Serena will not be in the US team for the Tokyo Olympics
Former champions Venus Williams and Andy Murray were named in Wimbledon's initial list of wildcards
World number one Nadal made the announcement at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena during the "Rally for Relief" event.
American Williams, seeded 10th and competing in her 20th French Open, powered 22 winners and converted six of 13 break points as she picked apart the 60th-ranked Belgian in just over an hour.
John McEnroe mocked Margaret Court as the 'crazy aunt' of tennis. She has attracted heavy criticism for voicing her religious-based opposition to same-sex marriage.
Roger Federer and Serena Williams had contrasting 2013 seasons but both kick off their new campaigns at the Brisbane International this week showing no signs just yet of calling time on their illustrious careers.
Serena Williams' iron grip on the women's game has reached such a level that even Andy Murray fancies taking on the American.
Serena Williams and Roger Federer both enjoyed Sunday afternoon strolls at Roland Garros as they seized the opportunity to gain head starts over their French Open rivals in ruthless fashion.
Newly-engaged Serena Williams touched down in Auckland on Friday and quickly made her way to the court to hit some balls ahead of the start of her 2017 season.
Former world number one Serena Williams returns to Grand Slam action for the first time in over 15 months, when she goes up against Czech Kristyna Pliskova in the French Open first round.
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams will still play the Australian Open despite withdrawing from her scheduled warm-up tournament in New Zealand for health reasons, according to tournament director Craig Tiley.
World No. 1 Serena Williams bounced back from a set down to defeat former top ranked Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 and win her third Family Circle Cup title on Sunday.
Sharapova's quarter-final defeat by Williams at the 2016 Australian Open was the last competitive match the Russian played for 15 months after she received a doping ban while American Williams was on a maternity break for most of 2017.
Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber, battling it out for the world number one ranking, are the first two women to qualify for the season-ending WTA Tour Finals in Singapore, the WTA said on Monday.
World number one Serena Williams was battered into a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 submission by a fired-up Nadia Petrova in the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Serena Williams survived a scare from France's Aravane Rezai on Thursday before booking her spot in the Sydney International final against Russian Elena Dementieva. The Australian Open champion was teetering on the brink of defeat after losing the first set and trailing 5-2 in the second but she raised her game to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Second seed Venus Williams needed three sets to beat battling Indian Sania Mirza 6-1 3-6 6-2 in the second round of the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday. After dominating the opening set, American Williams found herself in trouble in the second with the 100th-ranked Indian producing some great defence to save 10 out of 11 break points while breaking the American twice. Williams finally took control of the match in the third set.
Venus Williams battled to a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Martina Hingis to reach the quarter-finals of the Warsaw Cup
Australia's Hewitt earned the accolade for the second year running, while American Williams was honoured for the first time.
Former Wimbledon champion Rafa Nadal could be heading for a clash with one of his Big Four rivals as early as the fourth round after the Spaniard was seeded 10th for the grasscourt championships.
Venus Williams staged a spirited comeback to down third seed Petra Kvitova 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 and reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Saturday.
Serena Williams claimed a sixth Wimbledon title and fourth successive Grand Slam crown by suppressing the spirited attacking instincts of 20th-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza to win Saturday's final 6-4, 6-4.
Serena Williams outplayed Maria Sharapova to claim the 2015 Australian Open championship in straight sets on Saturday.
Australian great Margaret Court won 24 grand slam singles titles, one ahead of American Williams, who confirmed she was pregnant on Wednesday and will sit out the rest of the season.
No current athlete in the world of sport can match the 31-year-old for reliability at present and the American, despite a brief blip, eased past Luxembourg's Mandy Minella 6-1, 6-3.
IMAGES from the matches played at Miami Miasters in Key Biscayne, Florida, on Wednesday
Jelena Jankovic eased into the last four at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday when Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko retired from their quarter-final with an ankle injury while trailing 6-1, 4-1.
World number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams completed a clean sweep for tennis as they won the Laureus Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards on Monday.
As tennis raise hopes of an Indian medal at the Rip Olympics, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com put things in perspective.
'The one match I would really like to watch would be Williams versus Djokovic.'
Tiger Woods fed off an "electric" atmosphere to card his lowest score in two years on the PGA Tour, a six-under 64 that put him within two shots of the early first round lead at the Wyndham Championship on Thursday.
Pune Marathas made a remarkable recovery from 0-2 down to win their next three matches in a row as their contest against Bangalore Raptors ended in a thrilling tie to run away with a bonus point in the Champions Tennis League on Thursday.
Serena Williams will face Maria Sharapova for the Australian Open title
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances