Serena Williams to rest for a week due to elbow injury

Serena Williams will rest for a week after withdrawing from the Swedish Open due to an elbow problem but is confident the injury will not derail her preparations for the U.S. Open.

Williams, who will bid to complete a rare calendar grand slam at Flushing Meadows, withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Klara Koukalova after sustaining the injury during practice.

"As much fun as we have been having the past 8 or so weeks I have to take some time to let my elbow heal," Williams said in a post on her Facebook page.

"I am confident it will be ready for the rest of the summer. I need some time to recover and rehab it, but as of now I am being forced to take the next week off."

The 33-year-old, who won her sixth Wimbledon singles tennis title this month, is scheduled to defend her title at Stanford from Aug. 3 and play the Rogers Cup in Toronto the following week ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts on Aug. 31. 

Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic pace US Open direct entry list

Serena Williams, bidding for a calendar-year Grand Slam and her fifth consecutive major title, joined fellow world number one Novak Djokovic atop the US Open direct entry lists announced Wednesday.

New York: Serena Williams, bidding for a calendar-year Grand Slam and her fifth consecutive major title, joined fellow world number one Novak Djokovic atop the US Open direct entry lists announced Wednesday.

The US Tennis Association said the world`s 99 top-ranked men and 100 of the top 101 women -- China`s 29th-ranked Peng Shuai absent with a back injury -- will be in the field when the year`s final Grand Slam event begins next month at Flushing Meadows.

Three-time defending champion Williams, who shares the Open Era record of US Open titles with Chris Evert at six, can become the first woman to win all four Grand Slams in the same year since Steffi Graf in 1988.

Williams, who holds all four major titles at once in a second career "Serena Slam," won her 21st Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon earlier this month, putting her third on the all-time list behind Graf`s 22 and the 24 of Margaret Court.

Djokovic, a five-time US Open finalist who won the title in 2011, captured his eighth and ninth Grand Slam titles this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Roger Federer, ranked second and who lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, seeks his sixth US Open crown to add to his record 17 career Slam titles.

Britain`s Andy Murray, the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon winner, and reigning French Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka as well as defending champion Marin Cilic and fifth-ranked Kei Nishikori, last year`s US Open runner-up from Japan, are in the lineup.

So is Spain`s Rafael Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 US Open champion who seeks a 15th Slam crown.

World number two and 2006 US Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia, 2014 US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, two-time US Open champion Venus Williams and former US Open champions Samantha Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova are in the field.

Italy`s 99th-ranked Marco Cecchinato was the last men`s direct entrant while five players used protected rankings to gain a spot in the field, including American Mardy Fish, Germans Tommy Haas and Florian Mayer, Serbian Janko Tipsarevic and Czech Radek Stepanek.

Belgium`s 101st-ranked Kirsten Flipkens was the last woman accepted directly into the event. Those using special rankings status to make the lineup included Czech Petra Cetkovska, Britain`s Laura Robson, American Vania King and Russia`s Alisa Kleybanova.

Serena Williams, Sania Mirza top WTA rankings

21-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams continue to rule the roost in women's tennis. The 33-year-old retained her top spot in the WTA singles' ranking released on Monday. In the doubles' Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis tops the billing

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: 21-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams continue to rule the roost in women's tennis. The 33-year-old retained her top spot in the WTA singles' ranking released on Monday. In the doubles' Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis tops the billing.

Serena, who recently won the 2015 Wimbledon singles title defeating Garbine Muguruza, has 13191 ranking points to top lead the list despite pulling out of the Swedish Open an elbow injury earlier this month. She is followed by Russian star Maria Sharapova at second spot with 6490 points.

Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Agnieska Radwanska, Lucie Safarova, Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro complete the top-ten in the singles.

In the doubles' ranking Sania Mirza has an individual ranking point of 9510, followed by her Swiss partner at second with 8865 points. They have won the Ladies' double title at Wimbledon.

Russians Ekaterina Makarova, Elena Vesnina followed at third and fourth spots respectively. They lost the Wimbledon to the Indo-Swiss pair.

World No. 1 Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal headline a veritable galaxy of tennis superstars seeing action in the second edition of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in December.

Williams, already the winner of 20 Grand Slam women’s singles titles, banners the Philippine Mavericks this time in the Dec. 6 to 8 showcase at Mall of Asia Arena.

“It’s bigger and better this year,” said Clementine Apacible, project leader of the IPTL Manila Leg, during the PSA Forum yesterday at Shakey’s Malate.

