Twits

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

On december first, Serena Williams will die for charity!

Keep a Child Alive, an organization co-founded by Alicia Keys that provides support services to families affected by HIV/AIDS has launched a campaign called BUY LIFE. Keys has organized a group of entertainers to sign off of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and commit a digital life sacrifice on Wednesday, World AIDS Day, until they raise $1 million.

The campaign includes Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Serena Williams, Janelle Monae, Lady Gaga, Willow and Jaden Smith.

“This is such a direct and instantly emotional way and a little sarcastic, you know, of a way to get people to pay attention,” said Keys, who has more than 2.6 million followers on Twitter, to the AP. (Lady Gaga has more than 7.2 million followers on Twitter, and almost 24 million fans on Facebook.)

Keys says she wants the campaign to put things in to perspective. One of the campaign’s goals is to get people thinking about what it means to buy a life beyond HIV treatment meds.

“Keep A Child Alive buys more than just the pills needed to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. It buys the essential nutrition, shelter, support and education to help ensure those pills are taken properly and effectively,”
The foundation, which began in 2003, will accept donations through text messages and bar-code technology found on ads. Keep a Child Alive works in India, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.

To donate via text message, simply text "BUYLIFE" to 90999
or you can specifically text "SERENA" to 90999.

Nike outfits to kick off 2011.

As you can see in the previous blog, I have published what is believed to be some Adidas outfits for 2011, and now I will write what will probably be the outfits for Nike players Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and what would have been Serena Williams' out fit.
Although the picture size and quality is not to great, I hope you will still be able to see it well! The first dress, in the wolf grey and orange will most likely be her Australian Open dress, with the below tanks, for tournaments such as, Dubai, Memphis, Indian Wells etc. 

The second dress, the yellow one, which is my favourite one out of the tree, will possibly be for the French Open or US Open how ever im not to sure where the teal one fits in, probably for the US Open or French Open (which ever the yellow one is not for!)
The above pink dress will be Azarenka, probable out fit for the Australian Open with the tanks being for after and players such as Lucie Safarova, Li Na etc. and of course Marion Bartoli will also ware them!



The last dress, in navy blue and white and white and blue, is what Serena Williams was Supposed to ware for the first grand slam of the year, but will now no longer as she has with drawn (see below). The above crew tops will probably be also part of the Azarenka range, for her and the other players. 

Out of all of the Nike out fits I like what would have been Serena Williams' what outfits do you like the most?

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Adidas 2011.

It May seem to early for some, to begin talking about predictions of what players will be wearing at the first Grand Slam of the year, but anyway! Here is what Adidas' Adilibria Player's will apparently ware 
to kick off 2011!

To your left is the Dress most likely to be worn by 
Ana Ivanovic and Daniela Hantuchova. I really like 
this dress and I think it would look great against the 
blue courts of Melbourne Park! Also i think this dress will look amazing on the two girls

And of course this will also be the dress for the
French Open as usual!

Below are the tops and skirts the Adilibria girls will 
be wearing (Sorana, Laura Robson, Sania Mirza etc.)

These outfits look great and will really suit the girls! Note: The top and skirt also
come in white with green underlay!

So perhaps it will be white and green for the French Open!?

What do you think of the outfits?


Thursday, November 25, 2010

Serena Williams pulls out of Australian Open.

Serena Williams today confirmed she has withdrawn from Australian Open 2011.

“As I continue to rehabilitate my foot after the second surgery last month, it is with the utmost regret that I am withdrawing from the Hopman Cup and the 2011 Australian Open Championships,” Serena Williams said today.

“As I recently learned, pushing myself back into my intense training too early only caused me further injury and damage.

“While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly.

“This decision, though heavy on my heart, is the right one. I am praying for a healthy recovery and I promise my Aussie fans and my fans around the world that I will be back better than ever as soon as I can be.”

Williams has been in regular contact with Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley and made her decision after receiving further medical advice.

“I know how disappointing it will be for Serena that she’s unable to come back and defend her title at Australian Open 2011. We all know how much she enjoys playing here, and how much she loves her Aussie fans,” Tiley said.

“Serena is a great champion and we will miss her in January. We send her our very best wishes for a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming her back to Australia soon.”

Monday, November 15, 2010

The slighting of Serena Williams

As the WTA season wrapped up with the championships at Doha recently, Caroline Wozniacki, a 20 year old from Denmark, ended the tour ranked No 1 in women's tennis – largely thanks to her consistency in winning minor WTA events. For many, Serena Williams, though knocked off the top spot in the rankings and unable, through injury, to defend her 2009 Doha title, remains clearly the supreme player of her generation.

