No. 1 pros like Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis left the game before turning 25. Clijsters is planning a comeback.

The notion that young Americans won’t pay the same price for success as Russians, Serbs or other Europeans — long hours on the court, weeks away from home, fighting through competitive qualifiers or satellite events in less-attractive places — is as much a topic for debate as whether United States tennis is losing the biggest and best athletes to college scholarships in basketball, soccer and even lacrosse.

“Kids should learn to play tennis exactly the way they learn to play basketball,” said Ray Benton, a lawyer based in Washington who has been involved in the sport for decades as a player, promoter and entrepreneur. He is now the chief executive of a regional training center in College Park, Md.

Recreational recruitment is growing. QuickStart Tennis, a format for three age levels announced last year, is in 1,200 facilities, according to the U.S.T.A. The youngest, 5 to 8, play on a 36-foot court with a foam tennis ball. For preteens, the court is expanded to 60 feet with low-compression balls. The third level plays on the standard court.

“You’re going to see a dramatic improvement in our junior players between 13 and 18 in three years,” Blackman said.

Pancho Segura, who is considered a tactical Yoda in the sport, seems more skeptical. Too many young Americans, Segura said, are using extreme Western-style grips, which yield tantalizing topspin but inhibit an ability to slice, volley and adequately cover low balls.

More important, he added, “They don’t know how to win tennis matches.”

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World No. 1 American Serena Williams gets major cool points from me for her efforts today.

With a heavily strapped left thigh, injured Serena did not default because of the injury that she appeared to have aggravated while playing sister Venus in the semifinals; she came out, competed as best she could and let the chips fall where they may. They fell in her defeat.

Belarusian Victoria Azarenka did what she should have done, take advantage of the fact that she had the World No. 1 player in a position of limited mobility - it's all in the game.

Azarenka placed shots far beyond Serena's restricted reach and attempted to move her around the rest of the time. That had to be Azarenka's game plan because Serena was definitely in no danger of losing based upon Azarenka's serve. Serena responded where she could, but in a lot of instances she simply allowed the balls to fly by.

Azarenka eventually "won" the match 6-3, 6-1.

Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, Serena Williams, USA

Seeing how badly Serena began to yield to her injured leg on Thursday, I didn't anticipate a vibrant Serena coming out for the final, so I wasn't disappointed. Hopefully she will heal soon.

Photos by Getty Images

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Serena Cuevas was chosen to appear alongside American Serena Williams in the new national campaign for G2, Gatorade’s low cal sports drink. The G2 Everyday Athlete Search selected Cuevas among five semi-finalists, all named Serena, based on their personal stories of the role sports and exercise have played in overcoming challenges and adversities.

Take a look at this inspiring upcoming commercial:

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I am very happy to be able to give away these beautiful pajamas to two of you tennis lovers. These pajamas are beautiful, well made and just what you would purchase for your little one.

Whether it is the Tennis Jammies - Snuggly PJ's (4T) or the Tennis Nap N Play Footies (6 Mos), your next-gen tennis player can rock their nursery in style! They will be the envy of all the burp and toddler crowd.


Simply leave a comment on this post and indicate in which New Jammies you are interested. There will be a random drawing on April 30, and the winner will be contacted by email on May 1.

GOOD LUCK!

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On Thursday evening American sisters Venus and Serena Williams provided scintillating rallies as the two battled for a slot in the Sony Ericsson Open Women's Final on Saturday, April 4.

Maintaining her World No. 1 status while securing her place in the championship match, Serena defeated World No. 6 Venus 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The sisters now stand at an even 10-10 in their 20 meetings.


Of the sister's record Serena said, "I definitely knew about it. It's definitely good to even it up. I would love to be in the lead again."

While moderately entertaining, this match was filled with errors. Venus suffered six double faults and the biggest serving players in women's tennis served just above average (for them of course). Additionally, somewhere in the midst of the second set Serena began to have a slight limp, which by mid third set was very apparent. Nonetheless, she soldiered on and ran down every ball that came back across the net.

"Venus never gives up," said Serena. "She gets a lot of balls back and has a massive serve. Just when you get her down she gets an extra umph and plays extra hard. You can't lose focus at all, especially when you're up. You have to actually play better when you're in the lead."

"It was a well fought match," said Venus. "I definitely would have liked to get a few more points off my serve. I think my serve wasn't going as well as I wanted today. But she brought a lot have balls back and played tough. I did the best I could today. I'm just looking to do better always."

"I'm excited because I was thinking that I would love to remain No. 1, so obviously I was really excited about that," said Serena. "I mean, I think I was more happy about that than winning the match at the end."

Serena will meet Victoria Azarenka in the final. The two last played one another in January at the Australian Open at which time Azarenka retired. With regard to meeting Azarenka again Serena said, "She played me really, really tough in Australia. She was not feeling great, but I thought she did a pretty good job."

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Source

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SINGLES

Round 1

Alexandra Stevenson, USA defeated Anna Gerasimou, GRE
6-3, 3-6, 6-4

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated by Sharon Fichman, CAN
6-2, 6-7(7), 4-6


Round 2

Alexandra Stevenson, USA defeated by Yuliana Fedak, UKR
3-6, 1-6


DOUBLES

Round 1

Asia Muhammed, USA and Nicole Gibbs, USA
defeated
Kimberly Couts, USA and Sharon Fichman, CAN
1-6, 6-3, [10-5]


Quarterfinal Round

Asia Muhammed, USA and Nicole Gibbs, USA
defeated
Liga Dekmeijere, LAT and Christina Fusano, USA
2-6, 7-6(6) [10-7]


Semifinal Round

Asia Muhammed, USA and Nicole Gibbs, USA
defeated by
Danielle Harmsen, NED and Kim Kilsdonk, NED
1-6, 0-6


SINGLES

Round 1

Todd Paul, USA defeated by Jesse Witten, USA
4-6, 3-6

Jarmere Jenkins, USA defeated by Artur Chernov, RUS
4-6, 5-7


DOUBLES

Round 1

Jarmere Jenkins and Ty Trombetta, USA
defeated by
Luis Diaz Barriga, MEX and Antonio Ruiz-Rosales, MEX
6-0, 2-6 [6-10]

Todd Paul, USA and Brett Ross, USA
defeated
Ryler Deheart, USA and Ashwin Kumar, USA
4-6, 7-6(3) [10-5]


Quarterfinal Round

Todd Paul, USA and Brett Ross, USA
defeated by
Gastao Elias, POR and Sam Groth, AUS
6-4, 6-4

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