U.S. Open players step up the fashion game

The U.S. Open tennis tournament kicks off next week, and the competition is going to be fierce— both on the court and on the fashion front.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are collaborating with Nike on their respective clothing lines, and this year you’ll see  Fila-sponsored Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki wearing Stella McCartney and Vera Zvonareva wearing K-Swiss .

Here’s a sampling of U.S. Open looks that might catch your eye.

It’s not just the gals sporting new fashions for the Open. Rafa Nadal will wear Nike yellow and black in honor of New York City’s taxi cabs while Andy Murray will be sporting a Fred Perry ensemble in Scottish blue featuring a polo shirt and tailored white shorts.

And what will the always fashionable No. 1 seed Roger Federer be wearing? A red-and-black Nike collection featuring his monogrammed logo underneath the buttons on his polos.

Wimbledon – Williams sisters win doubles

Three-and-a-half hours after the women’s singles final at Wimbledon, Venus and Serena Williams took to Centre Court again but this time they were on the same side of the net.

The Williams sisters  put sibling rivalry them to win the women’s doubles title in emphatic style.

As the sun dipped down behind Centre Court’s roof, the Serena and Venus teamed up to win their fourth Wimbledon women’s doubles title, defeating Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs of Australia 7-6 6-4.

It was consolation of sorts for Venus, who had lost the women’s singles final to her sister earlier in the day.

Serena beat her older sibling 7-6 6-2 to deny her a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles titles, while at the same time claiming a third Sw19 crown of her own.

Venus has now lost six of the eight grand slam singles finals she has played against Serena, three of them at Wimbledon.

Still, it was a good day for the American ladies.

Serena, when asked about her motivation and attempt to regain the world No. 1 ranking said:

You know, I’m not super motivated. I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No. 1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so…

You know, my motivation is maybe just to win another Grand Slam and stay No. 2, I guess (laughter).

(Note: Despite being eliminated in the semifinals at Wimbledon, Dinara Safina remains No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Go figure).

WTA Dubai Update; Visas, Quarterfinals & More

Venus Williams is on course for a possible semi-final clash with her younger sister Serena after beating Alize Cornet 6-3 6-1 at the WTA Barclays Dubai Championship.

The 19-year-old Cornet, from Nice, proved no match for the Wimbledon champion, who will now face Elena Dementieva in the quarter-finals.

Venus was forced to mix up her game more than usual against an opponent who has risen more than 50 spots in little more than a year.

Russian fourth seed Dementieva came through 6-1 6-3 against Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues, while French Open champion Ana Ivanovic also made it through to the elite eight after defeating Camille Pin 6-2 7-6 (7-5).

Top seed Serena Williams won 6-4, 6-2 against Zheng Jie the Wimbledon semi-finalist from China . Serena now plays Ivanovic for only the second time.

But former world number one Jelena Jankovic is out after losing 6-2 7-5 to the 16th-seeded Estonian, Kaia Kanepi.

Jankovic attributed her loss to a bad performance (rather than a worthy opponent). “This was the worst match of my career. It was a horrible day. I kept framing the ball, kept making unforced errors and could not put two balls together on the court. I didn’t move properly, and I didn’t see the ball properly.”

Visa Controversy

Earlier this week, Israeli Shahar Peer was denied a last minute visa to compete in Dubai despite qualifying for the event. The tournament’s organizers supported the decision to deny Peer a visa, saying local tennis fans would have boycotted the championships if she had been allowed to compete.

So why is Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram receiving a visa by the United Arab Emirates to play in Dubai?

The double standard is reprehensible. Shahar earned the right to be in the tournament just as Ram did. WTA officials criticized the decision and said they may consider dropping Dubai as a future site. How would the ATP have responded had the same thing happened to one of their ballers?

Athletes should never get caught in the middle of politics. Ever.

2009 Australian Open Women’s Main Draw

January 15, 2009 – The 2009 Australian Open women’s singles main draw was announced on Friday at Melbourne Park. With Sharapova unable to defend her crown, the field is wide open.

World number one Jelena Jankovic, who just recovered from a virus that forced her to withdraw from Sydney, is in the same half of the draw as her compatriot Ana Ivanovic as well as Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva.

After a stellar six month spell that seen her propel up the rankings to a career high of world No.2, Safina is now a genuine Grand Slam contender. She is currently the highest-ranked Russian from their army of players, which should give her added confidence.

Second seed Serena Williams could potentially face Beijing gold medalist and Sydney finalist Elena Dementieva, 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams along the way to her fourth championship AO match. The earliest the Williams sisters could meet is in the semifinals.

Toughest of the women’s first round matches sees No.11 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark play 2007 quarterfinalist Shahar Peer of Israel.

 View the complete Women’s Singles draw at the Australian Open website.

Bid on Maria Sharapova’s bag, Venus & Serena’s signed T-shirt and more

December 10, 2008 – Make it a Christmas to remember. If you’re looking for that perfect holiday gift,  Maria Sharapova is auctioning off an autographed Nike duffle bag to support her Foundation. According to her site, the bag is “a soft gold color accented by shimmery gold trim. The bag has been personally used by Maria and is gently worn.”  Bid here.

Looking for more ideas? How about a signed Justine Henin visor or apparel from some of your favorite 2008 Olympians?

Right To Play – the international humanitarian organization that promotes health, developing life skills and peace for disadvantaged communities and children – is offering a variety of items donated by athletic superstars such as Venus and Serena Williams, Chemmy Alcott, Paula Radcliffe and numerous 2008 Beijing Olympians. Bid for these items through December 15th on eBay ebay.com/righttoplay.

Henin in line for rare Golden Slam

Dec. 29, 2007 – It may be the year of the Golden Slam for tennis in 2008 and realistically only one women player is in the running.  Justine Henin finished the year as clear No.1 in her sport and is set to dominate again.

What, you may ask, is a Golden Slam? It’s winning all four Grand Slam events plus Olympic gold in the same calendar year. And it’s is a huge challenge.

To date only Steffi Graf has achieved the rare feat in 1988 when tennis returned to the Olympic fold in Seoul. Since then, in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) – no-one has come close.

The 25-year-old Henin won the French and US Opens in 2007 to break clear of the chasing pack and put her on top of the rankings. But she slumped badly at Wimbledon and that will be her biggest challenge once again as well. Her long-time coach and mentor Carlos Rodriguez says they are fully aware of how taxing the year is likely to be for her.

Who her main rivals will be remains to be seen. The Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are major threats, especially at Wimbledon, while Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo can both trouble her if they are fully fit. But it is maybe from rising Serb stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic that the main threats to Henin’s predominance will come.