Serena Williams News

Serena Williams told a jury Wednesday that she felt ``harassed'' and ``violated'' when one promoter of a Battle of the Sexes tennis match called her personal cellphone and repeatedly urged her to take part in the event. Serena Williams, testifying in a breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by promoters Keith Rhodes and Carol Clarke, said she thought it was ``unprofessional'' for Rhodes to contact her directly about the event. And she was ...

The father of Venus and Serena Williams testified Monday that he never served as their manager and had no authority to commit the tennis stars to play in a 2001 ``Battle of the Sexes'' match. Richard Williams and his daughters are accused of reneging on a deal to play in the event, costing promoters millions of dollars and prompting a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the family. ``I was never Venus and ...

Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams reneged on a deal to play in a 2001 ``Battle of the Sexes'' match, costing the promoters millions of dollars, a lawyer claimed Friday during opening statements in a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the sisters and their father. ``This case is about the sanctity of a contract, a case about men and women giving their word,'' said John Romano, lawyer for promoters Carol Clarke and ...

A second trial over breach-of-contract allegations against tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams is scheduled to begin Friday. The first ended in a mistrial in December after more than two weeks of testimony. Promoters Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes, owners of the company CCKR, allege in their lawsuit that Richard Williams, the stars' father, committed his daughters to play in a 2001 Battle of the Sexes match and that they ...

Serena Williams is going on a five-day humanitarian trip to Senegal, planning to hold tennis clinics, meet the president and visit the site where Africans were shipped across the Atlantic as slaves centuries ago. The tennis star was invited to Senegal by the U.N. Office of Sport for Development and Peace in New York, where she attended the first U.N. Global Youth Leadership Summit on Monday. Williams wants to see ...

I used to watch Andre Agassi. I just remember his jeans shorts. I remember the Rebel commercials he had with the camera. He was just everything that I aspire to be, not only on the court but off the court.

All of that talk about what a daunting draw Serena Williams had for the U.S. Open sure seems off the mark now. ``I've played myself into the tournament,'' Williams said. Next up: No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo on Monday night. Because her ranking fell so far during a six-month injury absence, Williams needed a wild card just to enter the tournament. Unseeded, she wound up in a tough section, with No. ...

There was Serena Williams, unseeded but overpowering her opponent, then quoting supermodel-turned-reality-TV-star Heidi Klum. There was Martina Hingis, down a set but coming back by using all of her guile and working every angle on court, including smacking one volley left-handed. And there was Marat Safin, winning but muttering to himself, smashing a racket, and _ as only he can _ challenging the validity of an instant replay ruling. It ...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) _ Two-time champion Serena Williams and former top 10 players Chanda Rubin and Alicia Molik were among eight women granted wild cards Wednesday for the U.S. Open. The U.S. Tennis Association also awarded nine wild cards for Open qualifying, including one to 25-year-old Alexandra Stevenson, who in 1999 became the only female qualifier in history to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. Williams, who ...

MASON, Ohio (AP) _ Serena Williams took another step in her comeback from a chronic left knee injury, beating Bethanie Mattek 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals in the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. Williams, playing in her first tournament since the Australian Open in January, will face Amy Frazier in the quarter-finals Friday. ``I'm ...