Serena Williams - Diary of a Grand Slam Champion

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Serena's service return game's most dangerous weapon
2008-04-30 12:10:00
By James Beck The Post and Courier / Charleston.net Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Serena Williams has a secret weapon on backhand service returns. She shoots straight from the hip. It's almost impossible to jam Serena with a serve into her backhand because of this shoot-from-the-hip technique. Watching several of Serena's Family Circle Cup matches from the baseline from near courtside while
More About: Service , Return , Weapon , Dangerous

Serena unveils Nike 2008 Women's Fall Line
2008-04-25 05:55:00
Tennis player Serena Williams hosts the unveiling of the Nike 2008 Women's Fall Line on April 24, 2008 in Venice California.

Serena attends opening of BAPESTORE
2008-04-24 23:30:00
Serena attended the opening of the BAPESTORE in Hollywood on Wednesday night. A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese clothing company founded by Tomoaki "Nigo" Nagao in 1993. The company specializes in urban and hip hop fashion, operating stores in Japan, including BAPE, BAPE Store, Foot Soldier and the Bape Exclusive store (located in Aoyama, Tokyo). The company also operates Bape Cuts hair
More About: Opening , Serena

Serena wins Family Circle Cup: 3rd Consecutive Title of 2008
2008-04-20 21:11:00
Serena has defeated Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to win her 1st Family Circle Cup title (31st overall). It has been six years since Serena won a clay court title. Today's win vaults Serena to #6 (up from #9). She has also exceeded the $19 million career earnings mark (#6 on all time women's list). What a wonderful start to the season: 3 consecutive finals, 3 consecutive titles, wins over 4 of the
More About: Title , Wins , 2008

There's something about Serena.....
2008-04-20 03:57:00
Per The Family Circle Cup website (http://www.familycirclecup.com/) "Williams improved to 40-11 lifetime in Sony Ericsson WTA Tour semifinals with the win (over Alize Cornet), a 78.4 winning percentage. Even more impressive is her record in the semifinals of events at the Tier I level or higher, which now stands at 28-4 (87.5%). She will now play her second final at this event, having finished
More About: Serena

Family Circle Cup: Final (Sunday)
2008-04-20 03:30:00
FINAL [5] Serena (USA) vs. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) Serena leads Head-To-Head (4-1) (Note: ESPN2 is scheduled to air the match LIVE @1:00pm) Noteworthy: With Serena reaching the final, the eight-time Grand Slam winner has passed the $19 million mark in career earnings (which places her at #6 on the women's all-time list).
More About: Family , Sunday , Final , Circle

Serena Wins: Advances to Family Circle Cup FINAL!
2008-04-19 20:40:00
Serena has defeated Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the Family Circle Cup FINAL! Serena started slow and was down 1-4 in the 1st Set, but like the champion she is, she found a way to turn it around. Serena's Championship battle will be against the winner of the Vera Zvonareva / Elena Dementieva match. She leads the Head-To-Head matchup against both players (4-1). With today's win Serena
More About: Final , Wins , Serena

Family Circle Cup: Semi-Final Saturday
2008-04-19 10:56:00
Semi-Final [5] Serena (USA) vs. Alize Cornet (FRA)Head-To-Head (0-0)(Note: ESPN2 is scheduled to air the match LIVE @1:00pm)
More About: Family , Saturday , Semi , Circle

Noteworthy: Serena vs. (current) Top 5 players
2008-04-18 22:05:00
So far this year, Serena has defeated 4 of the current Top 5 players in the world: (1) Justine Henin, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova, (4) Maria Sharapova and (5) Jelena Jankovic. She has yet to play (2) Ana Ivanovic (this year). Keep up the good work Serena. The ranking of an opponent means nothing to Serena as she's said, "Honestly, I don’t get concerned about who I’m going to play. I’ll go up
More About: Players , Current

Serena slams Maria and ties serve speed record; Advances to Semis
2008-04-18 21:34:00
Serena Williams has defeated Maria Sharapova 7-5, 4-6, 6-1! This was indeed an AWESOME match. Both of these ladies played some spectacular tennis. I must honestly say, when Serena is on, SHE IS ON! Serena extends their Head-To-Head matchup (5-2). Serena said afterwards that "in the 3rd set she played the Serena-Game and what a display it was! It was as if she could do no wrong. The match lasted 2
More About: Speed , Record , Serena , Serve

Clash of the Titans: MARIA vs. SERENA!
2008-04-18 14:53:00
Clash of the Titans : Maria vs. Serena By: John Berkok (http://www.familycirclecup.com/) Just two of the 56 players in the main draw of the 2008 Family Circle Cup had made it all the way to the world No.1 ranking, the pinnacle of women's tennis. In Charleston on Friday the two former No.1s will meet as Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams do battle in the quarterfinals of the Tier I clay court
More About: Clash of the Titans , Clash

