Serena Williams & Venus Williams Playing Style and Their Glorious Achievement-
1994–present:
More recent rankings are much better sourced.
| Year | Players | Country | Sources and Notes |
| 1994 | Steffi Graf (6)/(8) |  Germany | Women's Tennis Association |
| Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |  Spain | International Tennis Federation; John Barrett, Financial Times (London) | |
| 1995 | Steffi Graf (7)/(8) | Germany | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation; John Barrett, Financial Times (London) |
| Monica Seles (3)/(3) |  United States | Women's Tennis Association | |
| 1996 | Steffi Graf (8)/(8) | Germany | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation; John Barrett, Financial Times (London) |
| 1997 | Martina Hingis (1)/(3) |  Switzerland | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation; John Barrett, Financial Times (London) |
| 1998 | Lindsay Davenport (1)/(4) | United States | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation; John Barrett, Financial Times (London) |
| 1999 | Martina Hingis (2)/(3) | Switzerland | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation; John Barrett, Financial Times (London) |
| 2000 | Martina Hingis (3)/(3) | Switzerland | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
| 2001 | Lindsay Davenport (2)/(4) | United States | Women's Tennis Association |
| Jennifer Capriati | United States | International Tennis Federation | |
| 2002 | Serena Williams (1)/(2) | United States | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
| 2003 | Justine Henin (1)/(3) |  Belgium | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
| 2004 | Lindsay Davenport (3)/(4) | United States | Women's Tennis Association |
| Anastasia Myskina |  Russia | International Tennis Federation | |
| 2005 | Lindsay Davenport (4)/(4) | United States | Women's Tennis Association |
| Kim Clijsters | Belgium | International Tennis Federation | |
| 2006 | Justine Henin (2)/(3) | Belgium | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
| 2007 | Justine Henin (3)/(3) | Belgium | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
| 2008 | Jelena Janković |  Serbia | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
| 2009 | Serena Williams (2)/(2) | United States | Women's Tennis Association; International Tennis Federation |
Serena Williams-
 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida |
| Date of birth | September 26, 1981 |
| Place of birth | Saginaw, Michigan |
| Height | 175 cm |
| Weight | 82kg (178lbs) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | US$ 32,773,004 (1st all-time among women athletes and 4th all-time among tennis athletes) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 474–101 (82%) |
| Career titles | 37 WTA |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (July 8, 2002) |
| Current ranking | No. 4 (November 1, 2010) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | W (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010) |
| French Open | W (2002) |
| Wimbledon | W (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010) |
| US Open | W (1999, 2002, 2008) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Championships | W (2001, 2009) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 145–19 (88.4%) |
| Career titles | 20 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 7, 2010) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010) |
| French Open | W (1999, 2010) |
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009) |
| US Open | W (1999, 2009) |
| Olympic Games |  Gold medal (2000, 2008) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career record | 27–3 (90%) |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1999) |
| French Open | F (1998) |
| Wimbledon | W (1998) |
| US Open | W (1998) |
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Women's tennis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for the United States | ||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Doubles |
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | Doubles |
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and currently ranked World No. 4 in singles and No. 5 in doubles with sister Venus Williams. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She is considered to be one of the greatest women's tennis players of all-time in a career hampered by numerous injuries. She regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002.
Williams is the reigning champion in both singles and women's doubles at the Australian Open, in singles at Wimbledon, and in women's doubles at the French Open. Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: 13 in singles, 12 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. Her 13 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list. Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women's singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). She has won more Grand Slam titles in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active female player.
Williams has won two Olympic gold medals in women's doubles. She has won more career prize money than any other female athlete in history. Serena has played older sister Venus in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of these matches. They have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, which was the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
Unstoppable Serena Williams practicing on wheels-
Serena Williams may have suggested a delay in her comeback all the way until spring 2011, but it doesn't mean she's not eager to train. The relentless Serena still has her right leg in the crystal-decorated cast, but that doesn't prevent her from making red carpet appearances and even hitting the tennis court!
