Stuttgart: 2nd Round (Wednesday)

2nd Round

Serena Williams (USA)[1] vs Na Li (CHN)
Serena leads Head-to-Head 1-0
Center Court

* This match follows V. Azarenka (BLR) vs. A. Radwanska (POL) (which will not start before 5pm/11am EST).

Serena battling to keep #1 ranking

With Jelena Jankovic winning the China Open, she comes within 21 points of Serena's number one ranking. With the number one ranking pretty much on the line, here's a scenario of how things could play out for Serena and Jelena. If one of the two loses second round and the other goes further, the one who goes further will be No.1; if they both lose in the second round, Jankovic will be No.1. If Williams wins her second round match, Jankovic's chances of becoming No.1 diminish significantly - Jankovic would have to do two wins better than Williams, so she would have to be either runner-up (with Williams losing in the quarters) or champion (with Williams losing in the semis). If Williams reaches the final, No.1 is safe, win or lose.

Carlos Rodriguez speaks on state of WTA

Too many great women's champions are retiring early and leaving some of the tour's biggest honors to those who should have needed more time to achieve them. Had Belgian and seven-time grand Slam champion Justine Henin not unexpectedly retired in May at the relatively young age of 26, this topic might not be ripe for discussion. But with Henin joining other former Slam champs under the age of 29 like Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Anastasia Myskina in early retirement, it's worth noting.

"That's the face of tennis today, with a player who is reaching No.1 without winning a Grand Slam," Henin's coach Carlos Rodriguez told FOXsports.com of Jankovic, who was 0-9 against Henin. "It's a sign. She's a good player, but when you see Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters, they not only win Grand Slams, but they have the charisma. They give something extra, not only hitting balls. There's more behind them."

Rodriguez says that one of the reasons that Henin is retired is that she's looking to prove to herself that she can do more than just "hitting the ball" and will only likely consider a comeback once she has taken a very necessary mental break. But what Henin left after she retired from her most dominant season ever in 2007 is a tour with three legitimate Hall of Fame players and a bunch of developing competitors who really couldn't hold her worn out pair of socks."I have a lot of respect for the other players, but outside of the Willamses and Sharapova, the rest are still really poor," Rodriguez said.

"Outside of the Williams sisters and Sharapova, there are no players on tour who can consistently win ugly when the chips are down, their bodies are aching and their foes are zoning on them. That's part of the make-up that Henin had, her innate ability to fight like an alley cat even when being attacked by every mangy dog in the alley."

"You can't teach that," Rodriguez said. "You can learn a lot of things, but you cannot change the natural personality of a player. With Serena, Venus, Justine and Jennifer Capriati, they have the personality that even when they weren't enjoying it, they could go through. There's no question that Maria, Serena and Venus are far and away from the other players. Their quality is too good."Henin put a hurt on all of those players, who also got back at the Belgian in some of the finest matches the tour has seen this century. They may not miss losing to her, but Serena and Sharapova have admitted to missing the thrill of the battle against Henin, trying to figure out which strategy would work against the cagey all-courter's high-variety game.

But Henin isn't coming back anytime soon, if at all, so now it's up one of three other elite players to see if they can dominate like the Belgian did in 2007.

Then there's Serena, she of nine Grand Slam titles and with the ambition to go well into the double digits. Now 27-years-old, Serena appears to be on a one Grand Slam per year pace. She's capable of doing better, but time is running short, and there's little room for the party circuit if she's ever going to dominate again. She, Venus and Jankovic will tee it up in Stuttgart this week. If Serena wants to stay at No. 1, she's going to have to keep her mind focused on the next six weeks — not an easy task after a hard year and when the offseason beckons.

"Serena has the quality, and everything she needs mentally and physically to do it she has," Rodriguez said. "But is she going take care of herself and prepare to go into action? If she does that, I think Serena has another two or three great years left."

Team Williams win 1st Round match in Stuttgart

Venus and Serena Williams have defeated Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) and Agnes Szavay (HUN) 6-4, 6-1 in 1st round action in Stuttgart, Germany. Their next opponenets will be the winner of Marie Elena Camerin (ITA)/Flavia Pennetta (ITA) vs. Andrea Hlavackova (CZE)/Lucie Hradecka (CZE). Great job Team Williams! Lookin' good!