“We have 40 icons compared to 27 last year. It’s all for Philippine sports. We get inspiration with the level of play of these athletes.”

Nadal heads to Manila for the first time to suit up for the Indian Aces, which ruled the inaugural event last year behind Gael Monfils and Ana Ivanovic.

Other teams competing in the tournament —which pits current tennis stars, legends and rising players in a unique format—are the Singapore Slammers, United Arab Emirates Royals and the debuting Japan Warriors.

Maria Sharapova, the sport’s poster girl who was the biggest draw here last year, brings her charm and talent to the Warriors after starring for the Mavericks.

Other tennis greats also listed to see action in the five-city tour are World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the Slammers and Roger Federer for the Royals.

Williams, who saw action for the Slammers last year, joins Fil-Am doubles specialist Treat Huey in the Mavericks team along with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Mark Philippoussis, Richard Gasquet, Borna Coric, Jarmila Gajdosova and Sabine Lisicki.

“It’s a treat that they’ll be here,” said national tennis team coach Roland Kraut. “Imagine the impact it had on the kids last year. They were able to interact with the players.”

Early-bird promo tickets are available at SM Tickets until August with the three-day VIP pass priced at P49,000, patron at P40,000 and lower box at P23,000.

Serena Williams is Superwoman With Brains and Power: Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova, 59-time Grand Slam champion, told NDTV Serena Williams, who has been the subject of increasing sexism in world tennis, has the curves of a woman and said there was nothing manly about the Wimbledon champion.

Is Serena Williams the greatest-ever female athlete?

 

 AFP Serena Williams became the holder of all four tennis Grand Slams for the second time in her illustrious career, when she was crowned Wimbledon 2015 champion earlier this month. (Serena Inspired by Ageless Federer)

The US tennis star however, has often faced sexist remarks over her body - that she is built like a man - and the strength she displays on the court. Former tennis legend Martina Navratilova has come out in support of Serena, saying the holder of 21 Grand Slams has 'curves of a lady.' (Calendar Slam no Swear for Serena)
"Serena is built like a man? I don't think so. She has the curves of a woman. Her strength seems to have become an issue as she is perhaps, the most powerful tennis player," Navratilova told NDTV. (Serena, Djokovic Dance Crosses the Line)
"Serena certainly hits the ball harder than most and it takes a lot of ability to do what she does," the tennis great added. (Superwoman Martina Meets Indian Queen Sania)

Navratilova at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in Hyderabad.

© AFP

Navratilova also joked about needing to do bench press with her to determine who would be the stronger between the two.
Serena added another feather to her cap on Tuesday as the WTA Tour revealed that world number one is the first top-ranked player ever with more than twice as many points as her nearest rival. (Sania and Paes' Common Factor is Hard Work: Navratilova)
Records dating to the WTA's 1973 founding show the 33-year-old American's domination to be the greatest of any point in the rankings' history, with Serena on 13,161 points and Russia's second-ranked Maria Sharapova on 6,490. (It's Still Harder for Black People to Win Respect. Even Serena)
In addition to sweeping the US, French and Australian Opens plus Wimbledon over the past 12 months, Serena won last year's WTA Finals in Singapore and at Miami last March to help build her runaway rankings margin.

Serena Williams injures elbow in practice, pulls out of Swedish Open

BASTAD, Sweden -- Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has pulled out of the Swedish Open, citing a right elbow injury.
Tournament spokesman Marcus Duner said the top-ranked Williams was injured while practicing Thursday. He had no immediate details on the injury.
Williams withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Klara Koukalova, who advanced to the quarterfinals by walkover.
Williams sailed through her opening match on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure, four days after winning her sixth Wimbledon title and fourth Grand Slam event in a row.
Duner says organizers are "obviously sad when the world's No. 1 can't continue to play," but that there are still good players left in the draw.

Serena Williams withdraws from Swedish Open due to elbow injury

Serena Williams withdrew from the Swedish Open on Thursday due to an elbow injury, according to the Associated Press.
Williams won her sixth career Wimbledon title on Saturday by defeating Garbine Muguruza in two sets.
A spokesperson for the Swedish Open told the AP that Williams sustained the injury during practice on Thursday. She was scheduled to play Klara Koukalova in the second round after defeating Ysaline Bonaventure in the opening round on Wednesday.
Koukalova now advances to the quarterfinals by walkover.
Williams is the top-ranked women's player in the world, a position she maintained after her Wimbledon win. She has won the first three major tournaments this year and will be seeking the Grand Slam at the U.S. Open.