Everything's there! Ballet flats (actually, a ballet flat), sunglasses, Swarowski crystals and a tennis racquet! (source: Simply Serena Williams)
Professional career-
Williams played three tournaments during the 2001 North American summer hard court season. After losing in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Los Angeles, Williams captured her second title of the year at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, defeating Seles in the semifinals and World No. 3 Capriati in the final. Williams was seeded tenth at the US Open, where she defeated World No. 6 and Wimbledon runner-up Justine Henin in the fourth round, World No. 3 Davenport in the quarterfinals, and World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals before losing to sister Venus in the final. That was the first Grand Slam final contested by two sisters during the open era.At the 2001-ending Sanex Championships in Munich, Williams defeated Silvia Farina Elia, Henin, and Testud en route to the final. She then won the championship by walkover when Davenport withdrew before the start of the final because of a knee injury. Williams finished 2001 at World No. 6 for the second straight year.
2002–03: Four consecutive Grand Slam singles titles-
Williams playing Amélie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Sydney in 2002
Williams played three clay court tournaments before the 2002 French Open. She reached her first clay court final in May, at the Eurocard German Open in Berlin, losing to Justine Henin in a third set tiebreak. The following week, Williams won her first clay court title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Capriati in the semifinals and Henin in the final. This increased her ranking to a new high of World No. 3. Williams, as the third seed at the French Open, dropped just two sets en route to the final (including a victory over top seed and defending champion Capriati in the semifinals), where she defeated sister Venus 7–5, 6–3. This gave Serena the second Grand Slam title of her career and increased her ranking to World No. 2, behind only Venus.
At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Williams defeated Amélie Mauresmo 6–2, 6–1 in the semifinals to reach the final for the first time. There, she again defeated defending champion Venus 7–6(4), 6–3 to win a Grand Slam singles title without dropping a set for the first time in her career. This victory earned Williams the World No. 1 ranking, dethroning her sister and becoming only the second African-American woman to hold that ranking on the Women's Tennis Association computer. The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at the tournament, the fifth Grand Slam title for the pair in women's doubles.
Serena in Charleston
Williams won two consecutive singles titles in the fall, defeating Kim Clijsters to win the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo and Anastasia Myskina to win the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany. She reached the final at the year-ending Home Depot Championships, where she lost to fifth seeded Clijsters in straight sets, ending her 18-match winning streak.
Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 record, eight singles titles, and the World No. 1 ranking. She was the first African-American (male or female) to end a year with that ranking since Althea Gibson in 1958. She was the first woman to win three Grand Slam titles in one year since Hingis in 1997.
At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams was just three points from losing to Émilie Loit in the first round before eventually winning. Williams went on to reach the semifinals for the first time, where she recovered from 5–2 down in the third set and saved two match points before defeating Clijsters. She faced her sister Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and won 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4 to become the sixth woman in the open era to complete a Career Grand Slam, joining Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Margaret Court. She also became the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously, joining Maureen Connolly Brinker, Court, Graf, and Navratilova. The Williams sisters won their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together at this event.
Williams then captured singles titles at the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, defeating Clijsters in the semifinals and Capriati in the final. The following week, Williams lost the final at the clay court Family Circle Cup in Charleston, USA to Henin, her first loss of the year after 21 wins. She also lost to Mauresmo in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Despite these losses, Williams was the top seed at the French Open. After defeating fifth seeded Mauresmo in the quarterfinals, Williams lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Henin 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, marking Williams's first loss in a Grand Slam tournament since 2001. The match was controversial as Williams questioned Henin's sportsmanship and spectators applauded Williams's errors.
Williams rebounded from the loss at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final 4–6, 6–4, 6–2. This was Williams's second consecutive Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam singles title overall. This was her last tournament of the year, as knee surgery prevented her from competing in the year's remaining events, including the US Open. As a result, she lost the World No. 1 ranking to Clijsters in August, having held it for 57 consecutive weeks. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 3 and with four titles. On September 14, 2003, while Williams was still recovering from surgery, her sister Yetunde Price was murdered.
2004–06: Injuries and inconsistent results-
Williams delivering a serve at an exhibition in November 2004.
