Serena Wins Athlete of the Year

Comcast ^ | 12-22-09 | HOWARD FENDRICH, AP

[mlizzy]

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

Williams received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. No other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally, which was announced Tuesday.

Clearly, Williams' most infamous on-court episode - a tirade directed at a line judge after a foot-fault call near the end of her U.S. Open semifinal loss in September - didn't hurt her standing in the eyes of the voters.

``People realize that I'm a great player, and one moment doesn't define a person's career,'' Williams told the AP. ``And I was right, for the most part: It wasn't right the way I reacted - I never said it was - but I was right about the call.''

She also noted that the outburst, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary period at Grand Slam tournaments, ``got a lot more people excited about tennis.''

[mlizzy]

Serena could be the best women's tennis player in the history of the game, but continues to play out of shape, plays only when she fancies to do so, and has displayed a hot-headed potty mouth that she felt "got a lot more people excited about tennis." (Still hoping she gets it together.) But for now, Ugh!

[SmokingJoe]

“She also noted that the outburst, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary period at Grand Slam tournaments, ``got a lot more people excited about tennis.’’

That's like saying a train wreck gets people more interested in trains.

[ari-freedom]

[SmokingJoe]

“Serena could be the best women's tennis player in the history of the game,”


Change that to “she could have been the best female tennis player in history”.
As it is, her chance is gone.
Serena will never win as many singles slams as Steffi Graf(22) or even Navratilova(18) did. She wasted her time sucking up to Hollywood and all she got was 2-bit parts in crap TV series, even as her tennis game suffered.

[mlizzy]

That's like saying a train wreck gets people more interested in trains.

Exactly! The amazingly gifted Williams sisters have driven fans batty over the years with their attitudes, etc., however Venus has toned it way down and is enjoyable to watch play the game, however, personally I'm usually still pulling for her opponent, unless she's playing her sister that is.:)

[Texas Jack]

I vote for the United States' downhill skiing champ;

Linsey Vonn

[cherry]

I can't wait for the "sisters" act to move on....never liked them....disliked them totally....and I am waiting for someone with a little more class and charm to grace the courts.....

AP hard pressed to select her....must be in the "plan" of hoax and chains.....

[Dem Guard]

And they passed over Michelle Obama for her hola hoop demo? ;-)

[mlizzy]

Change that to “she could have been the best female tennis player in history”. As it is, her chance is gone. Serena will never win as many singles slams as Steffi Graf(22) or even Navratilova(18) did. She wasted her time sucking up to Hollywood and all she got was 2-bit parts in crap TV series, even as her tennis game suffered.

Exactly right again! I don't know if she angers me more because of her "attitude" or because she never stuck completely to the rigors of her game and accepted half-a**ed brilliance instead, which I suppose could be considered "attitude" in and of itself.

[SmokingJoe]

Well Kim Clijsters is back, and Justine Henin is coming back next year as well.
Clijsters already schooled Serena at the US Open(that's what brought on her outburst), and Justin Henin owned both Serena and Venus before she retired, so it's going to be a very interesting year next year.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

Serena and Tiger. What’s next? Role models of the year?

[Thrownatbirth]

"but I was right about the call.''

She has the maturity of a schoolyard bully.

[mlizzy]

Indeed: I was just fetching the picture/story on that!

Mothers rule. Kim Clijsters didn’t get the credit she deserved Saturday night for outplaying Serena Williams, whose verbal attack on a lines judge on match point marred the evening and forced correspondents to tear up their feel-good Kim stories. So pour on the plaudits now. Clijsters is back, and back on top of the tennis world — the Queen of Flushing Meadows again. Clijsters’ 18-month blonde daughter scampered onto the Ashe Stadium court and posed for a billion baby pictures last night with her mom, who is the U.S. Open champion for the second time ... After Saturday’s ugly ending, Clijsters said, “It’s unfortunate a match that I was playing so well at to end that way. The normal feelings of winning a match weren’t there.” Read more: Link

[ari-freedom]

“I have some really good men friends but I believe in no sex before marriage. No fornicating. Stuff like that. I really believe in that. I mean, I’m not perfect. It’s hard to live by the Bible standards but I’m really comfortable with me.””
-Serena Williams

[mlizzy]

“I have some really good men friends but I believe in no sex before marriage. No fornicating. Stuff like that. I really believe in that. I mean, I’m not perfect. It’s hard to live by the Bible standards but I’m really comfortable with me.”” -Serena Williams

Serena Williams and Tim Tebow (birds of a feather ...?).

We already knew Tim Tebow had the ability to kill a man with a forearm and get popcorn to pop by staring at kernels, now he's given yet another example of his superhuman powers. The most popular player in SEC history is saving himself for marriage. Unbelievable. I asked him this afternoon, and he didn't even blink before responding. He handled it masterfully, deftly. He even said he wasn't surprised to get the question. Talk about unflappable. Link

[freekitty]

Nice role model. Not sarc/

[freekitty]

LOL Yes, I am surprised that Michelle Obama did not win just like her husband and the Nobel Prize.

[Bon mots]

I think Obama should have gotten this.

Serena's arms are almost as big as Bigfoot's!

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

[Right Wing Assault]

I’m surprise Tiger’s wife didn’t get it for her hole-in-one SUV.

[Right Wing Assault]

She looks like Lebron James in that first pic.