Serena Williams: Watch 'superhero' tennis star stop phone thief

Watch as "superhero" Serena Williams stops a thief who tries to steal the tennis superstar's phone from a restaurant.

Williams, who later described the incident in full on her Facebook page, said that she received a standing ovation when she returned to the restaurant with her phone.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion wrote: "I just showed every man in there I can stand up to bullies and other men. It was a win for the ladies!"

Serena Williams plays Superwoman to get her cell phone back

Say you’re out for Chinese food in San Francisco when a stranger walks over, grabs your cell phone and makes a run for it. What do you do?

If you’re tennis star Serena Williams, you don’t wait for the man you’re dining with to play knight in shining armor. You leap up, chase the thief through the restaurant and down the sidewalk, confront him — politely — and get your phone back.

“Omg that dude took my phone!!” Williams, 34, posted on Facebook about her Tuesday night encounter with a thief at Mission Chinese. Alongside a photo of herself dressed as Superwoman, Williams recounted the tale in prose as breakneck as a volley at Wimbledon.

“Not thinking I reacted (hence the superwoman photo) I jumped up, weaved my way in and out of the cozy restaurant (leaping over a chair or two) and chased him down. He began to run but I was too fast. (Those sprints came in handy) I was upon him in a flash!”

The restaurant’s surveillance video showed a bald man in a white shirt carrying a jacket and walking by the four-person table where Williams and a bearded companion were seated across from one another. Williams’ phone and other items were on a chair to her left. The man passed the table, turned, retraced his steps and fiddled with his jacket.

The video shows Williams looking down at the chair beside her and appearing to notice something wrong and standing up. The video cuts to the man leaving the restaurant. Williams is seen seconds behind him. Outdoor video showed her striding up the Mission Street sidewalk and approaching the man, who put on his jacket as he turned to face her.

Williams continued the narrative on Facebook:

“In the most menacing yet calm no nonsense voice I could muster I kindly asked him if he ‘accidentally’ took the wrong phone. He stumbled on his words probably not expecting this to happen. While he was thinking of the right thing to say and eventually he said ‘Gosh you know what I did! It was so confusing in there. I must have grabbed the wrong phone.’”

Lindsey Vonn ‘Really Proud’ Of Serena Williams Despite ‘Brutal’ US Open Loss

The weight of a nation proved too hard for Serena as she crashed out of the US Open during the semi-final stage, but Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn has nothing but respect for the tennis great, HollywoodLife.com can EXCLUSIVELY reveal.

We were all left a little deflated when Serena Williams, 33, lost to Roberta Vinci, 32, in the US Open semi-finals on Sept. 11. Despite her shocking loss, fellow sports great Lindsey Vonn, 30, has revealed she’s very proud of the tennis legend, HollywoodLife.com has EXCLUSIVELY learned! Find out what she had to say.

We caught up with Lindsey at the Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2016 show during NYFW on Sept. 12, and asked her how she felt about Serena’s defeat to Roberta, who ended the world number one’s quest for a Grand Slam. “I was really disappointed,” Lindsey told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “I understand Serena’s position, it’s just really brutal and sometimes you have off days, and unfortunately it was at a really bad time, but she played such an amazing tournament and technically she’s won 4 grand slams in a calendar year. I think she’s an amazing athlete and I’m really proud of all she’s accomplished.”

That’s nice of Lindsey to say, who has also suffered her own disappointments in her professional sporting career. Lindsey missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics after suffering a knee injury, and was unable to defend the downhill gold she had won at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics so famously. But maybe, just maybe, she will be fit enough and ready for the 2018 Winter Olympics in ‎Pyeongchang, South Korea. Fingers crossed!

Serena Williams Wished Drake Hadn’t Come To US Open Match: Does She Blame Him For Loss?

As HollywoodLife.com told you, Serena was surprisingly beaten by Roberta at the US Open semi-finals in front of her rumored boyfriend Drake, 28, who didn’t bring her any luck whatsoever when watching the match. The rapper even faced a fan backlash for being a curse!

We learned exclusively that Serena wished that she hadn’t invited her new beau to see her play until she had actually reached the final! “She doesn’t blame Drake but would have rather him not have shown up ’til the finals,” an insider EXCLUSIVELY told us.

Do you agree with Lindsey’s sentiments towards Serena, HollywoodLifers? Let us know in the comments below!

