2009  has been a lucrative year for Serena Williams.  The #1 ranked female tennis player in the world has earned more money this year than any other  player in history of women’s tennis.

See how much she earned.

Tennis great Serena Williams could be fined more than $500,000 and barred from participating in the next Grand Slam tennis event for her appearance in the ESPN the Magazine Body Issue.

According to YBF.com, the International Tennis Federation “is not amused” with her posing nude in the magazine.  Moreover, issues remain with her tirade against an official during the 2009 US.Open last September .

I’m sure I’m not the only one who almost started singing the Doxology when I seen for the first time the Serena Williams cover of the new ESPN Magazine.

Williams is one of several high profile African-American athletes including NFL player Adrian Peterson, NBA’s Dwight Howard and U.S Olympian Michelle Carter who participated in the “Body Issue” of ESPN Magazine. All models are naked with private parts concealed for obvious reasons.

Of course some are questioning the decision of some of the athletes posing in the magazine. But others applaud a mainsteam magazine applauding the beauty of black women.

Weeks after a profanity-laced tirade at the US Open Tennis Championships, an ad campaign for feminine hygiene products hopes to capitalize on the furor.

In October Tampax will feature a series of print and web ads featuring tennis star Serena Williams “trying to whack a ball into a woman named Mother Nature,” according to DailyFinance.com.

The ad centers around a character who goes around handing women their “monthly gift,” if you get our drift. But when Mother Nature comes across to court give Williams her present, she gets pelted with a tennis ball.

To be fair, the ad campaign was already set in motion long before the U.S Open incident, with ads already secured in People, Teen Vogue and BeinGirl.com.

After the incident (in which Williams apologized to the umpire and fans) Proctor and Gamble (the parent company of Tampax) officials discussed whether to continue the campaign. They decided to continue.

However is Proctor and Gamble hoping the image of Williams being angry  will help their ad campaign? Are they implying that every time a woman shows anger it has to do with her monthly gift?

Moreover does the decision to run the ad enforce the perception of Williams, who never had an on the court incident in her career before the US Open into the stereotypical angry Black woman camp?

What appears to be great advertising for Tampax, might not be so great for arguably the greatest tennis player on the planet.

We’re interested to know what you think.

 Kim Clijsters, having already whipped up on one of the Williams sisters at this year’s U.S. Open, will get her shot at the other. Clijsters, who returned to the pro circuit this year after getting married and having a baby, defeated Venus Williams in the fourth round of the Grand Slam. Her next hurdle will be to face defending champion Serena Williams, who’s now in the position to defend family – and personal – honor.  “She’s such a great person and I, like, only wish the best for her. But not in the next match,” said Serena, who improved to 23-1 in Grand Slam singles matches this season by beating No. 10 Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-3 Tuesday night. Williams and Clijsters both have 12-match winning streaks at the U.S. Open. Clijsters won the first seven en route to the 2005 title, the last time she played in New York, and now has five this year, the last a 6-2, 6-4 win against 18th-seeded Li Na of China. “I’m glad I got through it again, stayed focused on my game,” Clijsters said. “I wanted to be aggressive and I think that’s what helped winning those important points today.”

The world’s former No. 1 tennis pro, Kim Clijsters, defeated Venus Williams in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Sunday, and by the sound of the crowd, it seemed as though the match took place in Belgium rather than in New York. When Clijsters spanked American Williams in the first set 6-0, the crowd roared its approval, and as Williams roared back to return the favor, winning 6-0 in the second set, the crowd grew silent. Coming down the stretch, as Clijsters appeared poised to snatch the match, which she eventually did 6-4, the crowd found new life, cheering her on loudly. “Thank you guys so much for helping me,” Clijsters told the crowd, when she had provided the latest and strongest evidence that she is back for real by beating Williams by the mood-swinging score of 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 in the fourth round. Clijsters, returned to the pro tennis circuit last month at age 26, after delivering a baby girl, Jada. “I think so many people can relate,” said Lynch, a New Jersey native and former professional basketball player. “How many woman in the world have a child and try to make it work with their career?” Earlier in the day, Venus’s little sister, Serena, defeated Diana Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-2, 6-0, to advance to the next round.

