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).

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.

Annika, Venus & Serena among ESPN’s top stories of 2008

December 8, 2008 – As ESPN Magazine says goodbye to 2008,  Chris Jones recounts the best storylines of the entire year in one massive yarn. “The Things We Forget” is a chronicle of 2008 in sports presented in 11 parts. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most of all, you’ll remember.

In particular, check out Part 4 on Annika Sorenstam:

In May, Annika Sorenstam announced that 2008 would be her last year on the LPGA Tour. One of the most dominant athletes of the past decade had decided to disappear. She had known she would retire since the previous winter, when she peeked at her watch on the driving range and wondered if it was time to go home. “I stopped and thought, Wait a minute, I used to love this,” she said. “All of a sudden, I’m watching the clock. That’s when I knew this would be my last year.”

And Part 6 on Venus and Serena Williams:

Of all the great stories of this year, the resurgence of Venus and Serena Williams was the most overlooked. After their domination at the All England Club—the first time they had met in a Grand Slam final since 2003 and the fifth time Venus had won Wimbledon—they snagged doubles gold together in Beijing. Serena then went to New York and won the U.S. Open without losing a set. (Her toughest opponent was Venus in the quarters.) After being ranked as low as 140 two years ago, Serena was once again the best women’s player on the planet. In almost any other year, the Williams sisters might have basked in a long glow. Instead, even for them, 2008 was a flash that was doused too soon.