Family Circle Cup: Quarter-Final (Friday)
2008-04-18 00:34:00
Quarter-Final [5] Serena (USA) vs. [2] Maria Sharapova (RUS) Serena leads Head-To-Head (4-2) (Note: ESPN2 is scheduled to air the match LIVE @1:00pm)
More About: Family , Quarter Final , Friday , Circle

Serena advances to Quarter-Final
2008-04-17 23:53:00
Serena has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Family Circle Cup, by defeating Katarina Srebotnik 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday. The 3 set match took 2 hours and 13 minutes. Serena will now face Maria Sharapova! This one should be VERY interesting.
More About: Quarter Final , Final , Quarter , Serena

Family Circle Cup: 3rd Round (Thursday)
2008-04-16 23:43:00
3rd Round [5] Serena (USA) vs. [12] Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)Serena leads Head-To-Head 2-0(Note: ESPN2 is scheduled to air a LIVE Match 1:00pm - 2:30pm)
More About: Family , Thursday , Circle

Serena wins opener at Family Circle Cup!
2008-04-16 04:07:00
Serena won her 2nd Round match (and 1st clay court match of the season) at the Family Circle Cup (Charleston, SC) by defeating Gisela Dulko in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 (in an hour and 19 minutes). Congratulations Serena!!
More About: Wins , Serena

Serena and Maria are in Charleston, SC
2008-04-15 23:55:00
Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams sign Family Circle Cup memorabilia on Monday.
More About: Maria , Charleston

Family Circle Cup: 2nd Round (Tuesday)
2008-04-15 00:48:00
2nd Round Serena (USA) [5] vs. Gisela Dulko (ARG) Head-To-Head (0-0) Feature Night Match on Family Circle Magazine Stadium
More About: Tuesday

TENNIS Magazine: The Game-Changers
2008-04-14 02:07:00
The May 2008 issue of TENNIS magazine is a special issue: "40 Years of Open Tennis : From Rod Laver to Roger Federer, We Celebrate the Players and Personalities Who Have Changed The Game ." (Venus) and Serena are featured on page 43: "The Game -Changers : The Sport Was Never The Same After These Five Open Era Champions Played It." (The fiver players included in this feature are: Ivan Lendl, Chris
More About: Magazine

Stay in step with Serena!
2008-04-12 19:58:00
Tired of checking / guessing to see if there is a new entry to the blog? Care to receive automatic notification of updates to this blog? If yes, then take advantage of the "newly added" RSS Feed feature (located on the sidebar beneath the Profile of a Champion). Click "Subscribe To My Blog."
More About: Step , Stay , Serena

Serena's UPDATED (tentative) 2008 Schedule
2008-04-11 19:15:00
Scroll the sidebar (to the right of the page) and you will find (beneath the "Serena Slideshow") Serena's updated 2008 Tournament Schedule . It looks mighty impressive and gives the vibe of a serious commitment towards regaining her #1 ranking. I'm loving it.

Serena chosen as marquee match @ Family Circle Cup 35th Anniversary Kick-Of
2008-04-11 18:33:00
CHARLESTON, SC (April 10, 2008) – Serena Williams has been scheduled to compete in the feature match of the evening during the Family Circle Cup’s 35th Anniversary Kick -Off Celebration on Tuesday, April 15th. Justine Henin has been forced to withdraw from the Family Circle Cup due to a right knee inflammation. The Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 12th - 20th, 2008 at the Family Circle Tennis
More About: Match

Interesting "mailbag" question/answer
2008-04-11 14:57:00
The Williams soap opera: On-again, off-again stars may be most compelling tale by John Wertheim: Tennis Mailbag (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/) (A reader posted the following question to John Wertheim): I don't claim to have watched every match Serena Williams has played, or read every article about them, but it seems to me that if Mary Carillo and almost every other tennis announcer/
More About: Interesting , Question , Answer

Serena: In a class of her own
2008-04-11 14:33:00
by: James Martin, TENNIS.com (posted: 4/2/08)For years, Serena Williams's apologists have argued that little sis is the best player in the world. Forget what the rankings say. Never mind that she's a part-time player with one foot on the court and another in Hollywood. Pay no attention to whether she appears to be in shape. It doesn't matter. When Serena Williams decides to concentrate on tennis, so the apologists tell us, she will beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. For years, I've never been able to bring myself to support this argument. If Williams is not No. 1, for whatever reason, she's not the best player in the world.Well, forget it. After watching Williams destroy Justine Henin in the quarterfinals of Miami this week, I now count myself as one of the converted, a card-carrying member of the Serena Williams appreciation club. How many times do I have to watch Williams pull a disappearing act (in February, she vanished for emergency dental surgery) only to return to the court...
More About: Class

