Serena Williams

Serena Williams encountered a stumbling block on her road to the French Open, while Rafael Nadal is moving on to add to what's already a record title haul in Rome.

Both stars were in action Wednesday at the 2021 Italian Open, with the event serving as one of the final tune-ups before players travel to Paris for the second Grand Slam of the season.

 

Men's Singles Results

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-4

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 3 Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 6-4

No. 4 Dominic Thiem def. Marton Fucsovics 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-2

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Hugo Dellien 6-2, 6-2

No. 7 Andrey Rublev def. Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4

No. 9 Matteo Berrettini def. John Millman 6-4, 6-2

No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Cristian Garin 7-6(5), 6-3

Federico Delbonis def. No. 12 David Goffin 6-2, 6-1

No. 13 Denis Shapovalov def. Stefano Travaglia 7-6(2), 6-3

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3

Lorenzo Sonego def. Gianluca Mager 6-4, 6-4

 

Women's Singles Results

No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Yaroslava Shvedova 6-4, 6-1

Jessica Pegula def. No. 2 Naomi Osaka 7-6(2), 6-2 

Angelique Kerber def. No. 3 Simona Halep 1-6, 3-3(ret.)

Barbora Krejcikova def. No. 4 Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-4

No. 5 Elina Svitolina def. Amanda Anisimova 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka def. Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-1

Nadia Podoroska def. No. 8 Serena Williams 7-6(6), 7-5

No. 9 Karolina Pliskova def. Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 

Vera Zvonareva def. No. 11 Petra Kvitova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

No. 12 Garbine Muguruza def. Bernarda Pera 2-6, 6-0, 7-5 

Ekaterina Alexandrova def. No. 13 Jennifer Brady (walkover)

No. 15 Iga Swiatek def. Madison Keys 7-5, 6-1

Petra Martic def. Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-3

Veronika Kudermetova def. Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-4

Coco Gauff def. Maria Sakkari 6-1, 1-6, 6-1

Jelena Ostapenko def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 7-6(3) 

 

Wednesday Recap

Wednesday wasn't a good time to be a seeded player in the women's singles draw. Williams was one of four in the top 10 to exit the tournament, though Simona Halep's defeat was due to a calf injury.

Her status for the French Open might be in doubt as well as the 2018 champion announced she has a tear in her left calf:

but I will do everything I can to take care of the injury and be back as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your support and I’ll keep you posted on my progress 🙏

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) May 12, 2021

Elsewhere, Sofia Kenin was unable to rebound from a poor first set and lost to Barbora Krejcikova. The opposite was true of Naomi Osaka, who went to a first-set tiebreaker with Jessica Pegula and then wilted in the second.

One poor result isn't necessarily a cause for concern ahead of a major tournament. For Williams, however, her performance Wednesday might be a bad omen heading into Roland Garros.

The 39-year-old doesn't keep up a full-time schedule. The Italian Open was her first WTA event since the Australian Open in February. A level of rust was apparent as she committed 18 unforced errors in the second set alone, per WTATennis.com. 

"I have been training for months, but it feels definitely different on clay to make that last adjustment," Williams said after the match. "Just filling out the game, finding the rhythm. Even sliding and confidence with that, with movement. ... That's always like a little struggle in the first two matches, and then I'm raring to go."

While a three-time French Open champion, Paris is where Williams has historically struggled the most. Her last quarterfinal appearance was in 2016. Nobody will count her out completely, but the absence of competitive matches relative to her competitors is likely to be an issue:

Serena Williams loses to Podoroska, 7-6, 7-5. The conundrum for Serena is trying to be a part-time tour player while trying to contend in majors. One match in four months going into Roland Garros isn’t going to cut it. She needs more reps.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) May 12, 2021

The men's draw didn't provide anywhere near the same kind of surprises. Aslan Karatsev sent No. 3 Daniil Medvedev packing. Fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem dropped his first set against Marton Fucsovics and needed a tiebreaker to stay alive in the second before rolling to victory in the third.

Nadal encountered some stiff resistance from Jannik Sinner.