Both Serena and Venus Williams have advanced to the third round of this year’s U.S. Open. The second-seeded Serena was near perfect, whipping the 51st-ranked Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-1, 6-1 Wednesday night. “I definitely made adjustments,” Serena said. “I knew her game better today.” If she is to go on to win the tournament, Serena would capture her fourth U.S. Open championship and 12th Grand Slam singles title overall. She would also become the first woman to win consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows since elder sister, Venus, in 2000-01. In what is becoming a regular showdown, the sisters could face off in the semifinals. Third-seeded Venus Williams won earlier Wednesday, eliminating Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States 6-4, 6-2. “I’m still playing well and I feel I’ll continue to play better as the rounds go on,” she said. “I’m trying not to make this injury a factor at all.” The Williams sisters will join forces Thursday in the first round of doubles, taking on Julia Goerges and Arantxa Parra Santonja.

Tennis wonders Serena and Venus Williams are looking to own a chunk of the NFL Miami Dolphins. The duo are currently in negotiations with team officials to secure a deal, Reuters News reported Wednesday. “There have been preliminary talks and hopefully it will work out,” Serena Williams told reporters after her second round win over Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova at the Toronto Cup. “That would be a great opportunity for both of us. We’ll see what happens, you never know.” If the deal were to go through, the Williams sisters would join musicians Jimmy Buffet and Gloria and Emilio Estefan, who became minority partners in the team earlier this year. Buffett, owner of Margaritaville Enterprises, signed a deal in May, which includes the team’s stadium being renamed after his LandShark Lager beer for the 2009 season. The Williams, who live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, are not described as big NFL fans but view the Dolphins as a vehicle to promote themselves. “Venus and I are always trying to expand our brand,” said Williams. “If the opportunity presents itself we would love to see where it can take us. “Hopefully we’ll be able to expand our brand.”

Serena in Rare Major Defeat

After 18 straight wins at a major tournament, 10-time Grand Slam champ Serena Williams was ousted from the French Open Wednesday, getting upset 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 by Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. “Honestly, I think I lost because of me and not because of anything she did,” said Williams, careful not to give too much praise to her opponent. “I had an opportunity, and I got really tight, and I pretty much gave it to her. It was like, ‘Here. Do you want to go to the semis? Because I don’t.’ She was like, ‘OK.”‘ The second-seeded Williams is at least partially correct. She outright blew her 3-1 lead in the third set, looking as if her energy was sapped as she came up short too often down the stretch. The Russian, on the other hand, appeared to gain confidence with every misstep by her opponent. Kuznetsova, the seventh seed, moves on in the semifinals to play No. 30 Samantha Stosur of Australia, who defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-3.
Eagles Westbrook to Undergo Surgery
The Philadelphia Eagles front office is looking like a pack of geniuses, having drafted high for a running back despite having workhorse Brian Westbrook in the backfield. That’s because the speedy Pro Bowl ball carrier is headed under the surgeon’s knife Friday morning for a troublesome high ankle sprain he suffered last year. The Eagles organization is using a million-dollar word to describe the procedure – “a debridement” of the ankle – but it still comes down to one simple fact: The team knew it was time to invest in an insurance policy if it plans to go beyond last year’s early elimination from the playoffs. That policy is running back LeSean McCoy, who the Birds drafted in the second round in April. Westbrook, who had 936 yards rushing, 402 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns last season, also underwent minor knee surgery after the Eagles were booted from the 2009 NFC championship game by the Arizona Cardinals. Westbrook turns 30 on Sept. 2.

 Serena Drama in Paris Tennis star Serena Williams is becoming as known for the on-court theatrics as she is for whipping up on her opponents. In the latest installment of the “Serena Show,” the No. seeded Williams called her French Open opponent, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, an outright cheater for claiming that a tennis ball went off Sanchez’s racket and not her arm. The fact that Sanchez beat Williams 4-6 in the first set as a result of that questionable point apparently frustrated Williams. Sanchez fired back that Williams’ comment was “stupid.” But the drama didn’t end there. During the third-set changeover, Williams experienced a protracted coughing fit. Even Williams had to admit it didn’t look good. “I’m, like, drama. And I don’t want to be drama,” Williams said in a low, raspy voice. “I’m like one of those girls on a reality show that has all the drama, and everyone in the house hates them because no matter what they do, like, drama follows them. I don’t want to be that girl.” By the way, Serena won the match – 4-3, 6-3, 6-4.