Twitter blames Drake for jinxing Serena Williams

Serena Williams lost the most heart-breaking match of her career during the U.S. Open yesterday, and the Internet has blamed her rumored new boyfriend, rapper Drake, for the loss.

Williams lost in her semifinal match to Roberta Vinci of Italy on Friday afternoon 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Soon after her bid for the first Grand Slam since 1988 came to a halt in shocking fashion, the hashtags 'blamedrake' and 'drakecurse' started trending on Twitter.

'Wherever Drake cheers, losing follows. The curse continues. #SerenaWilliams', one social media user shared on Friday.

'Drake jinxed Serena man,' another person wrote on Twitter.

The popular theory blaming the rapper for her loss circulated on social media with several users taking hits at him.

"Drake is the Jessica Simpson to Serena's Tony Romo" one user wrote on Twitter followed with the hashtag 'BlameDrake'.

"Drake jinxed Serena man," another user posted on the social media site.

The hip-hop mogul, who stood in the stands rooting Williams on, had even before Friday developed a reputation as bad luck for teams and athletes.

For example, Drake watched on as his favorite college team the Kentucky Wildcats, whose undefeated season ended in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament against Wisconsin Badgers.

He has also been blamed for Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel's 'lackluster' career, the Seattle Hawk's most recent Super Bowl loss and for LeBron James's cramps during his last year playing with the Heat, according to the Washington Post.

This is not his first time he has attended one her matches as he has been pictured previously during the Rogers Cup in 2011, but Williams won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 against Zheng Jie.

After the match a heartbroken Serena was spotted leaving the stadium with her rumored boyfriend Drake, with the two getting into the same car and driven away from the facility.

Serena did not even change before leaving, seeming to want to get out as quickly as possible following her loss.

Vinci, who is unseeded, will now take on countrywoman Flavia Pennetta in the final on Saturday.

Pennetta upset Simona Halep - the number two seed - earlier in the day.

Serena seemed to be well on her way to the final after blasting past Vinci in the first set, but the Italian began rallying better in the second set, and by the final games of the third Serena appeared exhausted on the court.

By the time Vinci hit her final winner - a volley at the net - Serena appeared ready to leave.

She graciously shook her opponent's hand before immediately leaving the stadium, waving to the fans as she made her exit.

Serena appeared to be having problems with her ankle during the match and had the trainer tend to her at one point.

Serena, 33, had not lost in a major since Wimbledon in 2014 prior to her defeat on Friday, and had only lost two matches this season.

Serena kept things brief during her press conference following the match, saying; 'I don't want to talk about how disappointing this is for me. If you have any other questions I'm open to that.'

She did compliment Vinci's performance during the match.

I thought she played the best tennis in her career,' Williams said.

"You know, she's 33, and you know, she's going for it at a late age. So that's good for her to keep going for it and playing so well.

"Actually, I guess it's inspiring. But, yeah, I think she played literally out of her mind."

When asked about the pressure put on her by those hoping to see her win the Grand Slam, Serena said; 'I told you guys I don't feel pressure. I never felt pressure. I don't know. I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.'

The entire press conference lasted exactly three minutes.

Rumored boyfriend Drake cheered Serena on during the match from a private suite, and some are now jokingly blaming her loss on him.

Serena was aiming to become the first woman since Steffi Graff in 1988 to win all four majors in the same calendar year.

She was also aiming to match Graff's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player in the Open Era.

Prior to Friday, she had never lost to Vinci, who at 32-years-old is just a year younger than Serena.

What's more, she had never even lost a set to Vinci, and defeated her in Toronto last month.

Vinci apologized to the crowd after her victory.,

"For the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam and everything,' she said.

"But today is my day. Sorry, guys.'"

She then added; 'It's an incredible moment for me. It's amazing. It's like a dream, you know? I'm in the final. I beat Serena. I think [it's] the best moment of my life.'

When asked later about how she managed to play so well, Vinci told reporters; 'In my mind, I say put the ball on the court. Don't think.

'Try to put all the ball on the court. Don't think about that Serena is in the other court. And run, you know, when you put the ball, run. Don't think and run. And then I won.'

Vinci used her trademark slice expertly in the final two sets, making it near impossible for Serena to generate any pace on the ball and forcing her to play Vinci's game.

She grew increasingly frustrated during the contest, receiving a code violation at one point for smashing her racket.