Sinner broke the 20-time Grand Slam champion's serve in the first set, which set the tone in a match where neither player could enjoy a lead for very long. Nadal immediately broke back in the second game, and the reverse happened across the fifth and sixth games.

Down 5-6 and serving to force a tiebreaker, Sinner successfully fought off three break-point opportunities before Nadal took the set.

The 19-year-old Italian jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second frame before Nadal responded with a pair of service breaks to reel off four straight games.

THAT was a match! 👏

🎥: @TennisTV | @RafaelNadal | @janniksin | #IBI21pic.twitter.com/WpNRvNQHoo

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 12, 2021

The 34-year-old will meet No. 13 Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Thursday, so the road to a 10th Italian Open triumph won't get any easier from here.

Serena Williams is joining forces with Amazon to produce a docuseries that will chronicle her life on and away from the tennis court, according to TMZ Sports. 

The 39-year-old will serve as an executive producer on the currently untitled series, which will include unscripted and scripted material and be available on Prime Video. 

"I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world," Williams said.

One of the greatest players in tennis history, Williams has 23 Grand Slam titles, 73 championship wins and has amassed more than $95 million in prize payouts. Soon, she could land some television awards, too. 

A Buffalo, New York, radio host was fired Wednesday only hours after making racist comments about Serena Williams, Halle Berry and Gayle King.

Rob Lederman of 97 Rock was let go following his comments while co-hosts Rich Gaenzler and Chris Klein remain suspended by station operator Cumulus Media. Additionally, Gaenzler was fired from his role as the in-arena host for the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team, according to TMZ Sports.

Lederman compared his preferred toast to the skin tones of Williams, Berry and King. As the hosts were mentioning what levels their toasters were set to, Lederman took the conversation in an ugly direction.

"I may get into trouble for this," Lederman can be heard saying, per audio obtained by TMZ. "I have them [toaster settings] to the attractiveness of women that I find to be attractive."

He then compared the skin tones of various celebrities to how he likes his toast.

Some advertisers quickly pulled their spots from the radio station.

A statement from Roswell Park: pic.twitter.com/X5ThVOmzYr

— Roswell Park (@RoswellPark) March 24, 2021

"We apologize, and deeply regret the incident," Cumulus said in a statement. "Cumulus Media operates from a clearly defined set of programming principles and there is no question that Rob Lederman's comments made on The Morning Bull Show are in direct violation of those principles."

Pegula Sports & Entertainment released its own statement severing ties with Gaenzler early Wednesday evening.

pic.twitter.com/oz4GOqXIMC

— Pegula Sports & Entertainment (@PegulaSE) March 24, 2021

Speaking to Tim O'Shei of the Buffalo News, Lederman apologized to "anybody that would be hurt" by his comments and said he hopes to learn from this.

"I never saw myself as anything close to even thinking a racist thought," Lederman said. "It's just not who I am. So when I heard that, and heard how it sounded, I was like, 'Oh, my God, that sounds terrible.' Now, can I take back those words? No. If you listen to them, were they meant to be hurtful? Absolutely not."

Serena Williams' return to the tennis court will be delayed due to oral surgery. 

In a statement released Sunday (h/t the Associated Press), Williams announced she had to withdraw from the Miami Open, which begins Monday, because of a recent surgical procedure. 

"Miami is a special tournament for me because it's my home," the Palm Beach Gardens resident said. "I am sad I won't be able to see the incredible fans this year, but I look forward to coming back soon."

Williams becomes the latest star to withdraw from the event. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all announced they wouldn't be participating in the men's tournament. 

The Miami Open was scheduled to be Williams' first event since losing to Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinal on Feb. 18. She withdrew from a match against Ashleigh Barty in the Yarra Valley Classic leading up to the Australian Open, citing a right shoulder injury. 

"If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone," Williams told reporters after her loss to Osaka when asked about her playing future. 

Depending on how long her recovery process takes, Williams' next event could end up being the French Open starting May 24. If she wants to play a tuneup event before going to Roland Garros, the Italian Open begins May 10. 