But in certain circles of the US tennis establishment, Wozniacki's emergence is seen as a positive development, precisely because it puts Williams "in her place". Chris Chase, a tennis correspondent for Yahoo Sports, for example, has a history of writing hostile commentary about Serena Williams. Recently, he accused Williams of "hyping" her foot injury – despite the fact that a torn tendon had forced her to pull out of all the season's remaining events. And, he writes, Williams' fans should simply "deal with it" if Wozniacki is the new No 1.

ESPN writer Peter Bodo is another long-time critic of the Williams Sisters. Earlier this year, Bodo called the Williams sisters' patrotism "false and self-serving" because they had failed, as he saw it, to make a firm commitment to play for the US squad in the Federation Cup. And when the sisters again chose not to play the Indian Wells tournament this year, where Venus and her father Richard had been booed and allegedly racially abused following her withdrawal with injury from a match against Serena back in 2001, Tom Gainey of Tennis X said they should get over it.

Given this form, the question has to be asked, when has an American-born tennis champion ever been so disrespected as Serena Williams?

One reason why the American tennis establishment resents Serena Williams is because she doesn't make tennis her life. Williams is so superior to other women on the WTA that she can play part-time – and still win two out of the four grand slam singles titles.

But some of the establishment's almost palpable relief at Wozniacki's elevation is, frankly, because she's young, white and blonde; and is a physical type that conforms more closely to western stereotypes of female beauty than Williams' highly athletic physique. A female athlete, it seems, is not respected for her hard work and dedication; she still has to be a product on display to sell to heterosexual male consumers – and a dark-skinned, self-willed African American is not the preferred model.

For all her consistency, Wozniacki has never beaten any of the big four: either the Williams sisters, or the Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Wozniacki has a weak forehand, a lack of variety in her game, and the top elite women have the power to blast her off the court. The fact remains that Wozniacki is just another, relatively anonymous woman player who has reached No 1 without a grand slam title, just as Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina did. The idea that Wozniacki is any kind of "great white hope" is doubly misguided.

Recently, Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, told the New York Times he believes the USTA discourages African American youth from pursuing the sport because they don't want blacks dominating tennis, which is still, culturally, a white sport. That is a view that chimes with the fact that Maria Sharapova is the highest-paid female athlete in the world, despite the fact she's only won three grand slam singles titles – ten less than Serena Williams has.

So what is it that the Maria Sharapova or Caroline Wozniacki has that Serena Williams, the greatest champion US women's tennis has ever had, doesn't? Tennis ability has nothing to do with it. Prejudice has everything to do with it.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Clijsters wins Doha

Kim Clijsters started strongly, lost her way a little and finished fast in the final of the WTA Championships - Doha 2010, scoring a 6-3 - 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki for her third career title at the season-ender.

Coming into this year's event, Clijsters was the only player in the field who had a winning record at the WTA Championships in previous years (she had been 15-6 here, with none of the other seven players better than even). She was also on a roll in big matches, winning all five finals since returning to tennis last year.

All of that may have played into a very fast start for Clijsters, who burst out to a 6-3 4-1 lead; Wozniacki, who had won more matches than anyone this year, did not surrender - in fact she raised her level in a big way, upping the aggression and winning seven of the next eight games to win the second set and break for 1-0 in the first game of the third. The match would turn once more, however.

Clijsters broke right back in the second game of the third set and was again the frontrunner from there, firing an inside out forehand winner to break again for 4-2, holding easily for 5-2 then holding again two games later to complete the victory.

"At the moment I'm kind of relieved it's over. It seemed like it would never end," Clijsters said on court right after the match. "It was a tough battle. We should some great tennis and some great fitness - I think we showed the crowd some great women's tennis tonight. This was my first time in the Middle East and it been a very amazing experience."

Having also won this event in 2002 and 2003, Clijsters is the fifth player in WTA history to win here three or more times (Martina Navratilova won here eight times, with Steffi Graf winning four times and Monica Seles three times).

Clijsters won her fifth WTA title of the year, following triumphs in Brisbane, Miami, Cincinnati and the US Open; the only player who won more titles than Clijsters this year was Wozniacki (the Dane won six titles this year).

Wozniacki has a lot to be happy about after this week, making it to one of her biggest career finals (last year's US Open final was arguably her only bigger final, and she fell to Clijsters there too) and, by virtue of beating Francesca Schiavone in round robin play, securing the year-end No.1 ranking - she rose to No.1 on October 11 and is the 10th player ever to finish a year No.1.

"This may be disappointing for Caroline, but she has a great future," Clijsters added. "I also have to congratulate her on making it to the No.1 ranking."

"This has been a fantastic week for me - the support is always amazing here," Wozniacki said. "I had a great week. Kim just played amazing today and she really deserved to win."