She then played three clay court tournaments leading up to the French Open. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, and, the following week at the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, she withdrew before her third round match because of an injured knee. She was away from the tour for four weeks before playing the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost to World No. 9 Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals 6–4, 6–4. Although ranked World No. 7, she was seeded second at the French Open. She won her first four matches over players ranked outside the top 50 before Capriati beat her in the quarterfinals 6–3, 2–6, 6–3. This was the first time she had lost before the semifinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament since Wimbledon in 2001.
She was seeded first at Wimbledon even though her ranking had dropped to World No. 10. She defeated seventh-seeded Capriati in the quarterfinals in straight sets and fourth seeded Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals 6–7(4), 7–5, 6–4 after being down a break in the second set. In one of the most surprising upsets in the tournament's history, 13th-seeded Sharapova defeated Williams in the final 6–1, 6–4. This loss caused her ranking to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since early 1999.
Williams reached her third final of the year at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles on hard courts. She lost there to Lindsay Davenport 6–1, 6–3, which was her first loss to Davenport since the 2000 US Open. Williams then withdrew before her quarterfinal match at the Acura Classic in San Diego with another left knee injury. This injury caused her to miss both the Tier I Rogers AT&T Cup in Montreal and the Athens Olympics. She returned for the US Open, where she was seeded third even though she was ranked World No. 11. She lost there in the quarterfinals to World No. 8 Capriati 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. This match featured several missed line calls, including one that led to the suspension of the chair umpire for the remainder of the tournament. This match is commonly referred to as the impetus for the current challenge system.
Williams played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. She won her second title of the year at the China Open in Beijing, in which she defeated US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Five weeks later, she lost in the second round of the tournament in Linz, Austria to World No. 73 Alina Jidkova but still qualified for the WTA Tour Championships. In the round robin phase of the tournament, she defeated World No. 5 Dementieva, lost to World No. 1 Davenport, and defeated World No. 3 Anastasia Myskina. She defeated World No. 2 Mauresmo in the semifinals 4–6, 7–6(2), 6–4 but again lost to World No. 6 Sharapova in the final 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. Williams trailed 5–2 in the second set when she asked for treatment of an abdominal injury that caused her to serve around 65 mph. She led 4–0 in the third set before Sharapova won the last six games of the match. Williams finished 2004 ranked World No. 7 but did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time since 2001.
At the 2005 Australian Open, Williams rejected suggestions that she and sister Venus were a declining force in tennis following Venus's early exit at the tournament. In the quarterfinals, Williams defeated second seeded Mauresmo 6–2, 6–2. In the semifinals, she saved three match points in defeating fourth seeded Sharapova 2–6, 7–5, 8–6. In the final, Williams defeated World No. 1 Davenport 2–6, 6–3, 6–0 to win her second Australian Open singles title and seventh Grand Slam singles title. The win moved Williams back to World No. 2, and she stated she was now targeting the number one spot.
She did not, however, reach the final at any of her next five tournaments. She withdrew before her quarterfinal match at the Open Gaz de France in Paris, citing a stomach illness. Three weeks later, she retired from her semifinal match with Jelena Janković at the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, citing a strained tendon in her right shoulder. Four weeks later, she lost to sister Venus, for the first time since 2001, in the quarterfinals of the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne 6–1, 7–6(8). The following week, a left ankle injury forced her to retire from her quarterfinal match on clay at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island. Five weeks away from the tour did not improve her results as she lost in the second round of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome to Francesca Schiavone 7–6(2), 6–1. The ankle injury also caused her to miss the French Open.
She returned for Wimbledon as the fourth seeded player, but, after struggling through her first two matches in three sets, she was defeated in the third round by World No. 85 Jill Craybas 6–3, 7–6(4).
Williams hitting a return at the US Open in 2006
Williams did not participate in any of the official warm-up tournaments for the 2006 Australian Open. She then withdrew from tournaments in Tokyo (citing her lack of fitness) and Dubai and from the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne (citing a knee injury and lack of fitness). On April 10, her ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time since November 16, 1997. Shortly after, she announced that she would miss both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a chronic knee injury. She said that she would not be able to compete before "the end of the summer", on doctor's orders. Williams was the defending champion at the Australian Open but fell to World No. 17 Daniela Hantuchová in the third round 6–1, 7–6(5).
Williams returned to the tour in July at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati. Ranked World No. 139 because of her inactivity, she defeated World No. 11 Myskina in the first round 6–2, 6–2 before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva. She also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles, losing to World No. 28 Janković in straight sets.
At the US Open, Williams was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1998 and needed a wildcard to enter the tournament because her ranking was too low. She defeated World No. 17 Ana Ivanović in the third round before losing to top seeded Mauresmo in the fourth round 6–4, 0–6, 6–2. She did not play again in 2006, ending the year ranked World No. 95. This was her lowest year-end ranking since 1997. Williams played just four tournaments in 2006.
2007–08: Return to the top 10-
Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence, stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings, a comment former player and commentator Pat Cash branded "deluded".Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Hobart, Australia, a warm-up for the Australian Open. In the third round, however, Williams defeated fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova, which was her first win over a top 10 player since defeating Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final. In the quarterfinals, Williams was two points from losing to Shahar Pe'er before prevailing. In the final, Williams defeated top-seeded Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–2 to win her third Australian Open singles title and her eighth Grand Slam singles title. Williams dedicated the title to her deceased sister Yetunde. Her performance in the final was described by TENNIS.com as "one of the best performances of her career" and by BBC Sport as "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women's tennis". Williams was unseeded at the Australian Open because of her World No. 81 ranking and was widely regarded as "out of shape".
Williams next played at the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida in late March. In the fourth round, Williams again defeated World No. 2 Sharapova 6–1, 6–1 and in the final, Williams defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin 0–6, 7–5, 6–3 after saving a match point in the second set.
Williams after defeating Dinara Safina in the fourth round of the 2007 French Open
Despite the loss, Williams was one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title. During her fourth round match against Daniela Hantuchová, Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm at 5–5 in the second set. After a medical timeout and holding serve to force a tiebreak, rain forced play to be suspended for nearly two hours. When the players returned, Williams won the match 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–2. Williams then lost her quarterfinal match with World No. 1 Henin 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. Williams started the match with a heavily taped calf and was forced to use a one-handed backhand slice because of a left thumb injury. Williams was criticized for claiming after the match that she would have beaten Henin had Williams been healthy. After Wimbledon, Williams moved up to World No. 7, her highest ranking since 2005.
Because of the thumb injury, Williams did not play a tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open. At the US Open, she beat 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli in the fourth round but lost her third consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinal to Henin, 7–6(3), 6–1.
In October, Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Stuttgart to World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Williams then reached her third final of the year at the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow, defeating Kuznetsova in the semifinals before losing to Elena Dementieva. Nevertheless, Williams's performances at these tournaments increased her ranking to World No. 5 and qualified her for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid. Her participation there was short. Because of injury, she retired from her first match with Anna Chakvetadze after losing the first set and then withdrew from the tournament. Williams finished 2007 as World No. 7 and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.
2009: Back at World No. 1-
At the Medibank International in Sydney, top-seeded Williams defeated Australian Samantha Stosur in the first round 6–3, 6–7(4), 7–5 after saving four match points when Stosur served for the match at 5–4 in the third set. In the quarterfinals against Danish player Caroline Wozniacki, Williams won 6–7(5), 6–3, 7–6(3) after saving three match points when Wozniacki served for the match at 6–5 in the third set. In the semifinals, Williams lost to Russian Elena Dementieva for the third consecutive time 6–3, 6–1.
Williams at the 2009 Australian Open
At the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris, Williams withdrew from the tournament before her scheduled semifinal with Dementieva because of a knee injury. Williams was the top seed at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, a Premier 5 event on the tour. She defeated former World No. 1 Ana Ivanović in the quarterfinals before losing to her sister Venus in the semifinals 6–1, 2–6, 7–6(3).
At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, a Premier Mandatory event, Williams beat the top three Chinese players (World No. 34 Shuai Peng, World No. 17 Jie Zheng, and World No. 40 Li Na) on the way to the semifinals. She then defeated her sister Venus 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. Williams, who played with a left thigh injury, was then upset in the final by 11th seeded Victoria Azarenka.
