Soon-not-to-be world No.1 Serena Williams withdrew from the Kremlin Cup, which starts on Monday in Moscow, due to an ankle injury.

"My left ankle has been bothering me since the US Open and I need to take a break now to get it back to 100 percent," said the nine-time Grand Slam champion, who was a finalist last year in Moscow.

"I have played a lot this year and my body needs to recover. My goal is to try and get the No. 1 ranking back."

Besides Williams, world No.6 Maria Sharapova also won’t take part in the Kremlin Cup, as she will be missing the rest of the season because of her shoulder injury. However, the women's field is the strongest in the 19-year history of the $2.3 million with eight of the world's top 10 players participating. (source: ESPN, photo: Getty Images)

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Serena Williams lost to China’s Li Na in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, and consequently Jelena Jankovic will take over her No.1 ranking next week.

American Williams was defeated in an intense three-setter 0-6 6-1 6-4.

Williams only took over the top spot when she beat Jankovic in the final of the US Open three weeks ago. Since Justine Henin retired in May, as much as four players have held the No.1 ranking: Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams – and we know Henin’s coach Carlos Rodriguez is not pleased with such a state of women’s tennis.

The world No.30 Li also beat Serena’s sister Venus Williams to reach the semifinals at the Beijing Olympics. (photo via Yahoo)

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Carlos Rodriguez, best-known as the former coach of once dominant women’s tennis player Justine Henin, was interviewed by Matt Cronin for FOXSports.com and gave harsh reviews of some currently top WTA players.

Ok, the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova can be satisfied, but Jelena Jankovic could feel more than offended. However, we can’t blame Carlos for being honest; I doubt he wanted to insult anyone. Read more »

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We all know that Serena Williams is fond of writing poetry, but the latest news is that the world number one is reportedly planning to write her memoir.

The nine-time Grand Slam champion, who was recently named by Forbes Magazine as the second highest paid female athlete in the world, could be close to signing a $1 million dollar book deal.

The news of a pending Williams autobiography was initially published by Matthew Flamm, a senior reporter at Crain’s New York.com.

"William Morris Agency honcho Suzanne Gluck is close to reaching a $1 million deal for an inspirational memoir by the top ranked women’s player," wrote Flamm, citing industry sources.

"According to one publishing executive, Ms. Williams and her agent will meet with the top remaining bidders next week." (source: On the Baseline, photo via Simply Serena Williams)

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Some women’s tennis players visited the New York Fashion Week to see what the trends for Spring 2009 will be, while some modeled at the Bali Fashion Show. Let's see how it all went out.

Newly-crowned US Open champion Serena Williams joined Ivana Trump backstage at the Luca Luca show. Read more »

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