Monday, 5 October 2009
Sunday, 4 October 2009
BEIJING (Reuters) – Serena Williams made a stuttering start to her bid to topple Dinara Safina from the world number one spot with an error-strewn 7-5 6-4 win over Estonian Kaia Kanepi in the first round of the China Open on Sunday. Safina, who must at least match Williams' progress over the next week in Beijing to retain the number one ranking, was equally unconvincing in her 6-4 6-4 victory over Italian Roberta Vinci earlier in the day. Williams missed last week's Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo with knee and toe injuries and looked far from her best on Sunday. It Williams' first singles match since her rant at a lineswoman in her semi-final loss to Belgian Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open last month.
The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion made nine unforced errors with five double faults in the 83-minute encounter against the big-hitting Kanepi, who broke the American three times. The second seed, though, always looked to have the edge on the big points and claimed her place in the second round of the $6.6 million event with a fifth break of serve when world number 48 Kanepi went long.
Williams only needs to have a better result than Safina in Beijing to claim the number one ranking, according to WTA officials. While the Russian said she did not think about the points race, the American has her sights firmly set on the top spot. "It's definitely on my radar," Williams said. "I would love to be number one but I also want to pay the price to be number one. And it'll come eventually."Saturday, 3 October 2009
Thursday, 1 October 2009
ESPN The Magazine's inaugural “Body Issue,” on newsstands Friday, Oct. 9, will feature nearly 80 athletes (Serena included) from a variety of sports in a celebration and exploration of the athletic form. The issue honors athletes of diverse shapes, sizes, genders and races within the boundaries of taste and frontiers of creativity upon which ESPN The Magazine and ESPN have built their reputations. It is a testament to the work the athletes do, the effort they exert and the price they sometimes pay in reliance on their most important asset – their bodies. 
Features in the Body Issue explore the athletic form, inside and out – literally. Body Issue editorial topics include: the largest genetic test of current and former athletes to examine their genetic mapping, athletes’ use of sexuality to promote themselves, a first-hand look at an athlete’s ACL surgery, insuring the athletic body and what video game companies know about the athletic body and the process they go through to create the video game representation of star athletes.
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