Venus Williams was at the National Press Club in Washington DC Wednesday promoting her new book Come To Win which was released last month. As we can see from the following excerpt, Venus is talking how important it is to invest in a career beside tennis and develop your entrepreneurial skills.

The arc of an athlete's life is funny. Just when other young professionals are peaking, hitting their stride, and consolidating their skills, we're starting, if we're smart, to think of our future, one that doesn't depend on our athleticism and our injury prone bodies to pay the rent. Let's be clear: I'm not retiring anytime soon. At thirty, I still have game and can think of nothing more gratifying than traveling the world to play tennis. But I am putting into practice something my mother, Oracene, and father, Richard, who once owned a security-guard company, told me and my sisters, Lyndrea, Yetunde, Isha, and Serena: Think entrepreneurially. When we were growing up in Compton, California, the whole family would have these sit-down meetings led by my dad, who is a philosopher type. He'd ask questions such as, "Why is it that the poor person stays in the ghetto and the rich person gets richer?" or "Why is it that when you do something for someone it doesn't work as well as when you help them help themselves?" Read more »

Earlier this year world No.10 Li Na donated all her prize money from the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (she reached the quarterfinals and earned $57,500) to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, helping with earthquake relief efforts in Yushu County in northwest China.

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Serena Williams has just won her fourth Wimbledon crown, and to celebrate, she shows off her silhouette in a stunning spread for the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, on newsstands July 20. In the photo spread, Serena showcases her Fendi dress and sports a swimsuit by Eres.

In the interview, the 13-time Grand Slam champion in singles opens up about her body image, embracing her curves, and dating, revealing the reason behind breaking up with rapper Common. Plus, Williams, now in top shape and looking her best, shares her diet and fitness regimen.

On her body image:

I was 23 when I realized that I wasn't Venus. She's totally different. I'm super curvy. I have big boobs and this massive butt. She's tall and she's like a model and she fits everything. I was growing up, wanting to be her, wanting to look like her, and I was always fitting in her clothes, but then one day I couldn't. But it's fine. Now I'm obviously good, but it's a weird thing. . . . To this day, I don't love my arms. People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit. But I'm not complaining. They pay my bills.

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Anastasia Myskina’s two-year-old son Zhenya will get a brother or sister, according to the Russian press. One blog says that the father is rumored to be a hockey player, Myskina’s long-time boyfriend and father of her first child. Although, I don’t remember the father of Zhenya has even been publicly confirmed. Even Myskina’s Wikipedia page currently states: "Myskina announced that she was pregnant with her first child, due in May 2008. She has previously dated Russian hockey player Konstantin Korneyev, but refuses to state the name of the father. On April 28, 2008 Myskina gave birth to her first child, a boy named Zhenya."

The 28-year-old Myskina retired in 2007, but only after winning the 2004 French Open and becoming the first Russian women’s tennis player to win a Grand Slam. During her days off from tennis, Myskina has been working in television. (photo: Stephane Martinache)

Today is a day off in terms of women’s tennis as both Wimbledon singles and doubles finals were played yesterday, so this Sunday we have an opportunity to distance from present events and transport ourselves 100 years in the past.

The video is a montage of Wimbledon finals from 1910 to 1970 from the British Pathe archive. I’m sure you will like it, especially the fashion. There are also nice crowd shots and behind the scenes footage of court maintenance.

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Serena Williams didn’t waste much sweat at this year’s Wimbledon to defend her title, win her 13th Grand Slam singles crown and her fourth at the grass court major.

The world No.1 and top seed reached the final with all straight-set victories (over Michelle Larcher De Brito, Anna Chakvetadze, Dominika Cibulkova, seed No.16 Maria Sharapova, seed No.9 Li Na and Petra Kvitova). In the championships match she kept the momentum, and absolutely unchallenged by first-time Grand Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva stormed to a 6-3 6-2 victory.

The first set of the final went with serve until the eighth game when Zvonareva’s nerves and weakness surfaced, reflected in a double fault, the Russian’s first and sole double fault of the set. Williams, of course, didn’t miss her chance, broke Zvonareva's serve and soon after won the whole set. The second set ended even faster, in just 31 minutes, with Williams clearly on her way to victory. The American faced no break points throughout the championships match and hit nine aces, bringing her total of aces at Wimbledon 2010 to 89.

Zvonareva can be sad for not bringing more to the final, but the sole fact of playing at that stage of a Grand Slam is an achievement of its own, having in mind all the career-threatening injuries she has overcome. In addition, Zvonareva will get back to Top 10 in the world rankings, precisely to No.9, and a prize of half a million pounds is not a bad consolation as well.

Serena has yet again proved that all the other players on the Tour are way behind her. In addition, she has passed legend Billie Jean King in overall majors won. (photos via Yahoo)

Dear Readers, here's a guest post from sportswriter and tennis fan David Fearnhead voicing his discontent with Maria Sharapova's screaming. Do you share his opinion?

Buried somewhere in the tennis rule book is an article on hinderance. It states that "If a player is hindered by an opponent then he or she wins the point, unless it's unintentional, in which case the point is replayed." Much of the implementation of this law is down to the umpire. There are obvious cases where this has been used. Remember the beads of Venus Williams’ hair falling out and spraying all over the court during the ’99 Australian Open, or more recently Elena Dementieva’s troublesome hat.

However an old adversary of the Women’s game is rearing its ugly head once more – grunting. I agree with Nick Bollettieri’s assertion that when you’re putting all into hitting the ball as hard as you can you are going to make some noise as you exhale, but there is a world of difference from these breathy strains and the outright screaming of some players.

Nobody expects players to remain completely silent. There should, however, be limits. Exhibit A for the prosecution would be the clash between the talented Czech player Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova and Maria Sharapova at this year’s Wimbledon. This third round match-up had everything for a thrilling encounter. Sharapova was finally coming back into form and Zahlavova-Strycova had just come through a three-setter in which she ousted the number 24 seed Daniela Hantuchova.

Sharapova took it in two sets, edging the first 7-5 followed by a more comfortable 6-3 in the second. However this does not tell the full story of the match. Sure at times it seemed like hawkeye was deliberately favouring Sharapova, and you have to applaud the Russian’s ability to read the lines and know when to challenge, but one niggling doubt over the legitimacy of that victory remains. On that afternoon number one court echoed to the constant screams of the 16th seed. These were not the strains of player trying to put every ounce of herself into every strike, but a seemingly deliberate attempt to destabilize her opponent. Read more »

Justine Henin injured her right elbow during the fourth-round defeat by fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters at Wimbledon and will not play tennis for about two months. The break will affect her participation in the "Best of Belgium" exhibition match in Brussels against Clijsters on July 8 (Henin will only attend the event) and, more importantly, the seven-time Grand Slam champion will have to miss the US Open which starts August 30. The former world No.1’s diagnosis is partial ligament fracture at the right elbow. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

The final of Wimbledon 2010 will feature first-time Grand Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva and 12-time major singles champion Serena Williams as they overcame their unseeded opponents in the semifinals.

The first to advance was seed No.21 Zvonareva with a 3-6 6-3 6-2 over surprising semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, who had defeated the Russian in their only previous meeting. The world No.82 Pironkova, who stunned Venus Williams in the quarterfinals even though she had never been past the second round of a major, started the match well, but Zvonareva managed to hang in and turn it around.

Prior to this year’s event, Zvonareva hadn’t been to the second week of Wimbledon in six years. She will mount back to the Top 10 in the rankings, from her current position No.21. Read more »