World Sports

  Serena Williams argues with the chair umpire during her U.S. Open finals match against Samantha Stosur of Australia, September 11, 2011. NEW YORK — Serena Williams was fined $2,000 by the U.S. Open on Monday for berating the chair umpire during the final. Tournament referee Brian Earley issued his ruling a day after Williams was cited by chair umpire Eva Asderaki for a code violation for verbal abuse during a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Sam Stosur in the women's singles championship match at Flushing Meadows. A statement issued by the U.S. Tennis Association said the fine "is consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events." Williams earned $1.4 million at the U.S. Open: $900,000 for finishing as the runner-up, plus a $500,000 bonus for having come in first place in the U.S. Open Series standings, which take into account results at hard-court tuneup tournaments. The USTA also said Grand Slam committee director Bill Babcock conducted his own review and determined ...

It may be almost a month until the French Open begins but the mind games between the world's two best players on red clay, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have already begun, with both denying they are the favourite for the title. Having won his first Roland Garros crown last summer and picked up three of the past four grand slam titles, Federer might be entitled to go into Paris as top dog. But the manner in which Nadal won his sixth straight Monte Carlo title nine days ago has thrust the Spaniard back to the top of the tree, at least on clay. That all makes for a tasty sub-plot to this week's Masters 1000 event here in Rome for the two are due to meet in the semi-finals. It would be their first clash since Federer beat Nadal to win the title in Madrid last May and would give both players an indication of where they stand. Federer, never one to shy away from mind games, was first off the mark. "The guy's been on an absolute tear on clay for pretty much five ye...

Serena Williams Wins at Wimbledon Summers used to be difficult for Serena Williams, whose dad made her and elder sister Venus practice twice daily on the public tennis courts of the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Williams raised 13 fingers yesterday to her father, Richard, on the Centre Court of Wimbledon after beating Russia’s Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 for her fourth trophy on the London grass courts. Her 13th Grand Slam singles title moved her one ahead of mentor Billie Jean King, who applauded the American from the Royal Box. “I hated the summers, because I think we had two practices a day,” Williams said after the match in an interview with a small group of reporters. “We would always go in the morning, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and then we would have lunch at the park and then right after lunch we’d go back to practice. It was tough. But when you’re that young, you don’t really think about it. At the time, my dad would go sometimes next door to the liquor store to buy us the la...

So tennis whites can be a bit dull. And sports wear is not the most sexy attire around. And Venus Williams was playing in the French Open in Paris... which might go some way to explain her bizarre choice of outfit in her first match of the tournament. The 29-year-old player looked as if she had borrowed a negligee from a burlesque troop at the Moulin Rouge. Looking as if she was about to burst into the can-can at any moment, Venus exhibited her normal flair on the court - athletically reaching for shots and slamming balls past her opponent Patty Schnyder of Swtizerland. But the lacy, tutu-type attire kept bunching up to reveal her skintight flesh-coloured knickers. It gave onlookers more than an eyeful of her shapely derriere. Venus is becoming renowned for her on-court dress, which she wears to give publicity to her personal clothing line. The star said she was wanted to create an 'illusion' - she's actually created a bit of a furore. ...

Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza arrive for their wedding reception in Lahore.

See the Tennis Beauty & Cricketer after there Marriage

A knee injury may have kept her off the court of late, but Serena Williams still looked in fantastic shape while on holiday in Miami yesterday. The tennis star, who spent the day on the beach, was spotted playing American football in the surf with a group of friends. And despite the down-time, she did not disappoint in the style stakes. The 28-year-old wore a bright green bikini with black lace trim, and, bizarrely given the situation, a co-ordinating black lace glove. The look was completed by chandelier earrings. It is not the first statement swimwear she has been seen wearing lately. Only last week she was seen soaking up the Florida sun in a geometric-print cut-out swimsuit. She had been celebrating after winning the 2009 WTA Tour Player of the Year award, as well as the Doubles Team Of The Year award with her sister.

Sania smashes 'hurtful' sex quote In 2005, Sania Mirza strongly denied saying she supported pre-marital sex after remarks attributed to her sparked protests. She said her comments at a leadership summit in Delhi had been misquoted and that pre-marital sex was a sin Allah could not forgive. Mirza's effigy was burnt amid protests in her home state of Andhra Pradesh. She was quoted as saying that whether before or after marriage, the most important matter was that sex was safe.  Sania's 'un-Islamic' dress The same year, security for her at a tournament in Kolkata was stepped up after rumours that a radical Islamic group had threatened to stop her playing in the tournament unless she changed her on-court dress. At the Delhi summit, Mirza also defended her dress saying that even if she wore a four-inch skirt, it was her decision and others should not have anything to do with it. Some groups protested over her dress, calling it 'un-Islamic'.  Sania ‘dis...