Williams has won the Miami Open eight times, most among women all-time and tied with Andre Agassi overall. Her last victory at the tournament came in 2015. 

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry seemed intrigued about the possibility of owning a sports franchise when asked about it during a talk with reporters Tuesday. 

"It's definitely interesting," Curry said, per Wes Goldberg of the Mercury News. "It's enticing, but a long way to go."

Curry would join a list of notable current and former athletes who own majority or minority stakes in professional sports franchises.

Of note, ex-NBA legend Michael Jordan has held a controlling interest in the Charlotte Hornets since 2010, four years after becoming a part-owner in 2006.

Venus and Serena Williams own a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James owns a two-percent stake in Liverpool FC, and ex-Lakers legend Magic Johnson is part of Guggenheim Baseball Management, which owns the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Serena Williams and a number of former U.S. women's national team members, including Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Joy Fawcett and Tisha Venturini are part of the ownership group for the newest NWSL franchise, Angel City FC, which is set to begin play in 2022 in Los Angeles.

Most recently, ex-WNBA player Renee Montgomery became part of an ownership group that purchased the Atlanta Dream.

It's certainly possible Curry could join that list someday.

Per Forbes, Curry was sixth on the list of highest-paid athletes in 2020, earning $44 million in endorsements and $30.4 million in salary/winnings for $74.4 million total.

Per Basketball Reference, Curry made over $169 million in salary through his first 11 years in the NBA, and he's due over $89 million over his final two seasons.

For now, Curry is enjoying a fantastic 2020-21 season in which he entered Tuesday averaging 29.5 points per game for a 19-16 Warriors team ranked eighth in the Western Conference standings.

Naomi Osaka is a whole vibe right now. 

The 23-year-old superstar won her second Australian Open this weekend and her fourth Grand Slam title overall, and celebrated with the trophy and a shirt featuring the Los Angeles Lakers—the defending NBA champions—on social media Sunday (warning: NSFW lyrics):

you know the vibes 🏆💜💛 pic.twitter.com/M9RpggYXkn

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) February 21, 2021

Osaka is tennis' next great star. When she beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open semifinals, it felt like something of a passing of the torch. And Osaka has grown comfortable with the rising expectations.

"The funny thing is, I don't look at expectations as a burden anymore," she told reporters Saturday. "I feel like I'm at the point now where it's something that I've worked for. Like, people wouldn't expect things from me if I hadn't done things prior, if that makes sense."

Those expectations are becoming sky high. Osaka seems up for the challenge.

Serena Williams' bid to capture her record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title came to an end Thursday with a loss to Naomi Osaka in the 2021 Australian Open semifinals at Melbourne Park.

Osaka, a three-time major champion, advances to face first-time Grand Slam finalist Jennifer Brady, who defeated Karolina Muchova in the other women's semifinal.

Novak Djokovic easily dispatched Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev to kick off the men's semifinals. He'll face either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. They play Friday in Melbourne.

                   

Thursday's Australian Open Results

Men's Bracket

(1) Novak Djokovic d. Aslan Karatsev; 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

                

Women's Bracket

(3) Naomi Osaka d. (10) Serena Williams; 6-3, 6-4

(22) Jennifer Brady d. (25) Karolína Muchova; 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

              

Williams' play had steadily improved throughout the season's first major, highlighted by a lopsided victory over second-seeded Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, but she was no match for Osaka on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Japanese sensation overwhelmed her legendary 39-year-old American counterpart in pretty much every facet of the match. She held advantages in both aces (6-3) and winners (20-12), a rarity for a Williams opponent, and also tallied three fewer unforced errors (21-24).

"I think honestly for me it's always an honor to play her, and I just don't want to go out really bad so I just wanted to try my best," Osaka told reporters. "I was a little kid watching her play. Just to be on the court playing her is a dream."

Williams, who took an extra moment to soak in the ovation from the Melbourne Park crowd before she walked off the court, provided a coy answer about her future before ending her press conference early while fighting back tears, per ESPN's D'Arcy Maine.