This was the first of four consecutive losses for Williams, the longest losing streak of her career. She was defeated in her opening match at her first three clay court events of the year, including the Premier 5 Internazionali d'Italia in Rome and the Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. She lost the World No. 1 ranking to Safina on April 20. Despite not having won a match on clay in 2009 before the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals there before losing to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7–6 (4), 5–7, 7–5. This ended her 18-match Grand Slam tournament winning streak.
She rebounded at Wimbledon, saving a match point in defeating fourth seeded Dementieva in the semifinals 6–7(4), 7–5, 8–6. In the final, Serena defeated her sister Venus 7–6(3), 6–2 to win her third Wimbledon title and her 11th Grand Slam singles title. Although Williams was now holding three of the four Grand Slam singles titles, she continued to trail Safina in the WTA rankings, a fact Williams publicly mocked. Williams and her sister Venus teamed to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, their ninth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.
Following Wimbledon, Williams played two Premier 5 tournaments before the US Open. She lost in the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati and in the semifinals, to World No. 5 Dementieva, of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
She was seeded second at the US Open, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in extremely controversial circumstances. While trailing 6–4, 6–5(15–30), Williams's second serve was called a foot fault, resulting in two match points for Clijsters. Williams gestured with her racquet to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her, "I swear to God I'll @#!*% take the ball and shove it down your @#!*% throat." During the subsequent on-court conference between the head judge, the lineswoman, US Open officials, and Williams, a microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman (which could be heard on the TV broadcast), "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious?" This resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct — necessitated by a warning she had received earlier in the match for racket abuse — meaning Clijsters won the match 6–4, 7–5. The following day, Williams was issued the maximum permissible on-site fine of $10,000 (plus $500 for racket abuse). After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her $175,000 in lieu of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events. They also placed her on a two year probation, so if Williams commits another offense in the next two years at a Grand Slam tournament, she will be suspended from participating in the following US Open. If she commits no offenses in the next two years, her fine will be reduced to $82,500. and in an official statement released the following day. She eventually apologized to the lineswoman in a statement two days following the incident. Williams was not suspended from the doubles competition at the tournament and teamed with Venus to win their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year and tenth of their career. Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst, both in her post-match press conference
Williams played only two tournaments after the US Open. At the Premier Mandatory China Open in Beijing, she was upset in the third round by Nadia Petrova. Williams won all three of her round-robin matches at the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Doha, Qatar, defeating World No. 7 Venus Williams, World No. 5 Dementieva, and World No. 3 Kuznetsova. She saved a match point against Venus before winning in a third set tiebreak. She then advanced to the final when US Open runner-up Wozniacki retired from their semifinal match while trailing 6–4, 0–1. In the final, Williams played Venus for the second time in four days, winning once again 6–2, 7–6(4), against her tired and error stricken sister. This was Serena's second singles title at this event.
Williams finished the year ranked World No. 1 for the second time in her career, having played in 16 tournaments, more than any other year. She also broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for the most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year, with Williams earning $6,545,586. In doubles, the Williams sisters finished the year ranked World No. 2 despite playing only six tournaments as a pair. She won five Grand Slam titles, putting her total Grand Slam titles at 23.
Williams was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in a landslide vote (66 of 158 votes – no other candidate received more than 18 votes). She also was the International Tennis Federation World Champion in singles and doubles.
2010: Two Grand Slam singles titles in an abbreviated year-
Serena in doubles action on her way to the single and doubles title at the 2010 Australian Open
At the Australian Open, Williams was the defending champion in both singles and doubles (with sister Venus). She reached the singles quarterfinals without losing a service game or a set, where she eliminated Victoria Azarenka 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–2 after trailing 4–0 in the second set. In the semifinals, Williams defeated 16th seeded Li Na 7–6(4), 7–6(1) on her fifth match point to reach her fifth final in Melbourne and her fifteenth Grand Slam singles final. She then defeated 2004 champion Justine Henin 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 for her twelfth Grand Slam singles title. This was the first time that Henin and Williams had played each other in a Grand Slam tournament final. Williams is the first female player to win consecutive Australian Open singles titles since Jennifer Capriati in 2001–02. In doubles, Serena and Venus successfully defended their title by defeating the top ranked team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final 6–4, 6–3.
A leg injury then caused Williams to withdraw from five consecutive tournaments, including the Premier 5 Dubai Tennis Championships and the Premier Mandatory Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne.
