Black Tennis Pros

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American sisters Venus and Serena Williams display their Wimbledon 2012 Doubles Championship trophies.

Serena Williams may have defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 earlier in the day to lift her fifth Wimbledon Crown and 14th Grand Slam singles title but she was forced to delay any plans for celebration.

There was the small matter of the Ladies' Doubles finals to contest with older sister Venus. By the time the siblings strolled on court to do battle with Czech duo- Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka the clock was showing 9.30pm – the hold-up caused by a particular men’s doubles final involving a chap called Jonathan Marray.

However, it was worth the wait. Exactly one hour and 18 minutes later Venus fired down an ace to secure a 7-5, 6-4 victory earning the sisters their fifth Wimbledon ladies doubles title and 13th Grand Slam ladies doubles win together.

Of course the pair are no strangers when it comes to accruing Grand Slam titles but this particular victory was made all the more special given the health scares they have both experienced over the past two years.

“For me it's been definitely a journey,” Venus said after the match. “ I'm sure it still will be. But I'm definitely very inspired by her [Serena] and everything that she's done. Like I said, we're not into the whole getting defeated thing; we're into the conquering thing."

The Americans faced tricky opponents in the form of the Czech duo, who last year won Roland Garros together. Until the 11th game the match proved to be close, hard hitting affair with both pairs producing sparkling grass court tennis involving thunderous serving and impeccable net play. But a break in the 11th game of the first and the fifth game of the second proved to be the sixth seeds' undoing.

The Williamses have never lost a Grand Slam doubles final together. Venus believes this stems from the fact they get on so well. “I think we just stay really relaxed when we play with each other because we believe in each other so much it helps the other one to stay relaxed.”

Their formidable style of play also helps. “Serena and I both put so much pressure on our opponents with our serves, and our returns are also, you know, very good,” she added.

However, Venus’s greatest inspiration is her younger sister, who suffererd a life-threatening condition last year in the form of a pulmonary embolism.

“I wouldn't be doing this without her. I mean, I feel like Serena was my role model. I couldn't have done any of this without her because she showed me how to win. I think it was a match made in heaven basically. We couldn't have done this without each other,” Venus said.

The sisters both came into the tournament unranked and unseeded and now leave with a doubles ranking between No.40 and 45, Serena a fifth Wimbledon crown and a singles ranking of world No.4. Now at least the party can begin.

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2012 Wimbledon Women's Singles Champion for the fifth time, American Serena Williams celebrates.

Serena Williams mostly battles younger opponents now, the big stage finals that once seemed routine against her sister Venus now seeming like a distant memory as crafty and increasingly confident competitors stake their own claims on Grand Slam success.

Yet 30-year-old Serena retains that same competitive intensity that saw her claim her first Wimbledon title at the 2002 Championships. In notching up her fifth Wimbledon and 14th major victory with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win over Agnieszka Radwanska in a two hour and two-minute final, Serena showed that when she’s in full health, she can also dominate the women’s game for many years to come.

Serena’s victory marked the seventh consecutive Grand Slam with a seventh different female champion. Further showcasing the transient nature of women’s tennis in recent years, first-time finalist Radwanska was the ninth member of the current top 10 women to progress to a Grand Slam final. The other top-tenner, Angelique Kerber, defeated four-time major champion Kim Clijsters to progress to a semi-final for the first time.

But if those statistics had earlier created a sense of an even playing field in women’s tennis, it’s considerably diminished following Serena’s latest success. Never has the prolific champion had to fight so hard to claim a Grand Slam title. Aside from the three-set battles against Zheng Jie in the third round, Yaroslava Shvedova in the fourth and then again in the final, she’s also endured injury and illness problems that would be unimaginable for anybody, let alone a top tennis player.

It had been a triumphant yet frustrating return to the All England Club in 2011; Serena’s appearance at the Championships marked only her second tournament since she’d claimed the 2010 title, but she was uncharacteristically thwarted in the fourth round. Those setbacks, combined with her shock first round loss at the recent French Open, thus made her 2012 victory the most special one of all.

“You know, coming here and winning today is amazing because, you know, literally last year I was ranked almost 200,” Serena said of the career-threatening foot injury, which required multiple surgeries and was followed by a more serious pulmonary embolism. “You know, it's been an unbelievable journey for me.”

The challenges will keep coming for Serena and her rare sign of nerves in the final highlighted her awareness of the younger and equally-hungry opponents with their own dreams of Grand Slam domination. “I have to give credit where credit's due. She started playing really, really well,” Serena said of Radwanska’s second-set fight back , in which she clawed back a break of serve and subsequently pushed the match into a third set. “She started playing excellent grass court tennis, getting a lot of balls back, and I panicked a little bit and I shouldn't have. I usually don't.”

Still, finding a way to win in the highest-pressure situations is what Serena does best. Most telling in this tournament were her straight-sets victories over Victoria Azarenka, the 2011 Australian Open champion and Petra Kvitova, the defending Wimbledon champion. “I think that’s why she’s the great champion, because she knows what she needs to play in the important points ... that it's really tough to beat her.” Kvitova said following her quarter-final exit to the eventual champion.

