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The 23-time Grand Slam title winner and part owner of an NFL team, continued:

I just want to be able to do other things that I’m doing and expand on that. I think that helps keep my motivation up … I don’t love tennis today, but I’m here. I can’t live without it.

It’s not that I’ve fallen out of love with it. I’ve actually never liked sports and I never understood how I became an athlete,” Williams continued.

I don’t like working out, I don’t like anything physical. If it involves sitting down or shopping, I’m excellent at it.

And Williams is not alone. According to recent polls, more than half of this nation’s population is unsatisfied with their jobs and more than 70 percent are “not engaged” in their work. The polls also reveal that there has been a downward trend in job satisfaction for more than two decades – no doubt exacerbated by the recession (one study showed that employee disengagement costs $300 billion in productivity a year).

Clearly, even Serena can’t turn her job into just “shopping” so here are nine tips for overcoming a job that has lost its luster:

1. CHART IT OUT

Take a moment to write down a long-term career plan and then visualize how the job fits into your grand scheme. [americasjobexchange.com]

2. MATERIALIZE THE VISION

Keep a tactile, visible reminder that this job is a stepping stone on your path by creating a Post-it note vision board. Many people post pictures of loved ones in their cubicles; perhaps now is the time to add yourself to the picture. [lifehack.com]

3. STAY FOCUSED

Avoid making “I hate my job” a mantra (especially when speaking with co-workers or supervisors) and consider focusing on aspects of your job that are enjoyable and fulfilling. Having a renewed focus gives you the agency to pursue greater opportunities that involve tasks that you do enjoy. If it’s difficult to identify these aspects, make an effort to compliment a co-worker on a job well done at least once a week, you may start to discover what you love by examining what you admire. [believedreamlove.com]

4. LEARN TO LOVE

Identify what you don’t like about your job – just one aspect for now – and then find something good about it. For example, if you don’t like writing a weekly report, maybe you’ll start to appreciate it as the one time a week that you get to truly reflect on and acknowledge what you’ve accomplished. [drzimmerman.com]

5. LEARN TO LOSE

If ideas No. 3 and No. 4 fail, see if you can “delegate, swap, or de-emphasize” the parts of the job you don’t like. [resumark.com]

6. FIND FREEDOM

If idea No. 5 fails, imagine what work you’d be willing to do for free and then consider what it is that you love about that type of work and determine if it can be applied to your current job. For example, one writer discovered that what he actually loved about playing soccer as a child was “quickly finding solutions to problems on the field and planning tactics before the game to get an advantage.” Now he applies this tactic to his work with tech companies.  [lifehacker.com]

7. HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY

If you are not learning anything new, you wake up every day dreading the rest of your day, you don’t get along with any of your co-workers, or you are not earning enough to pay your bills, it may be time to quit. Be as planned as you can in quitting, though, and make looking for your new job, your second job. Make sure you save several months of pay in reserve before you jump out there (even if you secure a new job, there will be a transition period before your first new check clears). [money.usnews.com]

8. KEEP GROWING

If it’s the field or the work that you love, but not so much the company or the title, pursue continued learning classes that your job offers so that your skills are sharp. It will boost your resume, which you should update regularly along with online profiles. When an opportunity to take a new position arises, you will be prepared. [americasjobexchange.com]

9. TAKE CHARGE

Realize that you are the boss of your own life and your job is a paid learning experience in your path to realizing your dream. If your job is in retail and your dream is to be a painter, perhaps you are learning a great deal about colors while you fold the new shipment of shirts or you are studying the faces of customers so that when you go home you can practice sketching new features. Williams is making her love of fashion a statement on the courts and has even launched her own clothing line, Aneres. [lifehack.com]

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Williams had her service broken in the opening game before settling in. She needed just 68 minutes to advance, firing seven aces and taking advantage of eight double-faults by Scheepers.

In other matches, former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-3, 6-3 and American Vania King beat Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.

Sam Stosur, who beat Williams for the U.S. Open title last September, plays her opening match at Pat Rafter Arena on Monday night.

Top-seeded Andy Murray plays his opening men’s match on Tuesday.

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Williams confused the umpire with another umpire she clashed with in 2009.

The Huffington Post reports:

Chair umpire Eva Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur, at which point Willliams lost her temper. “Are you the one who screwed me over last time?” she said. “Yeah, you are.” (Williams was seemingly confusing Askeraki with a different umpire from a 2004 match against Jennifer Capriati.)

“If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you’re out of control… You’re totally out of control, you’re a hater, and you’re unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow… We’re in America last I checked. Can I get a water or am I gonna get violated for a water? Really, don’t even look at me! I promise you, don’t look at me, ’cause I am not the one. Don’t look my way.”

Read More At The Huffington Post

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Both Williams sisters, who have won nine of the last 11 titles at Wimbledon, returned to the court after grave injuries, however, their coach and father does not theorize that to be the cause of defeat in London.

“There’s a time when they were sick and hurting,” Richard Williams said. “That wasn’t the problem. The problem was technique. They have to decide whether they’re really ready to play every ball or whether they’re going to be out there reaching for it.

“Technique starts on the practice courts. They expect to manufacture things out there.”

Williams’ comments come after both tennis stars were ejected from Wimbledon after devastating fourth-round losses. Serena lost 6-3, 7-6 (6) to the ninth seed Marion Bartoli, while Venus lost miserably to Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-2, 6-3.

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Serena Williams Eliminated At Wimbledon

Williams survived a life-threatening complication early this year; playing in the tournament was a courageous move for the tennis star.

In a normal year, this would have been considered a massive upset, but this has been far from a normal year for Williams, the 29-year-old defending champion who missed nearly 11 months of competition and only returned to action at the grass-court tournament in Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon.

Read more at NYTimes.com

Los Angeles — A new commercial featuring tennis superstar Serena Williams has been deemed “too sexy” by several TV stations.

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The ad features Williams playing the video game, “Top Spin 4,” in a black leotard and stockings that expose her buttocks.

Read more at NYDN

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But the 13-time Grand Slam champion said on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday that she hopes to return to tennis this summer after recovering from a recent pulmonary embolism followed by a hematoma.

Williams spoke from Los Angles, saying she hasn’t left the house much since going to the hospital on Feb. 18 when she said she “couldn’t breathe.”

Williams said she had a CAT scan of her lungs and they “found several blood clots.” Her treatment involved self-injecting blood thinners. As a result, she developed a hematoma in her stomach that grew to the size of “a grapefruit” and it was surgically removed.

Her absence from tennis could stretch to almost a year since winning the Wimbledon title in July.

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“Last week, Serena suffered from a pulmonary embolism [a blood clot in the lungs] which was discovered upon her return to L.A. She had been in New York for doctor appointments for the ongoing issues with her foot,” the statement continued. “Doctors are continuing to monitor her situation closely to avoid additional complications.”

Read more at PopEater.com

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Now that he’s given a nanny all of his money and he’s realized that yes, the N-Word does apply to him, the only redemptive thing that Tiger Woods could possibly do would be to invite Serena Williams to a barbeque.

Think about it: Tiger literally can’t afford to mess with another woman that’s not in his economic stratosphere.

Also, he’s now finally seeing all the true colors of his former friends and sponsors, men and women he probably would have preferred to think had no color, just like he’d always tried to convince himself that he had all the colors.

So now that the media has made Tiger finally and irrevocably Black, he should settle in and enjoy it, much like Godfrey Cambridge did in the movie Watermelon Man.

We’re not that bad, Tiger. Our idiots are certainly no worse than the idiots of other races. Plus, when looked at objectively, our team is probably about the hottest team going.

Obama just ended a war.

And you know what else? Name your top 5 MCs. Even if you got Eminem in there, I’ll bet you the other four are…guess what?

Name your favorite basketball player, your favorite football player, probably your favorite baseball player, name yourself as your favorite golfer and now that we’ve gotten to tennis, let me make my point:

I know Serena Williams isn’t your typical “thing”. That’s only evidence that you’ve had horrible taste in women.