She returned to the WTA tour at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome where she lost to Jelena Janković in the semifinals 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(5) after failing to convert a match point while serving at 5–4 in the third set, and then surrendering a 5–2 lead in the deciding tiebreaker.
At the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, she received a first round bye. In her first match, she made 73 unforced errors in defeating Vera Dushevina in the longest match of her career, 3 hours, 26 minutes, 6–7(2), 7–6(5), 7–6(5). Williams saved a match point at 6–5 in the second set, then injured her upper leg early in the third set. She then fell to 16th seeded Nadia Petrova 4–6, 6–2, 6–3. Williams won only two of her eighteen opportunities to break Petrova's serve. She teamed with Venus to win the doubles title.
At the French Open, she defeated Shahar Pe'er in the fourth round before losing to Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–7(2), 8–6. Williams made 46 unforced errors and squandered a match point at 5–4 in the final set. It was the first Grand Slam tournament that Williams had not won or been defeated by the eventual champion since the 2008 French Open. Williams has not advanced past the quarterfinals at this event since 2003. She also played doubles with Venus as the top seeds. Their defeat of Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the semifinals improved their doubles ranking to World No. 1. They then defeated 12th seeds Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final 6–2, 6–3 to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles title.
Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she defeated Maria Sharapova in the fourth round 7–6(9), 6–4. She then defeated Li Na in the quarterfinals and Petra Kvitová in the semifinals, both in straight sets. In the final, Williams defeated Russian Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–2 without facing a break point and breaking the serve of Zvonareva three-times. She did not lose a set in the tournament. After the match, Martina Navratilova said that Williams is in the "top five" of all the women's tennis players in all of history, which she said that "it's not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win—it's just your game overall. And she’s definitely got all the goods." Serena was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Venus, winning the last two years. They lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Vesnina and Zvonareva 3–6, 6–3, 6–4.
In Munich on July 7, Williams reportedly stepped on broken glass while in a restaurant. She received 18 stitches, but the following day she lost an exhibition match to Kim Clijsters 6–3, 6–2 in Brussels before a world-record crowd for a tennis match, 35,681 at the King Baudouin Stadium. The cut foot turned out to be a serious injury, requiring surgery and causing her to miss all the summer tournaments she had entered, including the US Open. She also missed all the tournaments after the US Open. The absences caused her to lose the World No. 1 ranking to Dane Caroline Wozniacki on October 11, 2010. Williams ended the year ranked fourth in singles despite having played only six tournaments and eleventh in doubles after four tournaments.
2011: Return from injury-
Because of her continuing rehabilitation for her foot injury Serena withdrew from the 2011 Hopman Cup and the 2011 Australian Open.Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters to play exhibition in Hua Hin, Thailand-
Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters will play an exhibition match in Hua Hin, Thailand, on the first day of the new year. Wozniacki has already arrived in Thailand, while Clijsters will be there on Wednesday.
The exhibition event is called the 84 World Tennis Invitation Hua Hin, and the match between Clijsters and Wozniacki will start at 5 pm at Centennial Park, InterContinental Hua Hin Resort. The women’s exhibition will be followed by the match of American twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan against Thai twins Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana.
Wozniacki and Clijsters will sign a get-well book for His Majesty the King at Siriraj hospital on Thursday and after that they will meet Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House. (source: Caroline Wozniacki's official website, photo: r. olczak)
Australian Open 2011: adidas outfits for Henin, Pennetta and Ivanovic-
Thanks to our regular reader Maja J, we are learning about these sneak previews of adidas' WTA stars wearing their clothing for the 2011 Australian Open. We've already talked about the beautiful purple adilibria outfit Ana Ivanovic will be wearing Down Under, but now we're having the photo of the outfit on Ana herself (previously I thought it was a dress, but now I hear it's a skirt and a top), as well as the pictures of Justine Henin and Flavia Pennetta in the designs adidas prepared for them.
Justine Henin will be in more colors than usual with her new SS11 Barricade two-piece ensemble, but I have to say I prefer the less is more approach when it comes to Henin and colors. The outfit, consisting of a polo shirt and skort, will be available in two color combinations of "fresh pink", "intense green" and white.