The post-Wimbledon rankings will see Azarenka return to world No. 1, Radwanska peak at a career high No. 2 and Maria Sharapova sitting in third spot. Serena, who at the same time last year was well outside the world’s top 100, is thrilled to return to world No. 4 – and clearly capable of reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking in the not-too-distant future.

That’s particularly true when you consider that at age 30, Serena is not only serving stronger than ever – her 102 aces throughout the Wimbledon fortnight were a Championship record – but also feeling healthier than she can ever recall.

“I have never felt better,” Serena said. “ This whole tournament I have pretty much been injury‑free. I played so much. Normally I play two events, but this one was different because I played every day, two matches a day for a while. I haven't done that in a long time, and I felt great.”

With her fifth Wimbledon victory and 14th Grand Slam, Serena has seven more majors than any other active player, Venus the next-most successful champion with seven. She’s also within reach of 18 major titles that both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert claimed in their careers - and perhaps, at a stretch, she could even match Steffi Graf’s 22.

Where some players with such records struggle to maintain motivation, Serena only becomes hungrier with every success. The newly-crowned champion was near incredulous when asked what she could possibly want next. “Are you kidding?” she laughed. “The US Open, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon 2013, the Championships.”

It’s not as far-fetched as it might seem. Recent women’s tennis history might show that you never know where the next major champion might come from, but Wimbledon 2012 demonstrated that there’s also little sign that Serena, the most accomplished one of all, will ever leave.

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Tennis player tweets remarking on the death of Whitney Houston:

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Horrible, tragic, sad, unbelievable... the death of Whitney Houston in indescribably devastating.  Ms. Houston's over abundance of talent in her gifted voice from God blessed many of our lives including my own.

At the beginning of her career, I witnessed the sheer beauty of her voice. It was difficult to believe the clarity and perfection that I was hearing. I will never forget the moment that she opened her mouth and mesmerized the audience for that moment in time.



Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated.

Remarks from friends and others:

— "First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage." — Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown, performing a show in Southaven, Miss., hours after her death.

— "I am devastated by the loss of Whitney. We have lost a true angel. My prayers, my heart goes out to her family. We have lost an extraordinary voice to the world. " — singer Lionel Richie.

— "Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed." — Dolly Parton, who wrote the original version of "I Will Always Love you," which Houston later sang for the film "The Bodyguard."

— "She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us." — Barbra Streisand

— "Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth." — Mariah Carey, in messages posted on Twitter

— "I've known Whitney since she was a little girl and I loved her. She was like family to me. I will miss her." — Smokey Robinson

— "Whitney was the reason many of us do what we do." — Pink, in a Twitter post

— "At the apex of her career, Whitney had no peer, with a voice that shaped a generation. She has left behind a musical and film legacy that will endure.... she will be sorely missed by us all." — Bishop T.D. Jakes, producer of Houston's final film project, a remake of the movie "Sparkle."

— "I think her contribution was her excellence of all levels. She was outstandingly gorgeous, an excellent performer ... Excellent vocalist. She was excellent on some many levels, and set the standard for what it is to be a great female artist." — India.Arie

— "She blessed us with so much greatness in songs that we can never ever forget her." — Producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who worked with Houston

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Frenchman Gael Monfils in quarterfinal match against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen

Gael Monfils, who is currently No. 13 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings and third seed at the Open Sud de France, hit nine aces and lost six points on serve in a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in just 54 minutes. Monfils will next face countryman Gilles Simon for their semifinal match.

Monfils reached the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final (lost to Tsonga) in the first week of the 2012 ATP World Tour season. Nieminen dropped to an 8-3 season record, which includes lifting his second ATP World Tour title at the Apia International Sydney (defeated Benneteau) last month.

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(Upper left) Venus and Serena Williams, USA, (lower left) Sloane Stephens, USA, (center) Heather Watson, Great Britain, (right) Simone Pratt, Bahamas.

2012 USA Fed Cup Team

Americans Venus Williams and Captain Mary Joe Fernandez during press conference in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sloane Stephens, USA during practice.

Great Britain's (r)Heather Watson during practice.

Serena Williams, USA and Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, at Official Draw Ceremony.

Simone Pratt, Bahamas also practicing.

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Serena Williams, left, pulls New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's jersey out of a box, before putting it back, while making a Super Bowl prediction during a Fed Cup tennis news conference in Worcester, Mass., Tuesday Jan. 31, 2012. Williams, who is part of the Fed Cup team competing against Belarus this weekend in Worcester, decided to pick the New York Giants. At right is US captain Mary Joe Fernandez.

Members of the US Fed Cup team pose with jerseys as they make each make a Super Bowl prediction during a news conference in Worcester, Mass., Tuesday Jan. 31, 2012. From left to right is Christina McHale (New York Giants), Serena Williams (New York Giants), Mary Joe Fernandez (New York Giants) and Liezel Huber (new England Patriots)

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