You could have just paid for homeless women to get implants since it’s clear that’s the only thing you were interested in other than white skin.

But wait: watch your golf game return when you’re dealing with another champion. And not only that, watch your level of Black respect skyrocket when you’re seen on the arm of Ms. Williams.

It’ll be nothing like the respect you’re used to. The respect you currently get is for doing something no one’s quite interested in better than anybody that nobody’s ever heard of.

You’ll notice how ordinary Black people—you know, the kind of Black people that you’ve always been afraid of—will dap you up and give you approving nods whenever you’re out with your new lady.

And in the end, you’ll have a whole bunch of new friends.

37 million of them.

Click here to view photos:

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Serena Willaims has opened in another secondary school in Africa with the foundation Build African Schools

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WIMBLEDON, England — Serena Williams swept Vera Zvonareva in straight sets Saturday to win her fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam championship, extending the Williams family dominance at the All England Club.

The top-ranked and defending champion American overwhelmed the 21st-seeded Russian 6-3, 6-2 in a one-sided final that lasted just 67 minutes and showed why Williams is considered one of the greatest players of all time.

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Williams served nine aces, broke three times and never faced a break point in nine service games. She finished the tournament without dropping a set.

After converting an overhead smash to finish the match, Williams tossed her racket away, bent backward, looked to the sky, shook her fists and screamed.

Williams, who improved her record to 13-3 in Grand Slam finals, added to the Wimbledon titles she won in 2002, 2003 and 2009. However, this was the first time she defeated someone other than her sister Venus in the final.

The Williams sisters have now won nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles. Venus beat Serena in 2008 for her fifth title here.

“My dream was able to come true,” Serena said after accepting the Venus Rosewater Dish from the Duke of Kent with a curtsy. “Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard. This one is very special.”

Serena, who has won five of the last eight Grand Slams, moved ahead of Billie Jean King into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list of women’s Grand Slam champions with 13, the most of any active woman player. Williams also has five Australian Opens, three U.S. Opens and one French Open.

Williams turned to King, who was sitting in the Royal Box, and said: “Hey, Billie — I got you. This is No. 13 for me now. It’s just amazing to able to be among such great people.”

King grinned and applauded.

“That’s actually my lucky number,” Williams said of No. 13.

Margaret Smith Court leads the Grand Slam list with 24 titles, followed by Steffi Graf with 22, Helen Wills Moody with 19 and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18.

“At the rate she’s going, she certainly may catch me and Chris and Helen Wills Moody and who knows, maybe even Steffi,” Navratilova said. “She’s just head and shoulders above everybody else, and those are pretty broad shoulders she’s got.”

Williams graciously congratulated Zvonareva, who played in her first Grand Slam final and was the second-lowest ranked women’s finalist ever at Wimbledon.

“Everyone should give her a big round of applause,” Williams said. “She defines what being a champion and never giving up means.”

Zvonareva didn’t look intimidated and kept close early in the match, but the contest swung in Williams favor when she broke for 5-3.

Williams squandered her first break point with a return error, but then hit a perfect backhand lob at deuce to set up another. This time, she ripped a running forehand passing shot down the line, and celebrated by dropping onto her right knee and pumping her left fist.

Williams broke again to open the second set and again to go up 4-1 when Zvonareva double-faulted on the third break point of the game.

“I think I’m a little bit disappointed at the moment,” Zvonareva said. “Maybe I was not able to show my best today, but I think Serena just didn’t allow me to show my best.”

Despite the score, Zvonareva claimed Williams is beatable.

“She’s a human being. She’s not a machine,” the Russian said. “It’s very difficult to beat her. You have to play your best. But if you do, you can do it.”

As has been the case throughout the two weeks, Williams’ big serve was the dominant factor on Saturday.

Williams won 31 of 33 points when her first serve was good. She hit her fastest serve — 122 mph — for an ace in the final game. She finished the tournament with a record 89 aces.

“I honestly never served like this,” Williams said. “At Wimbledon whenever I come on this grass and play on this amazing court I start serving well.”

Williams also won all 14 points when she came to the net, and had 29 winners to only nine for Zvonareva.

Posing for photographers, Serena held the trophy on the balcony above the club entrance, then walked through the entrance and twirled and skipped while still holding the trophy as military personnel stationed in the lobby applauded.

The men’s final will be played Sunday, with No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal going for his second Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam overall against 12th-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Nadal has won 13 straight matches here and 25 of 27, with the only losses coming against Roger Federer in the 2006 and 2007 finals. Nadal beat Federer in the epic 2008 title match, but was unable to defend his crown last year because of tendinitis in his knees.

Berdych upset six-time champion Federer in the quarterfinals.

It will be Nadal’s 10th Grand Slam final; Berdych’s first.

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PARIS — Venus and Serena Williams have won their fourth consecutive Grand Slam doubles title and 12th overall, beating Katarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke 6-2, 6-3 at the French Open.

The victory by the top-seeded sisters Friday makes them only the third women’s doubles pair to win four major titles in a row. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver did it in 1983-84, and Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva did it in 1992-93.

It’s the siblings’ second French Open doubles championship, but first since 1999.

The doubles title might ease some of the sting from the Williams’ exits in the French Open singles tournament. No. 1-ranked Serena lost in the quarterfinals, and No. 2 Venus lost in the fourth round.

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PARIS — Serena and Venus Williams are the French Open’s two top-seeded women, and if it seems as though it’s been a while since that was the case at a Grand Slam tournament, that’s because it has.

This is the first time the American sisters are seeded 1-2 at a major championship since the Australian Open in January 2003.

Plenty has transpired in their lives during the intervening years. Each Williams has dealt with injuries, absences from the tour and drops in the rankings, as well as the far-more-serious matter of the shooting death of their half-sister Yetunde Price in September 2003.

Text continues after gallery …

Yet Venus and Serena keep returning to the heights of their sport.

“You know,” Serena noted, “people have said we would never be No. 1 and No. 2 in the world again. You look, I don’t know, 10 years later and … we’re still doing the best.”

When the French Open begins Sunday, second-ranked Venus will play former top-10 player Patty Schnyder of Switzerland to start a bid for her eighth Grand Slam singles title.

Among active women, only top-ranked Serena, with 12, owns more major trophies than her older sister.

“We feel like we deserve to be here,” Serena said. “We’ve worked so hard for so many years, and, you know, ups and downs, and, you know, all kinds of problems and everything. And to be back is cool.”

Having won this season’s Australian Open, Serena will be trying to become the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to get halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam. She also aims to win the French Open for the second time; Serena beat Venus in the 2002 final at Roland Garros.

Still, this season hardly has been perfect for the 28-year-old Serena, who is 15 months younger than Venus.

After Australia, Serena was off the tour for all of February, March and April because of a bothersome left knee. Since returning to action, she is only 4-2 on clay, losing two of her past three matches.

Venus, meanwhile, is 26-4 in 2010, a tour-leading .867 winning percentage, and is coming off a run to the final on clay at Madrid, where she lost to Aravane Rezai of France. Only one woman could overtake Serena at No. 1 in the rankings by the end of the French Open: Venus.

“I mean, in essence, I’m still the same player, but I just think that I understand the game more … and how to play the point better and situations,” Venus said earlier this season. “I think when you’re younger, you just kind of go through it, especially someone with a game like mine. I guess sometimes you take more chances — sometimes for the best and sometimes not for the best. I guess at this point, I feel like I’m at that balance of knowing when to hit which shot.”

The slow, red clay used in Europe has never been either sister’s preferred surface, mostly because it tends to dull their powerful serves and groundstrokes.

This is the 14th consecutive French Open for Venus, and she’s only made it past the quarterfinals once, in 2002.

For Serena, the French Open is the only major championship she hasn’t won at least three times. She last reached the semifinals in Paris in 2003.