Stuttgart - 1st Round - Doubles (Monday)

1st Round
Venus/Serena (USA)[4] vs D. Hantuchova (SVK)/A. Szavay (HUN)
CENTER COURT

Not before 6pm (12pm EST)

* The matches are scheduled to air on EUROSPORT. I have found that the following links allow viewing of the EUROSPORT Channel (but tournament TV coverage does not begin until TUESDAY):

http://www.free-watch-tv-online.com/live/eurosport.html http://www.craftytv.com/tv/watch/channel/Eurosport.html

Williams Sisters also playing doubles in Stuttgart

Spectators at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will be able to savour another sporting highlight: Serena and Venus Williams will not only be playing in the singles but also in the doubles. “Sister Act - Part 2” in the Porsche Arena: the reigning US Open and Wimbledon singles winners proved twice this year just how powerful they are as a pair. After winning the doubles in Wimbledon together, they then teamed up to take the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing. In Stuttgart the Americans are seeded No. 4 and will meet Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) and Agnes Szavay (HUN) in the first round. The match will probably be scheduled for Monday.

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Main Draw

World #1 Serena Williams leads the charge as the #1 seed at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (in Stuttgart, Germany) beginning Monday. Wow! It has been quite some time since Serena has been the #1 seed in a tournament. To grab her 1st Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title, Serena may have to clear the following field:

1st Rnd - Bye

2nd Rnd - Nicole Vaidisova / Na Li

Quarterfinal - Svetlana Kuznetsova

Semifinal - Elena Dementieva

Final - Venus / Dinara / Jelena

Noteworthy: The Williams Sisters are also playing doubles! I'm so excited!! The Williams Sisters: phenomenal singles and doubles players, a former and current world #1, Grand Slam and Olympic champions, living under the same roof, and after all these years, very much relevant to the game of tennis. The ULTIMATE Sister-Act!

Williams Sisters arrive in Stuttgart

Two of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix’s superstars are in town. Serena and Venus Williams landed at Stuttgart airport on Saturday and have checked into the Hotel Hilton Garden Inn Stuttgart NeckarPark. Whilst Serena, the world No. 1, her hitting partner Sascha Bajin and a friend arrived in Stuttgart on schedule from Miami via Düsseldorf, her sister, who was booked on another flight, had a trip with difficulties. Her flight from Miami to Frankfurt was cancelled as the aeroplane had a technical fault. She was forced to rebook and was eventually able to fly to Stuttgart via Zürich along with her father Richard, hitting partner David Witt and a friend – but only after a seven hour delay.

The sisters therefore arrived totally unplanned at Stuttgart Airport only five minutes apart from one another. Much to the delight of Tournament Director Markus Günthardt, who only had to make one “welcome to Stuttgart” journey. “I would have been very happy to have driven to the airport twice,” he said, “but Serena and Venus are both here. That’s the main thing.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SERENA!

Happy 27th Birthday Serena! May God forever bless and keep you.

Serena attends event celebrating Israel and movie producer, Arnon Milchan

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Serena Williams, Seal, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and other celebrities gathered to toast movie producer Arnon Milchan during a Hollywood event at Paramount Studios that celebrated the 60th anniversary of Israel.

News Corp. President Peter Chernin presented Milchan with a lifetime achievement award from the Citizens' Empowerment Center in Israel, a nonprofit that promotes democracy and civic involvement.

During his acceptance speech, Milchan brought tennis star Serena Williams on stage to share the limelight during the soiree. Milchan and Williams met in 1998 when the one-time Israeli fertilizer merchant controlled the television rights to the Women's Tennis Association and brokered Williams' endorsement deal with Puma. "He was one of the people who always believed in me," Williams said.

Serena and Common in Vancouver

Serena Williams practices at Vancouver Lawn and Tennis Club while boyfriend Common plays Malkin Bowl
by: Marc Weber, The Province

Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club members got a Grand Slam-sized surprise Wednesday. World No. 1 women's tennis player Serena Williams - whose rumoured boyfriend, hip-hop artist Common, performed at Malkin Bowl last night - showed up at the club for a two-hour practice. Word spread Tuesday night, and by 9 a.m. Wednesday members began to gather for an up-close look at the U.S. Open champion.

Williams eventually arrived at 12:45 p.m. and about 75 people watched indoors as the nine-time Grand Slam winner went through hitting and agility drills, interspersed with text-message sessions.

Afterwards, Williams - who proved that if you're good enough, you can violate a club's dress code - said she was enjoying her first trip to Vancouver. "I like it, it's such a beautiful day today," said Williams, who pulled out of this week's Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo with an ankle injury. "Venus [her sister] told me that Vancouver was a really pretty city. I got to see the water and everyone was great at the [club]."

