Black Tennis Pros

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — James Blake is joining Andy Roddick and the Bryan brothers on the U.S. Davis Cup team that will play Croatia in next month's quarterfinals.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe has picked Blake over Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish.

Blake lost in the first round at Wimbledon last week. Fish reached the third round, Querrey the second.

This is the 12th time in the last 13 Davis Cup contests that McEnroe is using the same quartet of players.

The best-of-five quarterfinal will be July 10-12 on an indoor clay court in Porec, Croatia.

Croatia has beaten the U.S. both times the countries have played in Davis Cup — the only country that has a winning record against the Americans.

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(CNN) -- Entertainer Michael Jackson has died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, according to multiple reports including the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. CNN has not confirmed his death.

Jackson, 50, had been in a coma at the hospital, sources told CNN.

Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he was told by brother Randy Jackson that Michael Jackson collapsed at his home in west Los Angeles, California, Thursday morning.

Family members were told of the situation and were either at the hospital or en route, Oxman said.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.

Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.

Asked specifics of the patient's condition, he said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.

The music icon from Gary, Indiana, is known as the "King of Pop." Jackson had many No. 1 hits and his "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time. Video Jackson "as big as it gets" »

Jackson is the seventh of nine children in a well-known musical family. He has three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying.

A large crowd was also gathering outside the hospital, according to video footage.

Outside Jackson's Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home.

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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Five-time champion Venus Williams recovered from an early stumble in her opening match at Wimbledon on Tuesday to beat Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland 6-3, 6-2.

It was Williams' first appearance on Centre Court since the 2008 final, when she beat sister Serena for her second Wimbledon title in a row.

Venus slipped five points into the match, one of several wobbly moments as she began her bid for a three-peat. She double-faulted in the opening game and had to erase two break points. She was passed the first two times she reached the net. She slipped and nearly fell a second time.

Then Williams found her footing, winning 14 consecutive points to help her take a 5-1 lead. She had another spurt in the second set after losing serve for 2-all, and swept the final four games.

Williams improved to 51-4 at the All England Club since 2000, when she won the title for the first time. She's seeded third but is the tournament favorite with London bookmakers.

The new retractable roof again worked as a deterrent for rain, with dry weather for a second successive day. Play began on a cloudless afternoon, prompting an official on the club's public-address system to urge that fans use sun block.

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Wimbledon's first round saw Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeat Kazakhstan's Andrev Golubev 6-3, 5-7, 7⁷-6⁴, 7⁷-6⁵ on Monday.

Tsonga's next opponent will be Italian Simone Bolelli.

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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Serena Williams has advanced to the second round of Wimbledon by beating Neuza Silva of Portugal 6-1, 7-5.

Williams breezed through the first set and then relied on her powerful serve in the second. She did not face a break point in the entire match, only losing nine points on her serve.

Silva sent a shot wide to set up two match points for Williams, who converted the first one when her Portuguese opponent netted a backhand.

Williams is looking for her third Wimbledon title, while the 154th-ranked Silva was making her main draw debut.

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