“It’s not her favorite surface, but she’s been talking all year about, ‘This is really the one that has been elusive to me. I haven’t been able to get my hands around this title. Its clay goes against my grain,’” seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert said. “Yes, it does — it challenges her patience. She’s so aggressive all the time. She’s going to have to change, not only her style of play, but mentally, she’s going to have to change a little bit, if she wants to win the tournament.”

While most everyone anticipates Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to meet in the French Open men’s final for the fourth time in five years, the women’s event is expected to be far more competitive, with several players considered contenders to be around two weeks from now.

Justine Henin, a four-time champion, is back after missing the French Open in 2008 and 2009 while taking a break from tennis, and she brings with her a 21-match winning streak at Roland Garros that covers her 2005-07 titles. Rezai proved in Madrid she could be factor. Jelena Jankovic beat both Williams sisters en route to the final at Rome on clay. Three-time major champion Maria Sharapova won a clay-court title at Strasbourg on Saturday.

“Serena has always stepped up in the big events. Except when she had health issues, she showed she could dominate,” said Henin, who could face Sharapova in the third round and the younger Williams in the quarterfinals. “But I believe here, in the French Open, anything can happen.”

Henin, Sharapova and Serena will play their opening matches Monday or Tuesday, and here is one daunting statistic for the American’s opponent, Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland, to ponder: Serena is 41-0 for her career in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments.

Looking ahead a bit, Serena only once has lost in the second round of a major — at the 1998 Australian Open.

Who beat her way back then?

Venus.

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MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams won her second straight Australian Open championship, ending Justine Henin’s hopes of aGrand Slam title in her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory Saturday.

Williams withstood a determined challenge from Henin before securing her fifth Australian Open title overall and 12th Grand Slam singles championship overall, tying Billie Jean King.

Text continues after gallery…

King was at the stadium on Saturday night to take part in a pre-match ceremony to honor the 40-year anniversary of Margaret Court‘s fourGrand Slam tournament wins in 1970.

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“Billie, we are tied,” Williams said. “So I’ve reached my goal.”

Williams’ five Australian titles is the most by any woman in the Open Era, since 1968, surpassing the four held by Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Court holds 11Australian Open titles overall, most coming before 1968.

Henin, who had most of the crowd support at Rod Laver Arena, couldn’t match her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters’ feat of winning in her Grand Slam comeback tournament. Clijsters won last year’s U.S. Open in her return from a two-year retirement after getting married and having a daughter.

Williams won the last four games to clinch the championship in just over two hours, falling on her back in celebration after match point.

“It was definitely a tough match mentally and physically,” Williams said. “We were both out there to prove something, and I think we did at the end of the day.”

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It was an impressive run by Henin. She lost in the final of the Brisbane International tournament to Clijsters two weeks ago.

The unranked and unseeded Henin then beat four seeded players en route to the Australian Open final, including No. 5 and Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva in the second round.

“It’s been a very emotional two weeks for me,” said Henin, who put her hand on her heart as she thanked the crowd for support. “I thought it would never happen to me again. I’d like to congratulate Serena. She’s a real champion.”

Later, Henin said there was a feeling of disappointment, but accomplishment.

“It’s just more than what I could expect, I just have to remember that,” Henin said. “Even if it’s quite soon after the match now, I’m sure there will be a lot of positive things I can think about in a few days. It’s been almost perfect. Just the last step, I couldn’t make it.”

And she’s certain now about her decision to come back on the tour.

“I was curious about what my level would be and how I was going to deal with just the atmosphere on and off the court, how it would feel,” Henin said.

“I felt I took the right decision, so it’s good enough for me already. I got the results also in the last four weeks — two finals. So I can be really happy about that.”

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Henin saved two break points to hold for 3-3 in a four-game run in the second set, winning 13 of the last 14 points in a dominant finish to the set. She maintained the superiority early in the deciding set, increasing that to 18 of 19 points before Williams held serve to even the third set at 1-1.

Williams, with her right thigh and left knee heavily taped as it had been for much of the tournament broke Henin to go up 2-1. The two then traded breaks, with Williams going up 3-2, a lead she never relinquished.

“I thought I was just giving it to her at that point,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to go out like that. I literally said to myself, ‘I need to man up and start playing better.’”

Williams used an ace on her second serve to hold for a 4-2 lead, then broke again to move within a game of the title.

“It’s good to have her back, it’s exciting,” Williams said of Henin. “She can definitely be No. 1, especially with our ranking system, if she keeps doing well.”

The American holds an 8-6 edge in career meetings between the pair, including a 6-2, 6-0 win in Miami in 2008. At the time, it equaled the worst loss for a reigning No. 1, and Henin quit tennis two months later.

Henin won the Australian Open title in 2004. She quit during the 2006 final with stomach problems while trailing Amelie Mauresmo 6-1, 2-0.

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are Williams’ next goal, with 18 majors each.

“Honestly, I’m just doing what I can. I obviously enjoy playing in Melbourne, clearly,” Williams said. “I never thought I could catch up with Martina, because she’s such an amazing champion.” the title here three of the past four years and were losing finalists the two previous years.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their fourth Australian Open doubles title, defeating Daniel Nestor of Canada and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the final.

The brothers have won the title four of the past five years. They have eight Grand Slam doubles titles, including two at the U.S. Open and one each at the French Open and Wimbledon.

The men’s final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be held Sunday night, where Murray will attempt to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a Grand Slam major.

The Australian Open is Murray’s 17th Grand Slam tournament, which is how many attempts Federer needed before winning for the first time at Wimbledon seven years ago against Mark Philippoussis.

Murray was beaten 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in the U.S. Open final in 2008.

Two years later, the now 22-year-old Murray thinks he knows how to end the 74-year drought.

“I’m going to need to play my best match ever,” Murray said Saturday. “That’s what I plan on doing. If I do, I’ve got a good chance of winning.”

Federer played in all four finals last year and will be appearing in his 22nd Grand Slam final overall, a record. He acknowledged that the pressure will be on Murray.

“I know what it takes (to win) and how to do it, which is definitely an advantage,” Federer said. “I don’t feel like the pressure’s really on me having to do it again. I think he really needs it more than I do.”

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women’s tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

Williams received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. No other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally, which was announced Tuesday.

Clearly, Williams’ most infamous on-court episode — a tirade directed at a line judge after a foot-fault call near the end of her U.S. Open semifinal loss in September — didn’t hurt her standing in the eyes of the voters.

“People realize that I’m a great player, and one moment doesn’t define a person’s career,” Williams told the AP. “And I was right, for the most part: It wasn’t right the way I reacted — I never said it was — but I was right about the call.”

She also noted that the outburst, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary period at Grand Slam tournaments, “got a lot more people excited about tennis.”

The 28-year-old American tends to do that, thanks to her powerful, athletic play and her outgoing personality.

“We can attribute the strength and the growth of women’s tennis a great deal to her,” WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a telephone interview. “She is a superstar.”

Williams, who is based in Florida, also won the AP award in 2002, a seven-year gap that is the longest between AP Female Athlete of the Year honors since golf’s Patty Berg won in 1943 and 1955.

“I’m just happy and blessed to even be playing seven years later. All this is a bonus, really,” Williams said. “In 2002, I just was really dominant, and I think in 2009, I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again.”

Runner-up in the AP voting was Zenyatta, who capped a 14-0 career by becoming the first female horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Tennis’ Kim Clijsters finished third with 16 votes.

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Manners took quite a hit this year. Socially conservative types have bemoaned the decline of common decency for decades now, but the past 12 months have made even the most forgiving among us sit up and take notice. Here are the five newsmakers who committed this year’s most appalling public acts of impoliteness:

5) Serena Williams

When a line judge at the U.S. Semifinals made a questionable call, Williams had some choice words for her. Among them: “If I could, I would take this #^%*&! ball and shove it down your #^%*&! throat.” It didn’t stop there, as Williams continued cursing, yelling, and menacingly shaking her racket at the judge. Thanks to her unsportsmanlike conduct, she lost the match and has since been hit with an $82,500 fine.