2008 Miami Review
2008-04-10 01:59:00
THINGS SERENA ACCOMPLISHED IN MIAMI:* Tied Steffi Graf with most Sony Ericsson Open Titles (5) ** Now leads Head-to-Head match up with Justine Henin: 7-6 ** (Served a 2nd Set bagel to #1 Justine Henin: 6-2, 6-0) ** Leveled Head-to-Head with Jelena Jankovic: 3-3 ** Maintained position in Top 10 (#9) ** Increased Head-to-Head against Svetlana Kuznetsova: 4-1 **Defeated 3 of the Top 4 Players in the World:#1 Justine Henin, #3 Jelena Jankovic and #4 Svetlana Kuznetsova *
More About: Miami , Review , 2008

Post-Match Interview Snippets
2008-04-06 00:18:00
Q. How far back do you think you've come to your very best level? Is it possible to assess that or not?SERENA WILLIAMS: I think I'm ?? you know, I'm doing more of the right things that I should be doing more. I feel like I have a little more variety in my game. I feel like I'm on the right track. I'm not there yet, and I feel like ?? I've always said I feel like I've never reached my potential. I really want to get there.Q. She (Jelena) said you looked nervous out there. Is that even possible considering you have been playing tennis your whole life?SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know if I was nervous. I know I got tight. I guess you can classify that as nervous. Normally I just close it out. I just didn't make the right shots. Then really though sometimes the wind, it was windy, and I just made the wrong ?? I made the mistakes at the wrong time. Whether it was nerves or not, it was me definitely technically not doing everything I did and I was supposed to do in practice.Q. Does i...
More About: Post , Interview , Match

Serena wins 5th Sony Ericsson Open Title!
2008-04-05 19:18:00
Serena has defeated Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. With this win Serena ties Steffi Graf's record of winning the Sony Ericsson Open 5 times! Serena DOMINATEDthe 1st set, blinked in the 2nd set and slammed the door (after some shaky play and a slew of errors) in the 3rd and final set. Serena had many chances to close out the match and she FINALLY converted on Championship Point #8! (At one point she even smashed her racquet in disgust). All in all, Serena came up with the goods when it mattered most. Even though Serena won this match, her ranking will drop to #10. (Crazy, I know). Serena also leveled the head-to-head match up with Jelena (3-3). On the road to the title Serena dispatched the #1 player in the world (Justine Henin), the #3 (Jelena Jankovic) and the #4 (Svetlana Kuznetsova). The computer may rank Serena at #10 but we KNOW better!Williams survived some shaky play down the stretch and an improbable comeback by Jankovic, who trailed 5-3 in the second set. Williams closed o...
More About: Title

Sony Ericsson Open Women's Final is Saturday!
2008-04-04 09:23:00
FINALSerena (USA) [8] vs. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [4]Head-To-Head (2-3)Stadium Court @ 12:00pm
More About: Sony Ericsson , Sony , Open , Ericsson , Saturday

Final Bound! Serena defeats Svetlana
2008-04-03 22:11:00
WHAT A FIGHT! A 3-set Thriller! After losing the first set, Serena storms back to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. The match last 2 hours and 47 minutes! Serena had 45 winners, 45 unforced errors, 3 double faults and 13 aces. She had a 60% First Serve percentage. During the 1st Set, Serena called for the trainer (medical timeout) for an issue she was having with her back. Serena will now (on Saturday) compete for her 5th Sony Ericsson Open Title. If Serena wins the final, she will not only retain her position inside the Top 10, but also tie Steffi Graf?s record of five singles titles in Miami.
More About: Final , Bound

Sony Ericsson Open: Day 9 (Thursday)
2008-04-03 02:28:00
Semi-FinalSerena (USA) [8] vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [3]Head-To-Head (3-1)2nd match of the day on Stadium Court(Not Before 1:00pm)
More About: Sony Ericsson , Sony , Open , Ericsson , Thursday

Serena SLAMS Justine: 6-2, 6-0 !!
2008-04-02 00:06:00
Williams made the world's top-ranked woman look like a beginner, beating nemesis Justine Henin 6-2, 6-0 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open. Williams won the final 10 games Tuesday by playing nearly flawless tennis, while Henin unraveled after she double-faulted three times to fall behind 4-2."It wasn't easy," Williams said. "It was just the fact of me making the right shots at the right time." Williams' rout of Henin was a stunner, given the drama usually generated by the rivalry. Williams had lost their past three meetings, all in 2007, at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.But Williams beat Henin in the Key Biscayne final a year ago, overcoming two championship points."I wish this was a Grand Slam," Williams said with a laugh. "I'm going to try do this at a Grand Slam, and not only at this tournament." Williams could meet sister Venus in the semifinals Thursday. The older Williams, a three-time Key Biscayne champion, was to play No. 3-seeded Svetlana Kuzn...
More About: Serena