Vinci now becomes the lowest ranked played to reach the finals of the US Open since 1997 - when Serena's sister Venus took on Martina Hingis.

Serena played her sister in the quarterfinals here in another three set match, pulling out that victory 6 - 3 in the third.

Vinci and Pennetta - who used to be roommates - played each other in the quarterfinals of the 2013 US Open, with Pennetta winning in two sets.

Speaking with ESPN, Serena's mother Oracene Price - who seldom comments on her daughters - admitted that she appeared to be felling the pressure of the Grand Slam bid.

Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou added that she did not appear to be herself when he spoke to her earlier in the day.

Despite a high number of unforced errors - 40 to Vinci's 20 - Serena had a good day, hitting 50 winners and winning 93 points, more than her opponent who had 80 for the match.

She did suffer four breaks of serve, but also managed to break Vinci four times as well.

Serena also had four double faults, which were balanced out by her 16 aces.

Serena Williams Contemplates Life After Tennis

Williams will not actually launch her North American hard court campaign until Tuesday or Wednesday against Italy’s Flavia Pennetta, so all of Monday’s action took place in a posh VIP lounge where the world number one took questions from the media.

The 33-year-old Williams, with her 21 Grand Slam titles and more than 15 years of elite play, is an intimidating presence to most opponents.

Well rested and relaxed after sitting out the Stanford event with a sore right elbow, Williams was asked by a playful Wozniacki, “obviously I am the coolest person you know, why is that?”

But the tennis pro insists that it’s not necessarily her language or temper that are the real problems, but sexism – as men who’ve had similar outbursts receive considerably less attention and criticism for them.

Recently Serena Williams showed off her love possibly for her boyfriend Patrick Mouratoglou on Instagram. I’ll just do athleticwear’.

Besides looking tres chic for photographer Norman Jean Roy, Williams talks about racism, her budding fashion career and that Grand Slam thing in an interview with writer Kerry Howley.

“It was special for both of us”, the 25-year-old from Denmark said. “It was great when Chris Evert was around”. But the “90s was not a good time”.

The profile itself largely focuses on Serena’s unparalleled dominance in tennis and her post-retirement fashion ambitions-the story starts with her ineffectively trying to sell her line, Serena’s Signature Statement Collection, on HSN. And if she looks like a natural at modeling, that’s because she had plenty of practice last year when she graced the cover of Vogue (for the second time). “I’m really happy with my body type, and I’m really proud of it”.

Graphite Against a Sharp White Background

One Sunday afternoon, drinking an Arnold Palmer, watching the 2009 Women’s U.S. Open semifinal you are brought to full attention by the suddenly explosive behavior of Serena Williams. Serena in HD before your eyes becomes overcome by a rage you recognize and have been taught to hold at a distance for your own good. Serena’s behavior, on this particular Sunday afternoon, suggests that all the injustice she has played through all the years of her illustrious career flashes before her and she decides finally to respond to all of it with a string of invectives. Oh my God, she’s gone crazy, you say to no one.

What does a victorious or defeated black woman’s body in a historically white space look like? Serena and her big sister Venus Williams brought to mind Zora Neale Hurston’s “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.” This appropriated line, stenciled on canvas by Glenn Ligon, who used plastic letter stencils, smudging oil sticks, and graphite to transform the words into abstractions, seemed to be ad copy for some aspect of life for all black bodies.

Hurston’s statement has been played out on the big screen by Serena and Venus: They win sometimes, they lose sometimes, they’ve been injured, they’ve been happy, they’ve been sad, ignored, booed mightily (see Indian Wells, which both sisters boycotted for more than a decade), they’ve been cheered, and through it all and evident to all were those people who are enraged they are there at all—graphite against a sharp white background.

For years you attribute to Serena Williams a kind of resilience appropriate only for those who exist in celluloid. Neither her father nor her mother nor her sister nor Jehovah her God nor the Nike camp could shield her ultimately from people who felt her black body didn’t belong on their court, in their world. From the start many made it clear Serena would have done better struggling to survive in the two-dimensionality of a Millet painting, rather than on their tennis court—better to put all that strength to work in their fantasy of her working the land, rather than be caught up in the turbulence of our ancient dramas, like a ship fighting a storm in a Turner seascape.