4) Kanye West

YO SERENA I’M REALLY HAPPY FOR YOU AND I’MMA LET YOU FINISH, BUT KANYE WEST HAD ONE OF THE MOST DISRESPECTFUL OUTBURSTS OF ALL TIME. OF ALL TIME! Not only did Kanye ruin poor little Taylor Swift’s big VMA moment (and ultimately give her career a huge boost), he spawned an internet meme that’s given the masses a brand new way to disrespect one another in cyberspace. Pretty impressive fallout for a few seconds of Hennessy-fueled buffoonery.

3) Teabaggers and Town Hall Protesters

I’m all for free speech and healthy debate about the activities of our government, but these rabblerousers took the discourse entirely off the rails. You don’t have to agree with health care reform, but is it really necessary to bring guns to town hall meetings and compare the President to Hitler? And as for the protesters who ran into some trouble writing their signs — “Obama Is A Half-Breed Muslin,” “NO PUBIC OPTION!”– at least have enough respect for your adversaries to hit up the spell-check.

2) Joe Wilson

This South Carolina congressman was apparently so overcome with righteous anger that he felt the need to express himself in the middle of a presidential address to Congress. For his “You Lie!” temper tantrum, Wilson was rewarded with millions of dollars from his supporters and lots of publicity. But he didn’t get off scot-free: the House of Representatives passed a resolution reprimanding him, and the Democratic challenger for his House seat also received a windfall of cash after the outburst.

1) The Salahis

Say what you will about Joe Wilson’s outburst in Congress, but at least he was supposed to be there. The Salahis were much too hungry for reality TV fame to let little things like invitations or presidential safety get in their way, so they crashed the White House State Dinner for India’s Prime Minister. And they were so proud of their accomplishment that they posted photos of it on facebook.com to brag about the big-wigs they hobknobbed with. Their antics went beyond mere tackiness — they’ve had real consequences. “Gatecrashergate” exposed a gaping hole in the security of President Obama, landed his social secretary in hot water, and resulted in three secret service officers being placed on leave. Where the Salahis are concerned, calling them “rude” would be the understatement of the year.

Dishonorable Mention: Tiger Woods and His Ten Merry Mistresses

Unlike the rest of the shameful characters on this list, Tiger’s (many, many) disrespectful acts were initially conducted in private. But since the car accident that blew this story wide open, there’s been a never-ending stream of Tiger’s former  jump-offs looking to get their 15 minutes in the spotlight by snitching. The actions of Tiger and his ladies are not only disrespectful to his wife and children, but are an affront to common decency in general. This list would’ve been incomplete without acknowledgment of Tiger’s sordid tale.

Check out more of NewsOne’s Best & Worst of 2009 and the Decade HERE.

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WASHINGTON — Serena Williams was fined a record $82,500 for her U.S. Open tirade and could be suspended from that tournament if she has another “major offense” at any Grand Slam in the next two years, Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock told The Associated Press on Monday.

Babcock said Williams faces a “probationary period” at tennis’ four major championships in 2010 and 2011. If she has another “major offense” at a Grand Slam tournament in that time, the fine would increase to $175,000 and she would be barred from the following U.S. Open.

“But if she does not have another offense in the next two years, the suspension is lifted,” Babcock said in a telephone interview from London.

RELATED: After Surprising Outburst, Serena Loses U.S. Open Semis

He said the previous highest fine for a Grand Slam offense was about $48,000 to Jeff Tarango in the 1990s.

Williams lashed out at a lineswoman after a foot-fault call at the end of her semifinal loss to eventual champion Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open in September.

Williams earned $350,000 by reaching the semifinals, part of her more than $6.5 million in prize money in 2009, a single-season record for women’s tennis. Her career prize money tops $28 million.

The American is an 11-time Grand Slam singles champion and ended the 2009 season at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

Williams’ profanity-laced, finger-pointing outburst drew a $10,000 fine from the U.S. Tennis Association in September — the maximum onsite penalty a tennis player can face. But because it happened at a Grand Slam tournament, Babcock was charged with investigating whether further punishment was merited.

He concluded that Williams violated the “major offense” rule for “aggravated behavior.” The Grand Slam committee — with one representative from each of the sport’s four major championships — approved his decision Saturday.

Babcock said Williams has been informed of the ruling. She has been in Barbados for an exhibition tournament, and her agent did not immediately reply to a request for comment Monday.

RELATED: U.S. Open Fines Serena Williams $10,000 For Tirade

Babcock said a “major offense” under Grand Slam rules is “any conduct that is determined to be the ‘major offense’ of ‘aggravated behavior’ or ‘conduct detrimental to the game.’” There is no specific definition of what sort of actions constitute a “major offense.”

He said the highest possible fine that Williams could face — $175,000, if she violates her Grand Slam probation — was chosen because it is the difference in winnings between reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals at the U.S. Open. The $10,000 Williams already was docked by the USTA will be counted toward that total; that’s why she is paying half of $165,000 now.

During the Sept. 12 match at Flushing Meadows, the foot fault — a call rarely, if ever, made at that stage of such a significant match — resulted in a double-fault for Williams, moving Clijsters one point from victory.

Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her. Williams was penalized a point for that display; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5.

Serena Williams is beautiful. And Black.

Dwight Howard is beautiful. And Black.

Adrian Peterson is beautiful. And Black.

The first step to truly appreciating beautiful Black bodies is to appreciate beautiful bodies that are Black.

RELATED: Serena Aces Naked Pic For ESPN Mag

Serena Williams, Dwight Howard and Adrian Peterson don’t need to feel anything but proud of the countless hours they’ve spent sculpting their instruments to be played at their highest level. Why not appreciate their sacrifice and the allow it to be appreciated? Why not appreciate their varied symmetry in its most natural state?

These bodies are art. Is there a sexual element? Certainly, but I feel less a tingle in my underpants and more an appreciation for these physiques which move with considerable grace.

RELATED: Candace Parker Pregnant on ESPN the Magazine

KING this ain’t. Maxim this ain’t.

These bodies look…achieved.

The voyeuristic gaze? It’ll never go away. Should we hide ourselves and the good work that we’ve done because someone might fetishize us? It seems to me that the question comes down to whether or not we fetishizes ourselves; whether we think our bodies are simply for the public consumption of other or if it is something that we are allowing to be displayed and admired. This is a matter of agency.

With agency–and integrity–you know the difference between exploitation and exposure; between being taken and giving freely.

And damn if Serena don’t look fine.

There’s a school of thought that suggests that your first instinct or first response is always the truest. In that light, there’s almost nothing that anybody can ever do that he or she should feel compelled to apologize for. I mean sure, you could apologize if you did something by accident like if you ran over somebody’s cat or if you did something that was misinterpreted by others, you could apologize for giving them the wrong impression, but if you do something intentionally-premeditated especially-there’s almost no out for anybody to believe that you could really be sorry for it.

The past week has seen three major apologies for three actions of dubious regret. First, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson screamed out “You Lie!” after President Obama explained that his proposed healthcare plan wouldn’t cover illegal aliens. Wilson has since apologized.

Then, tennis superstar Serena Williams apologized for threatening to shove a ball down the throat of a line judge that had first ruled that Serenea had committed a foot fault on a serve, then penalized Serena a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, causing her to lose the match.

Last, rap kingpin Kanye West apologized for snatching the microphone during 19 year-old country singer Taylor Swift’s MTV VMA acceptance speech and suggesting that the real winner of the award should have been R&B star Beyonce Knowles.

Of those three apologies, the only one that I truly believe in is Serena Williams’. I was actually happy to see Serena finally indulge herself by losing it. John McEnroe’s boorish behavior has been celebrated for decades and both Williams sisters have been treated far worse by the sport of tennis than McEnroe ever was.

