Win a copy of Serena Williams’ new book

Are you a Serena fan? If so, you don’t want to miss the chance to read her new memoir, “On The Line” out in stores on Sept. 1st. And for five lucky Women Talk Sports winners – the book is free!

One of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has succeeded on and off the court. She’s applied the same strength and determination that helped her to become a champion to successful pursuits in philanthropy, fashion, television and film.

Serena’s 2009 Australia Open championship earned her the #1 world ranking for the third time in her illustrious career – and marked only the latest exclamation point on a life lived well and purposefully.

Her accomplishments have not been without struggle: being derailed by injury, devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister, and criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis. Yet somehow, Serena always manages to prevail.

Learn more about this extraordinary athlete by winning a copy of her new book “On The Line.” To get your copy, you must…

• Follow @womentalksports on Twitter
• CLICK HERE to send the tweet that enters you in our contest.

Winners will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants at midnight PST Monday, August 31st and contacted via Twitter direct message. Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible to win. Please no P.O. boxes.

Good Luck to all!

NPF Championship Series opens today

Polo Ralph Lauren debuts U.S. Open Tennis Collection

With the U.S. Open tennis tournament quickly approaching (competition begins at the end of August), a number of questions are being lobbed around: Will defending champion Serena Williams make another run for the Grand Slam title? Will Maria Sharapova be ready to compete after her troublesome shoulder injury? Who will be ranked No. 1 going into the tournament?

One thing about the U.S. Open that remains certain is what the on-court officials will be wearing: Polo Ralph Lauren.

The fashion house, a sponsor of the hard-court tournament for the last five years, has just debuted the ball boys’ and girls’ outfits, which include red, white, and blue shirts and dresses that feature the label’s signature sportswear details, such as a large polo player and pony and a diagonal banner stripe on the front and back of the clothes.

Tennis – Fun Facts

• Lawn Tennis: The game of tennis as it is played today comes from Great Britain, where it originated as lawn tennis in the mid-1800’s.
• Wimbledon: In 1884 the Ladies’ Singles at Wimbledon was inaugurated, and from a field of 13 players Maud Watson became the champion.
• Tennis Balls: A new tennis ball should weigh two ounces.
• Bouncing Balls: When dropped from a height of 100 inches onto concrete, a new tennis ball should bounce about 55 inches.
• Grand Slam Titles: Margaret Smith Court holds the record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
• Record Holder: Martina Navratilova holds the record for most career singles and doubles titles with over 325.
• 1884/1885: Ladies’ singles tennis competition was added to Wimbledon in 1884. Maud Watson won in both 1884 and 1885.
• Lottie Dod: Lottie Dod won the women’s Wimbledon Championship five times between 1887 and 1893.
• 1897: The first Women’s French Tennis Championship is held.
• Ball Boys & Girls: There are more than 200 ball boys and girls used to fetch tennis balls during Wimbledon.
• Lawn Mower: Wimbledon is the only major tennis tournament still played on grass. The lawn there is cut every day.
• Tennis Dresses: The first women to play in the Wimbledon tournament wore full length dresses.
• Australian Open: Martina Hingis was the youngest Australian Open Women’s Single Champion (16 years, three months) in 1997.
• Wimbledon Wood: A wooden racket was last used at Wimbledon in 1987.
• Equal Pay: In 2007, the men’s and women’s singles winners at Wimbledon each received £700,000. It was the first year that women got as much prize money as men.
• Wimbledon Winner: May Sutton of the United States became the first non-European champion in 1905 when she captured the women’s singles title.
• Love Match: Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi were the first married couple to have won both the men’s and women’s singles Wimbledon Championships.

Wimbledon – Williams sisters through to semis

It’s the USA against Russia in the Wimbledon women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday.

The world top four players have all won their quarter-final matches setting the stage for a possible all Williams final.

First, Venus Williams dismantled 20-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in 1 hour 8 minutes. Then there was a short break and then Serena Williams, on Centre Court, made it two sisters in the semifinals.

With Venus watching, number two seed Serena took out Victoria Azarenka, the 19-year-old from Belarus, 6-2, 6-3.

Serena will play Elena Dementieva after the Russian fourth seed came through 6-2, 6-2 against Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

Top seed Dinara Safina will face the defending champion Venus.

With Serena’s  10 Grand Slam victories to Venus’s 7, could it be another Venus vs. Serena final? It’s looking that way.

American teen Oudin upsets Jankovic at Wimbledon

About now is when Wimbledon get’s interesting.

And to prove the point, American teenager Melanie Oudin pulled off the biggest upset of the first week today, beating former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2.

The No. 6-seeded Jankovic, who was last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, struggled with the heat and was plagued by erratic groundstrokes, while the 17-year-old Oudin played with poise down the stretch and swept the final three games.

Oudin arrived in London with an 0-2 record in Grand Slam matches, and she had to win three qualifying matches to make Wimbledon’s main draw for the first time. She’s ranked 124th and will crack the top 100 for the first time after the tournament.

Playing on Court 3, she wore down Jankovic in an arduous first set. Oudin failed to convert four set points, committing an unforced error each time, but when the 66-minute set ended, it was Jankovic who appeared on the ropes.
A trainer and doctor came on court to check Jankovic. She rested on a towel while being treated, and after several minutes sat up while ice was applied to her neck.