The name of the line Ana Ivanovic will be wearing is adizero. Her outfit for Australian Open 2011 is royal purple with green, while fresh pink and orange color scheme will also be available. Besides the striking colors, the zipper featured in the top is a nice touch, as well as the elastic waistband.
For Flavia Pennetta adidas opted for a bit more classic design than Ivanovic's, but color palette stayed the same. Pennetta’s adipure line has the outfit shown above for the Australian Open night matches. During the day Pennetta will wear a white tank top with green and purple stripes and a white skirt with an intense green finish.
This was pure adidas talk. If you haven't already seen it, check out what Nike has in store for the first Grand Slam of 2011.
The World's Highest-Paid Female Athletes
Kurt Badenhausen, 08.18.10, 05:30 PM EDT
Tennis players, led by Maria Sharapova, rule as the top-paid women in sports.
The World's 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes
The U.S. Open kicks off at the end of August, and the world's best female tennis players will compete for the final Grand Slam title of the year. But the real action is off the court, as these women jockey for lucrative endorsement deals with apparel, shoe and racket companies.
Serena Williams may be the No. 1-ranked player, but she can not match the earnings power of Maria Sharapova. Thanks to a bevy of endorsements with blue chip companies like Nike ( NKE - news - people ), Sony ( SNE - news - people )Ericsson ( ERIC - news - people ) and Tiffany ( TIF - news - people ), Sharapova pulled in $24.5 million over the past year, making her the highest-paid female athlete in the world. She earned $1 million from prize money, with the rest derived from endorsements and appearance fees.
2011 Australian Open-
| 2011 Australian Open | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date: | January 17 – January 30 | |||
| Edition: | 99th | |||
| Category: | Grand Slam (ITF) | |||
| Location: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |||
| 2010 champions | ||||
| Men's Singles | ||||
| Roger Federer | ||||
| Women's Singles | ||||
| Serena Williams | ||||
| Men's Doubles | ||||
| Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan | ||||
| Women's Doubles | ||||
| Serena Williams / Venus Williams | ||||
| Mixed Doubles | ||||
 Cara Black /  Leander Paes | ||||
| Boys' Singles | ||||
 Tiago Fernandes | ||||
| Girls' Singles | ||||
 Karolína Plíšková | ||||
| Boys' Doubles | ||||
 Justin Eleveld / Jannick Lupescu | ||||
| Girls' Doubles | ||||
 Jana Čepelová / Chantal Škamlová | ||||
| Wheelchair Men's Singles | ||||
 Shingo Kunieda | ||||
| Wheelchair Women's Singles | ||||
| Korie Homan | ||||
| Wheelchair Quad Singles | ||||
 Peter Norfolk | ||||
| Wheelchair Men's Doubles | ||||
 Stéphane Houdet / Shingo Kunieda | ||||
| Wheelchair Women's Doubles | ||||
| Florence Gravellier / Aniek Van Koot | ||||
| Wheelchair Quad Doubles | ||||
| Nicholas Taylor / David Wagner | ||||
Australian Open
| ||||
The 2011 Australian Open is a tennis tournament that will take place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from January 17 to January 30. It will be the 99th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the men's and women's defending champions, respectively. However Williams announced her withdrawal from the event in late 2010 due to rehabilitation for an ongoing foot injury.
Venus Williams-
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Women's tennis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for the USA | ||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Singles |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Doubles |
| Gold | 2008 Beijing | Doubles |
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 5 in singles and World No. 5 in doubles. In a career limited by numerous injuries, she is still considered to be one of the greatest women's tennis players of all time, she has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first African American woman to achieve the feat during the open era.
Williams is the reigning champion in women's doubles at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Her seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth on the all-time list. She is one of only three women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
Williams has won three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in women's doubles. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.
With 43 career singles titles, Williams along with Justine Henin leads active players on the WTA Tour. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest winning streak since January 1, 2000.
Venus has played her sister Serena in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of these matches. They have met in eight Grand Slam singles finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they met in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together. She is also one of only three active WTA players to have made the finals of all four Grand Slams, the other two being her sister Serena Williams and Justine Henin. .