Just as quickly though, Serena seemed to remember that she had young fans that she was disappointing by letting her emotions get the better of her and equally importantly, Kim Clijsters had just won the match and it would have been in bad form not to put away her petty issues and congratulate the winner.

As for Joe Wilson, his “apology” was about as politically motivated as the feigned emotional outbreak that caused him to say “You Lie!” in the first place. Meanwhile, Kanye enjoys reading any word written about him for whatever he does; crime or apology.

So are celebrity apologies ever genuine? By my count, probably about 33% of them are.

NEW YORK — Serena Williams’ profanity-laced, finger-pointing tirade at a U.S. Open linesperson drew a $10,000 fine Sunday, and more punishment could follow from a broader investigation into what the head of the tournament called her “threatening manner.”

The fine — not quite 3 percent of the $350,000 in prize money Williams earned by reaching the semifinals — is the maximum on-site penalty that can be issued for unsportsmanlike conduct at a Grand Slam tournament.

“The average individual would look at that and say, ‘A $10,000 fine for what she did? What are you guys, crazy?’ The answer is: the process isn’t over,” tournament director Jim Curley said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Bill Babcock, the top administrator for Grand Slam tournaments, will review what happened Saturday night, when Williams yelled at a linesperson who called a foot fault with the defending champion two points away from losing to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals.

If Babcock determines Williams committed a “major offense,” she could be fined all of her prize money from the tournament.

Williams also was docked $500 for smashing her racket after the first set of the match. Because she was issued a warning then, her later actions resulted in the loss of a point.

The foot fault resulted in a double-fault, which moved Clijsters one point from victory. Williams then was penalized a point for her outburst; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5.

Clijsters won the championship Sunday night by beating Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3.

Babcock did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Curley said the inquiry probably would include reviewing TV footage, checking additional audio feeds from courtside microphones and interviewing Williams, the linesperson, the chair umpire and possibly spectators.

“What she did was unacceptable. It’s unacceptable behavior under any circumstances. When you’re on the court, and you are waving your racket toward a linesperson and using profanity, it’s just simply unacceptable,” Curley told the AP. “When you look at the tape, it’s pretty clear that the way she approached the linesperson, with her racket and in that manner, it was a threatening manner. It certainly was.”

The names of linespersons are not disclosed as a matter of practice at the tournament.

He also said the tournament considered — and decided against — preventing Williams and her older sister Venus from participating in the women’s doubles final Monday. Venus put in some work on a U.S. Open practice court Sunday; Serena wasn’t with her.

Serena Williams released a statement through a public relations firm, acknowledging that “in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly.”

She did not apologize for the outburst, which made the “most viewed” page of YouTube with four different versions that totaled more than half a million clicks as of Sunday night.

After what may be recalled as the most significant foot fault in tennis history, Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her.

“If I could, I would take this … ball and shove it down your … throat,” Williams said, according to a tennis official who watched a replay Saturday night.

The official also said Williams used the word “kill.” The official declined to be identified because the tape was still being reviewed.

Fans began booing and whistling, making it difficult to hear the entirety of what Williams said — and she refused to discuss specifics afterward at a news conference. An AP reporter — provided access to replays — could not verify Williams used the word “kill.”

When Williams turned her back, the line judge went over to the chair umpire to report what was going on. The line judge then returned to her seat, and Williams pointed and began walking toward her. The line judge then headed back to the chair umpire’s stand. By now, tournament referee Brian Earley was on the court, too.

Earley could be heard asking the linesperson what Williams said.

That’s when Williams walked over and said to the line judge: “Are you scared? Because I said I would hit you? I’m sorry, but there’s a lot of people who’ve said way worse.”

Earley again asked the linesperson what Williams said. Whatever the linesperson said, her reply seemed to startle Williams, who said: “I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious? Are you serious? I didn’t say that.” The line judge then said, “Yes.”

The episode dominated conversation at the U.S. Open on Sunday, including whether the line judge should have made the call in the first place. Foot faults are rarely called at this level, particularly in possibly the final moments of such a significant match.

“In my opinion, you can’t call a foot fault there. Just out of question. Can’t do it. It was so close. Not as if it was an obvious foot fault — it was minuscule,” TV commentator John McEnroe said. “I’ve seen Serena come back from that position a dozen times against top-flight opponents. The match was not over.”

The chairman and CEO of the women’s tennis tour, Stacey Allaster, issued a statement calling Williams’ conduct “inappropriate and unprofessional.”

“No matter what the circumstances, no player should be allowed to engage in such behavior without suffering consequences,” Allaster said. “I have spoken with the USTA about this matter and I agree with the action they have taken.”

NEW YORK – Serena Williams walked toward the line judge, screaming, cursing and shaking a ball in the official’s direction, threatening to “shove it down” her throat.

On match point in the U.S. Open semifinals Saturday night, defending champion Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct — a bizarre, ugly finish that gave a 6-4, 7-5 upset victory to unseeded, unranked Kim Clijsters.

The match featured plenty of powerful groundstrokes and lengthy exchanges. No one will remember a single shot that was struck, though, because of the unusual, dramatic way it ended.

With Williams serving at 5-6, 15-30 in the second set, she faulted on her first serve. On the second serve, a line judge called a foot fault, making it a double-fault — a call rarely, if ever, seen at that stage of any match, let alone the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

That made the score 15-40, putting Clijsters one point from victory.

Instead of stepping to the baseline to serve again, Williams went over and shouted and cursed at the line judge, pointing at her and thrusting the ball toward her.

“If I could, I would take this … ball and shove it down your … throat,” Williams said.

She continued yelling at the line judge, and went back over, shaking her racket in the official’s direction.

Asked in her postmatch news conference what she said to the line judge, Williams wouldn’t say, replying, “What did I say? You didn’t hear?”

“I’ve never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don’t know why she would have felt threatened,” Williams said with a smile.

The line judge went over to the chair umpire, and tournament referee Brian Earley joined in the conversation. With the crowd booing — making part of the dialogue inaudible — Williams then went over and said to the line judge: “Sorry, but there are a lot of people who’ve said way worse.” Then the line judge said something to the chair umpire, and Williams responded, “I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn’t say that.” The line judge replied by shaking her head and saying, “Yes.”

Williams already had been give a code violation warning when she broke her racket after losing the first set. So the chair umpire now awarded a penalty point to Clijsters, ending the match.

“She was called for a foot fault, and a point later, she said something to a line umpire, and it was reported to the chair, and that resulted in a point penalty,” Earley explained. “And it just happened that point penalty was match point. It was a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.”

When the ruling was announced, Williams walked around the net to the other end of the court to shake hands with a stunned Clijsters, who did not appear to understand what had happened.

“I used to have a real temper, and I’ve gotten a lot better,” Williams said later. “So I know you don’t believe me, but I used to be worse. Yes, yes, indeed.”

Lost in the theatrics was Clijsters’ significant accomplishment: In only her third tournament back after 2½ years in retirement, the 26-year-old Belgian became the first mother to reach a Grand Slam final since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon 1980.

“The normal feelings of winning a match weren’t quite there,” Clijsters said. “But I think afterwards, when everything kind of sunk in a little bit and got explained to me about what happened, yeah, you kind of have to put it all in place, and then it becomes a little bit easier to understand and to kind of not celebrate, but at least have a little bit of joy after a match like that.”

Clijsters hadn’t competed at the U.S. Open since winning the 2005 championship. Now she will play for her second career major title Sunday against No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-3, 6-3 in the other rain-delayed women’s semifinal.

Williams came into the day having won three of the past four Grand Slam titles, and 30 of her previous 31 matches at major tournaments.

She was playing fantastically at the U.S. Open, not losing a set before Saturday and having lost her serve a total of three times through five matches.

But Clijsters — who beat Williams’ older sister, No. 3 Venus, in the fourth round — was superb, matching strokes and strides with as strong and swift a woman as the game has to offer.