She played coy when asked if she was in town to see Common - "maybe, maybe not," she said, laughing. For club member Pamela Steen, soaking up some Serena was a dream come true. "The funny thing is that I often dream about tennis when I've had a lesson, and I had a lesson Tuesday and I had her in my dream that night," said Steen. "Then I showed up and there she was. I didn't believe it. "It was amazing. She hits hard balls and her movement - she's just really beautiful out there."

Williams signed Steen's tennis bag and spent a few gracious minutes with members. One girl who snuck in a few words was Jenny Gjine of Sentinel Secondary. The 14-year-old, up-and-coming player skipped a class for the rare chance to see the world's best player in person. "What an amazing chance," Gjine said.

"On TV, it seems not real. When you get to see someone in real life like that, it just inspires you to play. It makes me want to get out there and hit and get as good as her. "I said, 'Congratulations for winning the U.S. Open,' and she said, 'I hope you do well in your tennis.' "

Serena vs The Top 10

Serena Williams (owner of 9 Grand Slam singles titles) is currently the #1 player in the world. This is her Head-To-Head matchup versus the current Top 10 players on the WTA tour:

• Serena vs. (2) Jelena Jankovic: 4-3
• Serena vs. (3) Ana Ivanovic: 1-0
• Serena vs. (4) Elena Dementieva: 4-2
• Serena vs. (5) Dinara Safina: 4-1
• Serena vs. (6) Maria Sharapova: 5-2
• Serena vs. (7) Svetlana Kuznetsova: 4-1
• Serena vs. (8) Venus Williams: 9-8
• Serena vs. (9) Vera Zvonareva: 5-1
• Serena vs. (10) Agnieszka Radwanska: 2-0

Serena rules the roost versus the Top 10 players in the world. Quite impressive!

Another Fashion Week Serena-sighting

Serena Williams attends Baby Phat Spring 2009 at Roseland Ballroom on September 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic).

Serena's story to be published in 2009

A memoir by Serena Williams will be released in 2009 by Grand Central Publishing, which beat out a handful of other publishers bidding for the life story of the No. 1 ranked women's tennis player.

"Serena Williams is one of the world's most remarkable athletes," Grand Central editor Karen Kosztolnyik said Tuesday in a statement. "We've watched her rise to No. 1 despite physical and emotional setbacks, and her hard work and determination have inspired legions of fans young and old. Serena will give her memoir a strong motivational slant."

Financial terms for the book, currently untitled, were not disclosed, although a publishing official with knowledge of the negotiations said bidding reached at least $1.3 million. The official, citing the confidentiality of the negotiations, declined to be identified.

Williams, 26, has won nine Grand Slam titles and, with sister Venus Williams, won a gold medal in women's doubles at the recent Olympics in Beijing. Grand Central Publishing is a division of the Hachette Book Group. - Associated Press

Serena: US Open Champion (Wilson Ad)

Gotham & Hamptons celebrate Serena's win

Serena Williams attends Gotham and Hamptons magazines' celebration (in her honor for winning the US Open), at Pacha on September 11, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Malcolm Brown/Getty Images)

Serena at Calvin Klein Fashion Show (Part 2)

Serena's possible $1 Million dollar book deal

At least three publishers are currently vying for the rights to a book by nine-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams; offers are reportedly approaching $1 million and Suzanne Gluck at William Morris is said to be planning on meetings with the top three bidders.

The memoir by Williams, who just won her third U.S. Open last week, will include elements about race and her faith; according to two publishers who passed on the 30-page proposal given the expected steep price tag, sample chapters included one on a searing experience she had at a tournament a few years ago, and another on her trip to Africa. Veteran collaborator Dan Paisner, who’s worked on books with Montel Williams, Ed Koch, George Pataki and Whoopi Goldberg, among others, is co-writing.

Serena’s sister Venus sold a book to Dawn Davis at HarperCollins's Amistad imprint in July just after beating Serena to win her fifth Wimbledon title; The Coach Matters: Life Lessons Beyond the Playing Field is slated to be published in summer 2010, so readers may be in for another battle of the sisters.

by Matthew Thornton -- Publishers Weekly, 9/12/2008 11:58:00 AM

Serena attends Vivienne Tam fashion show

Serena attends the Vivienne Tam Spring/Summer 2009 fashion show