"I don't know," she said. "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Williams remains one of the best players in the world, but Thursday's loss to Osaka may have been an eye-opener about how hard it will be to win major titles as the next generation of stars reach their peak.

Meanwhile, Brady didn't deliver her most efficient match in the semifinals, recording almost double the number of unforced errors (38) as winners (20) and capturing just 25 percent of her return points.

She struck eight aces, however, and converted all three of her break chances, including one in the third set to put her in position to win. She fought off three break opportunities for Muchova in the final game to punch her ticket to the final.

Brady, 25, had never advanced beyond the fourth round of a major before the 2020 U.S. Open, but now she's reached the semifinals and the championship match in back-to-back Grand Slam events.

Osaka will be the favorite in the final, but Brady's power gives her a chance to pull the upset if she can improve that winner-to-error ratio Saturday.

On the men's side, Djokovic is in the catbird seat after making quick work of Karatsev ahead of an extra day off compared to the other semifinalists before the title match.

The 33-year-old Serb is seeking his ninth Australian Open title and his 18th Grand Slam championship, which would move him within two of tying the all-time mark of 20, held jointly by longtime rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic never appeared threatened in the semifinal, owning an advantage over Karatsev in almost every major statistical category. The top seed posted 30 winners and 17 aces with just 14 unforced errors.

Karatsev, who upset No. 8 Diego Schwartzman, No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime during his journey to the semifinals, couldn't generate enough free points off his first serve with just six aces, and it led to six breaks against him.

Djokovic can now sit back and watch as Medvedev and Tsitsipas play what should be a far more competitive semifinal Friday.  

The much-anticipated battle between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams felt more like a coronation than a hotly contested semifinal match at the 2021 Australian Open.

"I don't know if there's any little kids out here today, but I was a little kid watching her play," Osaka said about Williams in her post-match interview. "And just to be on the court playing against her, for me, is a dream."

No. 3 Osaka was anything but childlike as she routed Williams in straight sets, knocking the most celebrated female tennis player of all-time out of the tournament.

Lol so I’m not even close to being a legend yet but I’ll try my best 🙏🏾 https://t.co/7c2rp5aUyQ

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) February 18, 2021

"I felt like I just started making way too much unforced errors because I was worried about what she would do if I were to hit a soft ball," Osaka told reporters after the match. "When it was like 2-0, I was just telling myself to control what I can control and try to play within myself instead of thinking about what she would do or anything like that."

Williams was emotional after her loss, leaving a post-match press conference in tears. The legendary competitor fell short of capturing Grand Slam championship number 24 in a match where she, ironically, amassed 24 unforced errors.

When asked if she may have been saying goodbye when she acknowledged the fans when leaving the court in Melbourne, Williams told reporters, "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone. So..."

Osaka will meet her 2020 U.S. Open semifinal opponent, American Jennifer Brady, in the final.

    

Women's Scores

No. 22 Jennifer Brady def. No. 25 Karolina Muchova, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

No. 3 Naomi Osaka def. No. 10 Serena Williams, 6-3, 6-4

   

Brady earned a grueling, three-set win over Karolina Muchova to cash her ticket to the final.

The American said in her post-match interview that she felt a bit flat: "I was super excited, but at the same time I was pretty flat-footed. My legs felt fresh, but at the same time they just weren't moving. I felt like I was stuck in the mud. I didn't really pick up my intensity until the third set."

Jennifer Brady is a Grand Slam finalist. 😱 Needed five 5 match points and save 3 break back points to win the final game. pic.twitter.com/U0rmfwufse

— Tennis GIFs🎾🎥 (tip jar🫙📌) (@tennis_gifs) February 18, 2021

Brady will have to shake off that feeling in time for the final. The last time the two competed on a stage as grand as the Australian Open, Osaka knocked off the Pennsylvanian in a three-set match that included a tough first-set tiebreaker.