Williams, meanwhile, kept making mistakes, and two backhand errors plus a double-fault contributed to a break at love that put Clijsters ahead 4-2.

When Williams netted backhands on consecutive points at 5-4, Clijsters had broken her for the second time and taken the opening set. The last backhand was the 14th unforced error made by Williams to that point — twice as many as Clijsters — and the American bounced her racket, caught it, then cracked it against the blue court, mangling the frame.

When Williams walked to the changeover, she clanged it against the net post and was given a warning for racket abuse by the chair umpire.

That would prove pivotal about an hour later, at match’s end.

“I mean, the timing is unfortunate, you know,” Clijsters said. “To get a point penalty at the time, it’s unfortunate. But there are rules, and you know, like I said, it’s just unfortunate that it has to happen on a match point.”

NEW YORK — Serena and Venus Williams are back in the U.S. Open women’s doubles final for the first time in a decade.

The fourth-seeded Americans beat No. 13-seeded Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals Thursday.

The Williams sisters are aiming for their 10th career Grand Slam doubles title as a pair and third this season. Their only U.S. Open doubles championship came in 1999.

They are 9-0 in major doubles finals.

The other semifinal, scheduled for Friday, pits the defending champions and top-seeded pair of Cara Black and Liezel Huber against the third-seeded team of Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.

The final is Sunday.

Venus and Serena Williams have found a new sport: pro football.

The tennis-playing sisters will become the latest celebrities to own a stake in the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the deal said Wednesday. The person didn’t want to be identified because the team plans an announcement Tuesday.

Another person close to the negotiations said an agreement was near but not yet final. That person also didn’t want to be identified because the announcement has not been made.

“There have been preliminary talks, and hopefully it’ll work out,” Serena Williams said Wednesday night after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Yaroslava Shvedova in Toronto. “That would be a great opportunity for both of us. You never know. We’ll see what happens.”

The Williamses live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., about an hour’s drive from the Dolphins’ stadium. Their new role will be significant in part because the NFL has no African-American majority team owner.

Musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Marc Anthony recently bought small shares of the team. New Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also forged a partnership with singer Jimmy Buffett.

The Dolphins have said the involvement of the celebrities reflects the diversity of South Florida and shows that the franchise is connected with the community.

“There’s always so many opportunities out there, and Venus and I are always trying to expand our brand and do the best that we can do, and if an opportunity presents itself, we would love to see where it can take us,” Serena Williams said. “Who knows what’s going to happen, but hopefully we’ll be able to hopefully continue to expand our brand.”

A Dolphins spokesman said the team had no comment regarding next week’s announcement.

The Williams sisters have combined to win 18 Grand Slam titles, and they staged their latest sibling showdown last month at Wimbledon, where Serena beat Venus in the final.

Serena has won 11 major titles and Venus seven.

Ross, a New York real estate billionaire, completed his purchase of the Dolphins from Wayne Huizenga in January and began a partnership in May with Buffett. The agreement with the Estefans was announced in June, followed by the deal with Anthony last month.

Buffett and the Estefans are longtime Dolphins fans. The Williams sisters aren’t known to closely follow the Dolphins or the NFL.

Ross has said the minority owners are strategic partners and aren’t being brought aboard because of a financial need. He has pledged to improve the fan experience at games, and the celebrities will help — although it’s unlikely the sisters will be staging tennis exhibitions at halftime.

Buffett has yet to accept Ross’ invitation to become a minority owner, but the Dolphins’ stadium has been renamed Land Shark Stadium for this season. Buffett has written a song for the Dolphins, and they’ve introduced a new version of their fight song by the rapper T-Pain.

Anthony will perform the national anthem when the Dolphins host the New York Jets on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 12.

This 27 year-old cat at my Factotum-like night gig hates Beyonce. He hates her songs, he hates her movies, he thinks she sucks.

“You just think she’s hot,” I say offhandedly. He is incredulous. I decide to explain.

“Beyonce is awesome,” I say. “She’s a great actress and her music is incredible. She’s easily one of the most talented women alive right now. Thing is, she’s only ‘ok’ looking. Anybody that doesn’t like her hates her because they think she’s beautiful.”

“That’s not it,” the 27 year-old cat protests. “She doesn’t make music for men. I don’t think any dudes like her music.”

Ignoring the insult, I petition for a second opinion. I ask a 24 year-old cat.

“Dude, do you like any Beyonce music?” I ask.

“ONE song!” demands the 27 year-old cat. “Can you name even one song that you like by her?”

“Uh…” stammers the 24 year-old cat, “Upgrade U?”

“Ha!” I mock. Then returning to the 27 year-old cat, I add “You just think she’s hot.”

“I don’t think she’s that hot,” the 27 year-old cat protests.

“Sure you do,” I say. “The fact is though, when she came out, she wasn’t even the hottest member of Destiny’s Child, Kelly was. (First on the left) I didn’t even know who Beyonce was until the next album.”

“Kelly’s not hotter than Beyonce” says the 27 year-old cat. I’m shocked.

“Beyonce’s got a better body” says the 24 year-old cat.

“Ok”, I concede, “Even if the bodies make it a push, Kelly’s still got a prettier face.” They both disagree.

“Well name somebody hotter than Beyonce,” I say.

“Alicia Keys, Keyshia Cole…” The 27 year-old begins.

I get suspicious.

“Can either of ya’ll name one dark-skinned girl that you think is hotter than Beyonce?”

(silence)

“Ya’ll are buggin’,” I say. “I can name at least 10 dark-skinned girls that are hotter than Beyonce off the top of my head.”

“Do it!” the 27 year-old cat challenges.

Now I have a problem. It’s not that I can’t name 10 dark-skinned chicks that I know that are indeed hotter than Beyonce, but picking 10 that the media has made famous enough for them to know might be a little tricky. I go for it anyway.

• 1. Gabrielle Union is unanimous.
• 2. Everybody also agrees with Naomi Campbell.
• 3. I’m alone with a pre-crazy Lauryn Hill.
• 4. The 27 year-old cat offers Tamron Hall and I co-sign.
• 5. I stick with Kelly Rowland.
• 6. The 27 year-old cat agrees with Malinda Williams but the 24 year-old is silent.
• 7. Jill Marie Jones is literally jumped on by all three of us.
• 8. When I offer Buffie the Body, the 27 year-old cat screams “You shoulda said her FIRST!”
• 9. My offer of Tasha Smith is greeted with indifference.
• 10. The 24 year-old cat offers Serena Williams and I co-sign immediately. The 27 year-old cat can’t however because he was the first one to call her ugly in another blog I’d done.

Any other suggestions?

It was tennis before baseball for President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

Before heading off to St. Louis to throw the first pitch at the All-Star game, the president welcomed Wimbledon champion Serena Williams to the White House.

“It was amazing,” Williams said before her World Team Tennis match with the Washington Kastles. “I love President Obama; he has such an unbelievable presence, and he seems to be so normal — and he noticed my shoes. I think that was the highlight of the whole day, was he liked my shoes.”

Williams said she was wearing 5-inch heels for the presidential visit.

“He asked me, ‘Should I be wearing high heels?’ So I thought that was kind of funny because he may have been right,” Williams said. “Because it is a job hazard for me, but I insist on wearing them.”

Williams got to meet Michelle Obama and the rest of the first family.

“I didn’t know she had such an amazing personality,” Williams said. “She had me cracking up and laughing. I knew she was a great person, but now I really understand how important this first family is to the United States. And the kids were just so cute and sweet, and the dog was nice.”

Serena Williams fell to her knees on the grass, eyes closed, arms raised, and threw back her head.

After six years, it was her turn to hold up the Venus Rosewater Dish again.

In the fourth all-Williams final at Wimbledon, Serena beat her sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Saturday for her third title and 11th Grand Slam championship.