Jankovic played on, but the match turned when Oudin overcame a 5-4 deficit in the second set. She repeatedly won points with drop shots, punctuating winners with shouts of «Come on!» The teenager smacked a forehand winner on the final point, then raised her arms in celebration.

Meanwhile, five-time champion Venus Williams joined Oudin in the round of 16 by beating the 34th ranked Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-4. The two played only once before, when Suarez Navarro upset Williams in the second round at the Australian Open in January.

Williams, whose younger sister Serena reached the round of 16 by winning Friday, meets 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic for a berth in the quarterfinals. Ivanovic advanced by defeating French Open semifinalist Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-2.

Williams is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive titles at the All England Club. The No. 3-seeded Williams is bidding for her sixth Wimbledon championship overall.

So you wanna be a US Open Ballgirl?

So you want to be a US Open Tennis Championships Ballperson? Now is your chance! Open tryouts will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2009 for the chance to be a ballperson for the 2009 US Open, which runs August 31-September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

On June 25, registration begins at 3 p.m. and tryouts start at 4 p.m. at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. All participants must be at least 14 years old.

You will know if being a ballperson is right for you if you meet these criteria:

Are you?…

* A talented athlete?
* With a great throwing arm?
* With pinpoint throwing accuracy?
* Fast and agile on your feet?
* Have quick catching and nimble hands?
* Have a thorough understanding of the game of tennis?
* At least 14 years old (you will need valid New York State Working Papers if selected and you are under 18 yrs.old – Contact your school’s employment office)
* Available for ballperson interviews/callbacks –week of July 14th
* Available for Clothing Distribution and Rookie training – Sunday, August 23rd
* Available to work Tuesday, August 25 through Sunday, September 13th

No prior application needed.
Get your “GAME” on and show what you’ve got!

So, watch a lot of tennis, take a special look at the Ballpersons, start practicing your catching, throwing and sprinting and, if possible, volunteer in a local tournament (check with your section or go to www.USTA.com and look at the Pro Circuit Tournament Schedule) to get some experience! Good luck!

Fifteen year old Laura Robson handed Wimbledon wild card

Britain’s 15-year-old junior Wimbledon champion Laura Robson will be the youngest player to appear in the women’s tournament since Martina Hingis in 1995 after the All England Club announced they had given her a wild card.

When the  grass-court grand slam begins on June 22, the Londoner will be 15 years, 152 days old, and she will be the twelfth youngest competitor since the professional era began in 1968. Robson, who was born in Melbourne and moved to Britain when she was six, currently divides her time between training and homework.

Robson is ranked 482nd in the world, well below the Lawn Tennis Association’s wild card cut-off point of 250th, but was given a slot via a clause that allows juniors in under “exceptional circumstances.” Her name was expected among the wild cards, as a reward for winning last summer’s junior tournament.

Jennifer Capriati, Steffi Graf, Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger and Hingis are among those on the short list of players to have appeared at Wimbledon at a younger age.  Four girl junior champions have gone on to win the main title in the history of Wimbledon. Martina Hingis – who was the youngest at 13 in 1994 – and Amelie Mauresmo are the only two to have done so since 1960.

The All England Club’s decision to award a wild card to another teen girl may cause controversy during the tournament. Michelle Larcher de Brito, a 16-year-old from Portugual, has arguably the loudest grunt in the history of tennis. When Larcher de Brito played at the French Open, an opponent complained to the umpire about the noise on the other side of the net. Larcher de Brito was later booed by the crowd.

Other women’s wild cards were given to American Alexa Glatch, and Britain’s Elena Baltacha, Katie O’Brien, Mel South and Georgie Stoop. Robson and Stoop have a wild card into the doubles.

New #1 Serena visits Leno

The world’s new #1 tennis player, Serena Williams, stopped by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” last night to discuss winning her fourth Aussie Open crown.

The self-described “odd girl” (seems she only wins the Open in odd years), Serena talked about the insufferable Aussie heat, her doubles win with Venus, and some gametime rituals.

Not surprisingly, Serena appeared incredibly happy. Guess that’s how you feel when you’re the top earning female athlete ever!

Serena crushes Safina; Wins 10th Grand Slam title

Serena Williams always selects a special outfit to bring to Australia for a victory celebration. Every second year, she gets to wear it.Williams’ 6-0, 6-3 rout of Dinara Safina on Saturday earned her a 10th Grand Slam title, a fourth Australian title — coming each odd-numbered year since 2003 — and the No. 1-ranking.

“I actually forgot until the end when I was saying hi to my box. They’re like, ‘Hey, you’re No. 1.’ I was like, ‘Oh, yeah,’” she said.

Not that a number means everything.

“I always believe I’m the best, whether I’m No. 1 or 100,” she said. “Just having that extra bonus is pretty cool.”

Williams set aside a stylish black top to wear for the big occasion this time. In between the match, doping tests and media commitments, she changed into it.

“I always bring an outfit for the championships,” she said. “I always try to think positive, and I think it helps me be able to win.”

Good strategy Serena – congrats on #10!

Interview

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