"I think it'll be a really tough match. Obviously she's won a few Grand Slams. We had a tough match at the U.S. Open in the semifinals. I think she even said that it was one of her top two matches, which was a little bit unfortunate for me at the time," Brady said.

According to Tennis.com, a win for Brady would make her the first former college player since 1979 (Barbara Jordan) to win a major tennis event.

       

Men's Scores

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Aslan Karatsev, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

       

Novak Djokovic sailed to a victory over qualifier Aslan Karatsev of Russia, earning his ninth trip to the Australian Open final.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓊𝑒𝓈 💙

✅ 2008
✅ 2011
✅ 2012
✅ 2013
✅ 2015
✅ 2016
✅ 2019
✅ 2020
✅ 2021@DjokerNole has never lost an #AusOpen semifinal.#AO2021 pic.twitter.com/lbWEaqRaDY

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 18, 2021

"This is the best I've felt in the entire tournament," the Serb said post-match. Djokovic previously struggled with an oblique injury that had some questioning his status for the tournament.

He outclassed Karatsev from the start, hitting 30 winners and 17 aces in the one-sided match.

The world's No. 1 will play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev in the final.

Serena Williams was not ready to say her career was winding down following Wednesday's 6-3, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka in the 2021 Australian Open semifinals.

The legendary 23-time Grand Slam champion was asked if she was saying goodbye as she exited Rod Laver Arena and replied, "I don't know. If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Serena Williams teared up and had to leave her presser after loss to Osaka. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/HCDwk8Xega

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) February 18, 2021

Serena is one Grand Slam title away from Margaret Court's record of 24 and has seven Australian Open championships, seven Wimbledon championships, six U.S. Open championships and three French Open championships on her resume.

Much of the ESPN broadcast discussed how Osaka (23 years old) idolized Williams (39) growing up. And it's nothing short of amazing that Williams is still reaching the semifinals of majors and playing against women who remember watching her as children.

Osaka was the better player Wednesday and didn't look back after an early rally to prevent Williams from seizing a 3-0 lead in the opening set with a break point.

Osaka won five straight games after losing the first two on her way to a first-set victory and then notched a break and service win to close out the second set after it was tied at four games apiece.

Osaka is the rare player who can match Williams' power and control rallies, and she did it throughout to improve to 3-1 in head-to-head meetings. Two of those three victories came under Grand Slam pressure, as she also defeated Williams in the 2018 U.S. Open final.

Much of the tennis world dreamed about a showdown between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams in the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open when the draw was released.  

Turns out, so did Osaka. 

"Just to be on the court playing against her, for me, is a dream," the 23-year-old said following her straight-sets win over Williams, 6-3, 6-4. Osaka is now 3-1 in her career against the legendary Williams, including a 2-0 mark in Grand Slam matchups.

"Just to be on the court playing against her, for me is a dream."

- Naomi Osaka on playing Serena Williams

(via @AustralianOpen)pic.twitter.com/SRcSc0kw1Z

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 18, 2021

Much of the ESPN broadcast focused on how Osaka idolized Williams growing up, but that didn't stop her from controlling the match.

She responded every time she faced pressure, including in the opening set when Serena had a break point to go up 3-0. Rather than fall into a daunting hole right out of the gates, Osaka rallied and won the next five games before eventually taking the set.

It was Williams' turn to rally in the second set as the American battled back from an early break to tie it at four games apiece.

The crowd was on the legend's side by that point, but Osaka overcame three double-faults in the previous game and broke to take a 5-4 lead. It was just a matter of time before she closed out the win at that point, and she did just that with her serve in the ensuing game.

Williams is still one Grand Slam title shy of Margaret Court's record of 24, while Osaka is one win away from her fourth major championship.

Osaka defeated Serena in the 2018 U.S. Open final, but this might have been her most impressive head-to-head performance yet considering the 23-time Grand Slam winner is a seven-time Australian Open champion and thrives in this tournament.

It was Osaka, though, who prevailed like she always has at this stage of majors. In fact, she is now 11-0 in the final three rounds of a Grand Slam event in her career.