“It feels so amazing,” Serena said. “I’m so blessed. I feel like I shouldn’t be holding the trophy. I can’t believe I’m holding it. It’s named for Venus and she always wins. It hasn’t settled in that I won yet.”

Serena came out on top by out-serving her big sister, lifting her game in the tiebreaker and dictating play throughout the second set, finally winning when five-time champion Venus slapped a backhand into the net on the fourth match point.

Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and ’03 finals, before Venus prevailed in last year’s championship match. Venus was trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

Still, the Williams sisters proved their dominance at the All England Club once more, winning their eighth singles title this decade. As always with Williams vs. Williams matches, the celebrations were relatively muted. The sisters embraced at the net, with the 29-year-old Venus patting 27-year-old Serena on the back.

“Today she was too good,” Venus said. “She had an answer for everything. She played the best tennis today, so congratulations.”

The sisters were due back on Centre Court later for the women’s doubles final, where they will face Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs of Australia. They’re seeking their fourth Wimbledon doubles title and 10th Grand Slam crown.

Venus had come into the final as the favorite after playing some of the best grass-court tennis of her career. She hadn’t dropped a set in 17 straight matches at Wimbledon, but couldn’t cope on this day with the fierce competitive drive and relentless power game of her sister.

The statistics summed up Serena’s superiority: She had 12 aces, 25 winners and 12 unforced errors, compared to two aces, 14 winners and 18 unforced mistakes for Venus.

Serena now has an 11-10 edge overall and 6-2 in Grand Slam finals against her sister. Once again, Serena’s superiority in the big matches came through. She currently holds three of the major titles — the U.S. Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Serena became the second player in the Open era to win the Wimbledon women’s title after overcoming a match point, having done so in the semifinals on Thursday against Elena Dementieva. The only other player to do it was Venus, who saved a match point in the 2005 final against Lindsay Davenport.

On a sunny, breezy day, there was little to separate the sisters for most of the first set, though Venus failed to convert her chances to break in the eighth game. Serving at 15-40, Serena saved the first break point with a second serve into the body that forced a backhand error from Venus. On the second, Venus went for a forehand passing shot that landed just wide of the line. Serena then hit back-to-back aces to take the game.

Serena dominated the tiebreaker, increasing her intensity and grunting volume and pushing Venus around the court. Serena closed it out in style, flicking a picture-perfect topspin lob that floated over Venus and into the back of the court for a winner.

Venus looked flat and demoralized in the second set and, from 2-2, Serena ran off the last four games. The match was essentially over when Venus double-faulted on break point in the sixth game to hand her sister a 4-2 lead. Two games later, Serena failed to convert on three match points before Venus ended the contest with a final backhand error.

The men’s final is Sunday, with Roger Federer seeking his record 15th Grand Slam title in a matchup with two-time runner-up Andy Roddick. Federer, a five-time Wimbledon champion, has a 18-2 record against the American. It’s the seventh straight Wimbledon final and 20th major championship match overall for Federer.

Venus and Serena Williams won in contrasting fashion Thursday to set up their fourth all-sister Wimbledon final and eighth meeting in a Grand Slam title match.

Two-time champion Serena saved a match point and overcame Elena Dementieva 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 in 2 hours, 49 minutes. Five-time winner Venus needed only 51 minutes to overwhelm Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 and reach her eighth Wimbledon final.

“Oh my God, this is my eighth final, and it’s a dream come to true to be here again and have the opportunity to hold the plate up,” Venus said.

The sisters — with 17 Grand Slam titles between them — will face each other Saturday in a Fourth of July final.

“A fourth final — it’s so exciting. It was so hard before my match to watch all that drama,” Venus said, referring to Serena’s semifinal. “It was so difficult. But the hardest part is next to come, to play Serena Williams.”

One Williams or the other has won seven of the past nine championships at the All England Club. Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and ’03 finals here, while Venus came out on top against her younger sister last year.

Venus is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

There have been seven previous all-Williams championship matches at majors, with Serena holding a 5-2 lead. Overall, the sisters are tied 10-10.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Serena Williams saved a match point and overcame Elena Dementieva 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 in a riveting contest Thursday to advance to the Wimbledon final and another possible championship match against sister Venus.

Serena, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was pushed to the limit by the fourth-seeded Russian but raised her game when she needed in one of the most compelling women’s matches at the All England Club in years.

Dementieva, who has never won a Grand Slam title, played one of the best matches of her career and nearly eliminated a player who has won 10 majors and combined with Venus to dominate at the All England Club for the past decade.

The 2-hour, 49-minute classic ended when Dementieva sailed a backhand wide, Serena threw her head back, pumped her arms and hopped up and down in celebration.

“Elena played so well, and we gave the crowd a wonderful match,” Serena said. “It was really, really tough.”

In the 10th game of the final set, Serena faced match point on her serve with Dementieva ahead 5-4. Serena chose to attack, coming forward and hitting a backhand volley that skipped off the net cord and into the open court for a winner.

“I thought ace,” Serena said. “It’s my serve, if I can just stay calm. I was just trying to think positive.”

It was Serena’s eighth straight win in a Grand Slam semifinal going back to the 2003 French Open. She is now 14-2 overall in Grand Slam semifinals.

The result sets up the possibility of a second straight and fourth overall women’s final here between the Williams siblings. One Williams or the other has won seven of the past nine championships at the All England Club.

Defending champion and five-time winner Venus faced top-ranked Dinara Safina in the day’s other semifinal.

“I’m going to come out and watch Venus and cheer her on and hope the best,” Serena said. “I obviously want her to win so, Go V.”

Venus is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row and is trying for No. 6 overall. Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and 2003 finals at the All England Club.

There have been seven all-Williams championship matches at majors, with Serena holding a 5-2 lead. Overall, the sisters are tied 10-10.

The men’s semifinals are Friday, with five-time champion Roger Federer facing German veteran Tommy Haas, and two-time finalist Andy Roddick playing Andy Murray. Federer is closing in on a record 15th Grand Slam championship, while Murray is seeking to become the first British men’s winner in 73 years.

Serena Williams and Dementieva had both sailed through the tournament without dropping a set or facing a stern test. On this day, they traded wicked groundstrokes, big serves and brought tense drama to Centre Court.

The tension was almost too much for Serena’s father, Richard Williams, who watched with other family members and friends in the guest box.

“Serena did it the hard way,” Richard said. “This is the first time I ever got nervous at a tennis match. I’ve never gotten nervous before. Serena played the way she practiced this morning. She practiced bad and she played bad. But she’s just so mentally tough that she did it ‘The Williams Way.’ She hates losing.”

Serena served 20 aces and had 45 winners and 28 unforced errors. Dementieva produced 27 winners, 26 errors and eight double faults.

Serena, accustomed to starting fast and seizing command early, found herself having to rally from a set down.

It was Serena, surprisingly, who wilted in the tiebreaker, committing two unforced forehand errors to give the Russian a chance to serve for the set at 6-4. Dementieva double-faulted on the first set point, but converted on the second when Serena hit a forehand return wide and nearly spiked her racket to the turf in anger.

There were two crucial video replays in the second set that helped Serena mount her comeback.

Facing a break point and the possibility of going down 5-3, Serena hit a deep forehand down the line that Dementieva let go thinking the ball was out. Following a challenge, the video replay showed the ball was in — just touching the line where the baseline and the sideline meet. Serena saved another break point in the game with a forehand winner and held for 4-4.

Then, with Dementieva facing a break point in the 11th game, the Russian hit a short forehand that skipped off the netcord and near the sideline. The ball was called good. Serena challenged, and the replay showed the ball wide, giving her the break and the game for a 6-5 lead.

Serena served out the set in the next game, saving four break points and hitting four aces.

Dementieva was up a break at 3-1 in the third, but Serena kept fighting and broke back for 3-2. When Serena fell behind 30-40 on serve in the 10th game, it was Dementieva’s chance to win the match. In a seven-stroke rally, Dementieva tried to pass Serena at the net but the American came through with the backhand volley to stay alive.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams routed Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 Saturday to win the Australian Open for her 10th Grand Slam title and a return to the No. 1 ranking.