2010: Return to top 2 despite injuries-
Williams played at the Australian Open as the sixth seed. She defeated 17th-seeded Francesca Schiavone in the fourth round. She was two points from defeating 16th-seeded Li Na in the quarterfinals before losing 2–6, 7–6(4), 7–5. In doubles, she teamed with her sister Serena to successfully defend their title, defeating the top ranked team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final 6–4, 6–3. The Williams sisters are undefeated in Grand Slam women's doubles finals and are 4–0 in Australian Open doubles finals.
Williams then played the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was the defending champion. Seeded third, she successfully defended her title by defeating fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the final 6–3, 7–5.
Williams next played on clay at the Abierto Mexico Telcel in Acapulco where she was the defending champion. She reached the semifinals after recovering from a 1–5 third set deficit to Laura Pous Tió in the quarterfinals. In the final, she defeated first-time finalist Polona Hercog from Slovenia 2–6, 6–2, 6–3. This was her 43rd career title, which is the most among active female players.
Her next tournament was the Premier Mandatory Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, where she was seeded third. She defeated World No. 9 Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals and World No. 13 Marion Bartoli in the semifinals to reach her third straight WTA tour final and fourth Sony Ericsson Open final. She was defeated by Kim Clijsters in the final 6–2, 6–1 in just 58 minutes, ending her 15-match winning streak. By reaching the final, her ranking improved to World No. 4 and she crossed the $26 million mark in career prize money, the only player besides Serena to do so.
The knee injury that hampered her during the final of the Sony Ericsson Open forced her to skip the Fed CupPorsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Williams returned to the tour at the Premier 5 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. She defeated Patty Schnyder and Shahar Pe'er before suffering the worst defeat of her career in the quarterfinals. World No. 4 Jelena Janković won their match 6–0, 6–1. Still, her ranking improved to World No. 3 on May 10. tie against Russia and the
Venus Williams at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open.
Her next tournament was the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory tournament. In the third round, she improved her career record against World No. 17 Francesca Schiavone to 7–0. She then beat World No. 8 Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals and routed Pe'er in the semifinals. Aravane Rezaï defeated her in the final 6–2, 7–5 despite Williams holding a 5–2 lead in the second set. In doubles, she teamed with Serena to win the title.
On May 17, her ranking improved to World No. 2, behind only Serena. This was the fourth time in the William sisters' career in which they have occupied the top two spots, but the first time since May 2003.
Her next tournament was the French Open, where she played both singles and doubles despite her knee injury. Seeded second in singles, she advanced past the third round at this tournament for the first time since 2006 before losing to Nadia Petrova in the fourth round 6–4, 6–3. She also played doubles with Serena as the top seeds. Their defeat of Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the semifinals increased their doubles ranking to World No. 1. They then defeated 12th seeded Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final 6–2, 6–3 to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles title.
Her next tournament was the Wimbledon Championships, where she reached the final the last three years. Despite her knee injury, she made it to the quarterfinals, where she eventually lost in the quarterfinals to Tsvetana Pironkova 6–2, 6–3. Pironkova was ranked 82nd in the world and had never gone past the second round of a Grand Slam event. As a result, Williams dropped to World No. 4. She was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Serena, winning the last two years. They lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva 3–6, 6–3, 6–4.
Williams then missed all tournaments in the US Open Series because of a left knee injury but still participated at the US Open as the third seed. She won three matches to move into the fourth round. Williams became one of only two women in 2010 (along with Caroline Wozniacki) to reach at least the fourth round at all four Grand Slam singles tournaments. Williams then defeated Pe'er and French Open champion Schiavone en route to her seventh US Open semifinal, against defending champion Clijsters. In spite of her clear knee injury, Williams dominated the first set of their match and recovered from 5–2 down in the second set but ultimately double-faulted on a key point near the end of the match and lost 4–6, 7–6, 6–4. Because of Serena's withdrawal from the US Open, Venus did not participate at the doubles event where she was the defending champion.
The recovery of her left knee took longer than expected and it forced Venus to miss the rest of 2010, including the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships and Fed Cup final. Venus ended the year ranked fifth in singles, the first time she ended a year in the top five since 2002, while playing only nine tournaments. She finished the year ranked eleventh in doubles.
From Wikipedia-
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