The most notorious of Serena’s detractors takes the form of Mariana Alves, the distinguished tennis chair umpire. In 2004, Alves was excused from officiating any more matches on the final day of the U.S. Open after she made five bad calls against Serena in her quarterfinal matchup against fellow American Jennifer Capriati. The serves and returns Alves called out were landing, stunningly unreturned by Capriati, inside the lines, no discerning eyesight needed. Commentators, spectators, television viewers, line judges, everyone could see the balls were good, everyone, apparently, except Alves. No one could understand what was happening. Serena, in her denim skirt, black sneaker boots, and dark mascara, began wagging her finger and saying, “No, no, no,” as if by negating the moment she could propel us back into a legible world. Tennis superstar John McEnroe, given his own keen eye for injustice during his professional career, was shocked that Serena was able to hold it together after losing the match.

Though no one was saying anything explicitly about Serena’s black body, you are not the only viewer who thought it was getting in the way of Alves’ sightline. One commentator said he hoped he wasn’t being unkind when he stated, “Capriati wins it with the help of the umpires and the lines judges.” A year later that match would be credited for demonstrating the need for the speedy installation of Hawk-Eye, the line-calling technology that took the seeing away from the beholder. Now the umpire’s call can be challenged by a replay; however, back then after the match Serena said, “I’m very angry and bitter right now. I felt cheated. Shall I go on? I just feel robbed.”

And though you felt outrage for Serena after that 2004 U.S. Open, as the years go by, she seems to put Alves, and a lengthening list of other curious calls and oversights, against both her and her sister, behind her as they happen.

Yes, and the body has memory. The physical carriage hauls more than its weight. The body is the threshold across which each objectionable call passes into consciousness—all the unintimidated, unblinking, and unflappable resilience does not erase the moments lived through.

And here Serena is, five years after Alves, back at the U.S. Open, again in a semifinal match, this time against Belgium’s Kim Clijsters. Serena is not playing well and loses the first set. In response she smashes her racket on the court. Now McEnroe isn’t stunned by her ability to hold herself together and is moved to say, “That’s as angry as I’ve ever seen her.” The umpire gives her a warning; another violation will mean a point penalty.

Serena becomes overcome by a rage you recognize and have been taught to hold at a distance for your own good.

She is in the second set at the critical moment of 5–6 in Clijsters’ favor, serving to stay in the match, at match point. The line judge employed by the U.S. Open to watch Serena’s body, its every move, says Serena stepped on the line while serving. What? (The Hawk-Eye cameras don’t cover the feet, only the ball, apparently.) What! Are you serious? She is serious; she has seen a foot fault, one no one else is able to locate despite the numerous replays. “No foot fault, you definitely do not see a foot fault there,” says McEnroe. Even the ESPN tennis commentator, who seems predictable in her readiness to find fault with the Williams sisters, says, “Her foot fault call was way off.” Yes, and even if there had been a foot fault, despite the rule, they are rarely ever called at critical moments in a Grand Slam match because “You don’t make a call,” tennis official Carol Cox says, “that can decide a match unless it’s flagrant.”

And as Serena turns to the lineswoman and says, “I swear to God I’m fucking going to take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat, you hear that? I swear to God!” As offensive as her outburst is, it is difficult not to applaud her for reacting immediately to being thrown against a sharp white background. It is difficult not to applaud her for existing in the moment, for fighting crazily against the so-called wrongness of her body’s positioning at the service line.

She says in 2009, belatedly, the words that should have been said to the umpire in 2004, the words that might have snapped Alves back into focus, a focus that would have acknowledged what actually was happening on the court. Now Serena’s reaction is read as insane. And her punishment for this moment of manumission is the threatened point penalty resulting in the loss of the match, an $82,500 fine, plus a two-year probationary period by the Grand Slam Committee.

Serena Williams Withdraws From Bank of West With Hurt Elbow

STANFORD, Calif. — World No. 1 Serena Williams has withdrawn from the upcoming Bank of the West Classic because of an elbow injury she says must get "back to 100 percent."
The tournament announced her withdrawal Friday. It runs Aug. 3-9 at Stanford University.
Williams expressed her disappointment and noted, "The tournament is one of my favorites and the fans have always been so generous and supportive of me."
Williams recently won her sixth Wimbledon championship, 21st Grand Slam singles title overall and fourth consecutive major event — the "Serena Slam" — and she also won four Slam events in a row in 2002-03. She will now look to chase a fifth straight at the U.S. Open in August.
Fifth-ranked Caroline Wozniacki will make her Bank of the West Classic debut, and as the top seed.