It was total domination for the second-seeded Williams, who looked at ease in winning back-to-back majors – she won the U.S. Open championship in September – and was moving fluidly on the court.

“I absolutely, clearly, love playing here,” the 27-year-old Williams said. “You guys root for me so much. I don’t get that everywhere. So thank you so much.”

Williams’ near-perfect performance was in sharp contrast to No. 3 Safina, who was tight from the start. Later apologizing to the crowd for her performance, Safina said Williams was just too good, leaving her feeling like a ballboy.

In the first game, Safina double-faulted three times, including on break point. Williams ran off 18 of the last 20 points in the first set to finish it in 22 minutes.

Other than matches that ended early due to illness or injury, it was the most lopsided Australian Open women’s final since 1962, when Margaret Smith beat Jan Lehane 6-0, 6-2.

It was Williams’ second overwhelming victory in a final at Melbourne Park, where she kept alive her record of winning in odd-numbered years since 2003 for four titles. Coming into the 2007 tournament unseeded after being plagued by injuries the year before, she beat top-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2.

Sharapova rebounded to win last year but was unable to defend her title while recuperating from a shoulder injury.

Williams became the fifth woman to win four or more Australian titles. By making the singles and doubles finals, she already had become the all-time leading money winner in women’s sports.

For winning the Australian singles title, she earned $1.3 million and has career earnings of more than $23.5 million.

After Melbourne’s hottest three-day heat wave on record, conditions were nearly perfect for the tournament’s first women’s final at night, but Rod Laver Arena was less than capacity, with large patches of empty seats scattered around the upper deck of the 15,000-seat stadium.

On Sunday, top-ranked Rafael Nadal will face No. 2 Roger Federer in the men’s final. Federer will be trying to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major titles, while Nadal is seeking his third Grand Slam out of the last four, missing only the U.S. Open last September that was won by the Swiss star.

Safina had been hoping to add to her family’s Grand Slam total – brother Marat Safin won two, including the 2005 Australian Open. She also will have to wait for a chance to match his one-time No. 1 ranking.

But Safina looked nothing like the player who won four titles and the Beijing Olympics silver medal last year. Increasingly dispirited, the crowd tried to encourage her, and she managed to break Williams in the first game of the second set.

It just delayed the inevitable.

Williams took the next four games, and things got so bad that Safina swung and completely missed a forehand while serving at 2-5. She managed to win the game, but Williams held at love when Safina sent a backhand wide on match point.

Williams went over to slap hands with her mother and other people sitting in her box as Safina, looking shellshocked, sat in her chair waiting for the trophy presentation. She grimaced when Williams thanked her “for putting on a great show for women’s tennis.”

After struggling with her form earlier in the tournament, Williams finished with 23 winners and just seven unforced errors in the final, winning more than twice as many points as Safina.

“I’ll thank my mom for hanging in there this week,” she said. “The first week was tough, but we got through it.”

It was Williams’ 20th overall Grand Slam title. She won her eighth women’s doubles crown with sister Venus on Friday and has two mixed-doubles championships.

9. Candace Parker – Also gracing NewsOne’s Athletes of the Year list, Parker has made her way to the top ranks of female athletes in her sport. She’s already won two gold medals with the U.S. Olympic Basketball team, two NCAA championships and a WNBA Most Valuable Player award in the last 4 years. She and Lisa Leslie have provided the punch to bring the L.A. Sparks back to prominence. Parker led the WNBA in four major statistical categories, and made herself a player to watch in the coming seasons.

8. Serena Williams & Venus Williams - More remarkable than Serena Williams capturing her ninth single’s title at the U.S. Open, is that she’s done so with her most challenging opponent being her sister Venus. The Williams Sisters faced each other in the Wimbledon Final, where Venus had already won four championships. In Serena’s loss, she missed out on a third Wimbledon title. Despite their heated rivalry, the sisters still won Gold in Beijing Women’s Doubles Tennis.

7. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones – Although Mrs. Tubbs-Jones passed in a sudden turn this summer, her career will not soon be forgotten. She was the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representative seat in Ohio’s 11th district. She made her way into the ranks of the Democratic party, serving as its chair in 2002 and as the chair of the House Committee of Official Conduct in 2006. Her support was instrumental in building Hillary Clinton’s name during the Democratic primary. Clinton expressed deep sorrow at her loss, as did many others.

6. Susan E. Rice – Just last month, Susan Rice accepted her highest political position by agreeing to serve as President-elect Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The appointment created a stir for two reasons: Rice was yet another prominent black woman to serve as a diplomatic envoy to the United States; she had a reputation for ruffling feathers to get the job done. Rice has been a leading voice in the drive to end genocide in Darfur. Her career in public policy is impressive but green, a common theme among some Obama cabinet choices. This year will certainly be her biggest test as the tensions surrounding terrorism have reached a fever pitch internationally.

5. Condoleezza Rice – Ms. Rice has been a center figure in the Bush administration through thick and especially thin times. She was notably at the forefront when the 9/11 Commission inquired about the administration’s slow action after receiving warnings about the Taliban and Al Qaeda. After Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation, however, Rice took a more staunch leadership role shifting from Nation Security Adviser to Secretary of State. Once thought of as an insider for the presidential nomination for the Republican party, Rice has largely been trying to reshape her image after a series of national disasters. She has quietly repaired the U.S. relations in the Middle East by not only applying the pressure for regime change in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also meeting with the leading intellectuals in those countries to see how it might be best done. She has balanced those negotiations while remaining the right hand of a regretful, ineffective President. So while Condi may be approaching the end of her political career (sources say she’s considering another post at alma mater Stanford University), she has perhaps become one of the most talked-about black women in American political history.

4. Beyonce Knowles – After going on several back-breaking world tours, Beyonce made a “fierce” come back with her latest offering I Am…Sasha Fierce. In a hushed ceremony, she wed Shawn Carter (better known as Jay-Z), and followed up with the year’s most sensational single “Put A Ring On It.” She entered the ranks of the Hollywood elite, and she and Jay-Z are currently its top earning couple. Beyonce has always been a picture of elegance, but her image was especially prominent this year as she contended with Barack Obama for most magazine covers.

3. Tyra Banks – The star of America’s Next Top Model made exceptional strides with new ideas, and more significantly, new money. Banks won a daytime Emmy for her nationally televised show Tyra. Her beauty is certainly one trademark, but she will soon make earning potential a signature as she plans to make her own network. She has said that “Oprah is queen…and will always be the queen” but is fast on Ms. Winfrey’s heels as her career rises to new heights. Banks has appeared on the Forbes 100 List for Entertainers for the last three years.

2. Oprah Winfrey – Oprah Winfrey sealed the Obama presidential win months before he was a favorite in the polls. Her single endorsement was enough to deem him a safe pick in the hearts and minds of so many Americans who were up to then unfamiliar with his bona fides. But Winfrey’s stamp of approval is no small feat, as many esteemed politicians have courted her to no avail. Even as Oprah prepared her swan song for the greatest career in modern media history, she set out on the campaign trail for her fellow Chicagoan, and taped her show simultaneously. Oprah has said she plans to end The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, and it’s clear America will miss her.

1. Michelle Obama – In term of black female icons, Michelle Obama has ranked high out of the gate. Her poise, intelligence, humor and forthrightness make her an unmistakable celebrity figure at the head of the First Family. On the campaign trail, Michelle endeared herself to mothers, brothers, and countrymen everywhere by emphasizing her commitment to service and community. Michelle Obama’s exemplary stature as wife and mother will also make her a paragon of First Ladies in history as she transitions to an inevitable role as a charitable hero around the world. Not since Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton has one First Lady’s potential as a global figure been so potent. She will certainly make good on an already devout life of giving.

See more of NewsOne’s BEST OF EVERYTHING 2008!!