Sania Mirza and Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik finally got married on Monday. The 23-year-old Indian ace and 28-year-old Shoaib were scheduled to wed on April 15, but the family advanced the date. The Indian tennis ace was dressed in a red sari, the one her mother Nasima wore for her nikaah 25 years ago. Shoaib, a former Pakistan captain, wore a black sherwani, designed by Shantanu and Nikhil, for the nikaah ceremony, held at hotel Taj Krishna.

Tennis ace Sania Mirza may partner young Pakistani player Aisam-ul-Haq in mixed-doubles matches. In an interview to Geo News, Haq said he has been performing well in mixed double events in the recent past, and if he improves his rankings, he could be playing with Sania. "If we both maintain better positions among 40 top ranking players, we shall be partners in mixed doubles," Haq said. Commenting on Sania's wedding with cricketer Shoaib Malik, Haq said he was happy for the star couple and wished them luck. The moment news of Sania's impending marriage to Shoaib leaked in the media, reports emerged of her playing for Pakistan in the future. Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) chief, Senator Dilawar Abbas, said he would request Sania to take up Pakistani nationality and representing the country in future. Dilawar said that as an Asian woman she should follow the traditions, and pick her husband's country as her new homeland. Sania, however, made it clear...

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is set to marry tennis ace Sania Mirza, could land in fresh trouble for furnishing false information while giving divorce to his first wife Ayesha Siddiqui, according to official documents. The divorce and agreement papers, which Shoaib signed on April 7, have the name of his late father as Malik Saleem Hussain while the invitation for the April 15 wedding reception carries the name of his father as Malik Faqeer Hussain, the documents show. According to legal experts, Shoaib could face legal action if Ayesha's family files a case against him on charges of furnishing false information. The wrong name given in divorce certificate and the agreement signed on Rs.100 stamp paper could be yet another attempt by Shoaib to show that he did not marry Ayesha, they said. The former Pakistani skipper divorced Ayesha on Wednesday after she filed a police case against him for cheating. Sania's family members and some community elders convinced h...

Sania Mirza Engaged To Former Pakistani Captain Shoaib Malik The TV channels said that the mother of Shoaib Malik has met the family of Sania Mirza, and proposed her for her son. The channels also claimed that Sanias family has accepted the proposal and the two families are all set to engage the two Ss soon. The channel quoted the sources of Shoaibs family and said that engagement ceremony between Shoaib and Sania are expected to be in next month. Both Sania and Shoaib are one time engaged in the past but their engagements could not last long.

  Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza posted this picture on her Twitter page. "Me and manzy..my borther from another mother" "Which means he's like my brother" she wrote on her Twitter page (http://twitter.com/mirzasania). Sania is battling injuries and hopes to make a comeback for the Commonwealth Games , in Delhi in October. "My main goal now is probably going to be the Commonwealth and the Asian Games because these events are the most important thing at the moment. Especially with Commonwealth Games being in India , it makes it all the more important", said Sania on Tuesday. Photograph courtesy: Sania Mirza on twitter

Sania Mirza hasn't had the best of starts to the 2010 season - on and off court. A broken service game is one thing, but a broken engagement or a broken heart, is quite another. Earlier in the week, the 23-year-old's father Imran, who coaches Sania and manages her career, called off his daughter's engagement to Mohammed Sohrab Mirza. Sania was formally engaged to the fellow Hyderabadi and longtime friend, now studying business in the United Kingdom, at a luxury hotel near her home last July. The Indian star categorically refused to get into the why and what of the matter, but confirmed her engagement was off. "We were friends for half a decade, but found ourselves incompatible during our engagement period. I wish Sohrab the best in life," she said. Even before the two got engaged, questions were doing the rounds about whether Mohammed could cope with the demands of being life-partner to a widely-travelled, hugely-popular athlete. Sania, who has been struggling wit...

There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of years: whether Sania Mirza is all media hype and little substance, that she’s glamour, glitz and good looks but her on-court performances don’t match the build-up. Much as she has tried to counter this she has had her critics who keep pointing out to her record. And if anything her steep fall in the rankings would give her detractors a lot of ammunition. In the latest WTA chart she has slid to as low as 91. It is not that she has been playing badly; the fact is that she’s hardly been playing at all and that’s her problem. At the moment there is the risk of Sania moving out of the top 100 for the first time since 2004 and that was the year when she first starting making headlines, forcing people to sit up and take notice, not only of her good looks but also her game based on attacking ground strokes. This has clearly been her worst year, thanks to a combination of poor form and injuries. But when you are playing at the international...