Serena Works New York City During the U.S. Open

courtesy: usopen.org

Serena Williams was unable to play at the U.S. Open this year due to a foot injury but that did not stop her from watching her sister Venus play, commentating for ESPN with the McEnroe brothers, and taking in Fashion Night Out (FNO) events last week. She spent a lot of time with Vogue editor and fashionista Andre Leon Tally and was looking beautiful. She is good friends with Kim Khardashian and I think her latest hair style is looking very Khardashian-like.

Fashionista Update

Nike has released the latest French Open 2010 fashions for Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. I absolutely love Maria's dress! I like the lines and the free flowing wrap of the fabric. The colors are described as Wolf Grey/Deep Burgundy.

Serena's dress has a "cancan" Moulin Rouge Parisian flair in Marina Blue/Electric Green. I'm really curious as to whether it will look flattering on her given her tall, curvy figure. I'm hoping "the girls" aren't popping out like they did in last year's dress!

Fashionista Update

Serena Williams has been granted a wild card to play in the Italian Open. The tournament begins May 3rd in Rome. This will be Serena's first tournament since her win at the Australian Open in January and should help her prepare for the French Open in late May.

Nike has also released the latest additions to the Love Game tennis line that Serena will be wearing in the coming weeks. The skirt is multi-layered with a mesh lining. The top and skirt come in eight different base color combinations and the outfit shown here is in Astor Pink/Whip Orange. The color palette is similar to that of the summer Adidas Adilibria line. I think these colors will look great against the back drop of the European red clay. Can't wait to see Serena back in action!

courtesy: www.midwestsports.com

[Update] Fed Cup News: Players Announced

Player nominations have been announced for the upcoming U.S.A versus Russia World Group Tie. Specifically, U.S.A. has named Melanie Oudin, Bethanie-Mattek-Sands, and Liezel Huber for the team that will host Russia April 24-25. Captain Mary Joe Fernandez has the option of adding a 4th player until the day of the draw (April 23) and she is hoping that one of the Williams sisters will join the line-up. Team Russia will be led by Elena Dementieva (world no. 6), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova, and Alexandra Kudryavtseva.

courtesy: www.fedcup.com

Fed Cup News

Still awaiting final announcement from the USTA and Captain Mary Joe Fernandez on the roster for U.S.A. versus Russia semi-final tie. The U.S.A. will host Russia in Birmingham, AL April 24-25. However, it appears that Venus Williams has indicated that she will not be playing due to a leg injury she sustained while playing in Miami. The Russians are also facing some challenges with Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kutnesova, and Vera Zvonareva electing not to play. Elena Dementieva may be available. So it looks like this leaves the Russians with "second string" options; namely, Nadia Petrova (No. 18), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 30), Elena Vesnina (No. 33), and Ekaterina Makarova (No. 62). What a tough problem to have. *sarcasm*

In the World Group Playoff, Belgium's Fed Cup captain, Sabine Appelmans, has announced a solid, experienced roster that includes: Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Yanina Wickmayer, and Kirsten Flipkens. The Belgians are scheduled to play Estonia April 24-25. The winner will gain a spot in next year's top tier. Wickmayer and Flipkens have formed the foundation for the Belgian team in the past few years. Neither Clijsters nor Henin have played Fed Cup in almost 4 years.

courtesy: Matt Cronin www.tennis.com & www.fedcup.com

Serena and Common in NYC for Date Night

courtesy: www.facebook.com/wta

Serena Williams and her boyfriend Common were out on the red carpet last week for the premier of the movie "Date Night." The movie stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Common has a supporting role in the movie. I love Serena's outfit and the shoes are fierce! She towers over Common. I wonder if these were the shoes that Serena tweeted about earlier in the month. *ouch*

Serena Pulls Out of Charleston Clay Tourney

Serena Willams notified officials that she would withdraw from the Family Circle Cup in Charleston due to a knee injury that his sidelined her since the Australian open in January. Williams said in a statement released by the tournament that her knee "has not fully healed" and that she looks forward to "returning to the WTA Tour in Europe." According to her website, she is scheduled to play in the Madrid Open (May 10th) and then the French Open (May 24th). I'm hoping that she makes a full recovery so that she can prepare well for a good showing at the French Open.

Still, this fashionista has to question some of her fashion choices. Based on one of her latest tweets she's been sporting some pretty high heels. Doesn't that put more pressure on the knees and ankles? I'm just saying. Of course, I'm wishing Serena a very speedy recovery so we can see her back in action.

courtesy: www.twitter.com/serenajwilliams