|
LONDON -- It was clear something was wrong with Serena Williams from the moment she began trying to warm up for her Wimbledon doubles match Tuesday. Shaun Suisham Steelers Jersey . She weakly pushed volleys into the net from a couple of feet away. She whiffed on practice strokes. She even had trouble with the simple task of collecting tennis balls from the ball kids. After Williams was examined for about 10 minutes on the sideline by medical staff, including a check of her blood pressure, the match began. After three games, though, an out-of-sorts Williams and her partner, older sister Venus, stopped. The tournament referees office and WTA later said Serena, who lost in singles Saturday, had a viral illness. "I am heartbroken Im not able to continue in the tournament," Serena said in a statement. "I thought I could rally this morning because I really wanted to compete, but this bug just got the best of me." About 1 1/2 hours after leaving the court, Serena walked out of the All England Club, still wearing her white match outfit, and with a tournament towel draped around her waist. She got into a car and was driven away. "Unfortunately, Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldnt play to her potential today," Venus said. "Im really proud of her for trying because we just love playing doubles together." They have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair, including five at Wimbledon. In singles, the 32-year-old Serena is ranked No. 1 and owns 17 major championships, the most among active women; five came at the All England Club. "We were all looking forward to a great match. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of the fans for their cheers and understanding," said Serena, who was beaten in three sets by 25th-seeded Alize Cornet in the third round of singles. "I look forward to returning to Wimbledon next year." While being looked at by a doctor before the start of the second-round doubles match against Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele, Serena hunched over and covered her face with her hands. During the delay, one of the Williams other sisters, along with Serenas agent and her hitting partner, left their seats in the stands. Eventually, play began. With Serena serving in the third game, she was broken at love with four double-faults. One of the best servers in the womens game, she hit balls that bounced before reaching the net. At love-40 in that game, chair umpire Kader Nouni took the unusual step of climbing down from his perch and walking over to speak to Serena. She then served another double-fault to fall behind 3-0. Serena and Venus walked to the sideline holding hands, and Nouni announced to the crowd at No. 1 Court: "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Miss Williams has to retire." Serena wiped away tears as she walked toward the courts exit. Her career has been marked by health problems. She missed eight months after having surgery on her left knee in 2003, the year she had completed a self-styled "Serena Slam" by winning four consecutive major titles. Days after winning Wimbledon in 2010, Williams cut both feet on broken glass while leaving a restaurant, leading to two operations on her right foot. Then she got clots in her lungs and needed to inject herself with a blood thinner. Those shots led to a pool of blood gathering under her stomachs skin, requiring another hospital procedure. In all, she was off the tour for about 10 months, returning in 2011. Joe Greene Steelers Jersey . Five times this season he never got off the bench at all. He hadnt scored in double digits in the first 20 games before contributing 18 to the Boston Celtics 106-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Ben Roethlisberger Jersey .1 million qualifying offers to second baseman Robinson Cano, outfielder Curtis Granderson and pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills president Russ Brandon opened 2013 vowing to transform what he called the franchises "tarnished" reputation. On Monday, Brandon closed the year with the job still incomplete. Though pleased with the direction the team has taken under first-year general manager Doug Whaley and first-year coach Doug Marrone, Brandon expressed disappointment with a 6-10 finish and the Bills extending the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 14 seasons. "I have all the faith and belief in (Marrone) and (Whaley) to keep continuing to get this ship pointed in the right direction and see significant progress as we enter 2014," Brandon said. "What we dont feel good about is sitting here and talking to you at 6-10. And that needs to change." Change was the operative word last off-season, when the Bills went through a near top-to-bottom overhaul. Buffalo purged much of its roster, and began a rebuilding plan that included drafting quarterback EJ Manuel with the 16th pick out of Florida State. The transition has yet to start paying dividends. In closing the season with a 34-20 loss at New England on Sunday, Buffalo finished with six wins for a third consecutive year, ended fourth in the AFC East for a sixth consecutive year, and extended its string of losing seasons to nine dating to a 9-7 finish in 2004. "With youth comes inconsistency," Whaley said. "So all those guys that contributed this year, we expect them to take a bigger step next year, play more consistent and be more productive." And that includes Manuel, who struggled with his consistency, and had his development stunted by injuries to both knees since August. Manuel missed the final two preseason games with a left knee injury. He missed four regular-season games after spraining his right knee in a 37-24 loss at Cleveland. And he then closed the year missing the final two games after tearing a ligament in his left knee. Manuel finished with a 4-6 record, completed just 58.8 per cent of his attempts (180 of 306 for 1,972 yards) and finished with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Marrone maintains confidence in Manuel, and has already informed the quarterback hell be the teams starter entering next season. Dismissing his critics, Manuel called his rookie season a learning process. "Obviously, youre going to have ups and downs as a rookie," Manuel said. "Ive had some good games, and theres a lot I caan take and build from. William Gay Steelers Jersey. . I dont really know whos questioning things. But as far as me, Im just continuing to get better." Marrone announced hes already made one change to his staff by firing receivers coach Ike Hilliard because of "a difference in philosophy." Hilliard, who spent 12 seasons in the NFL playing receiver, was responsible for overseeing a young group that included rookies Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin. On the personnel front, Whaley intends to make an offer in a bid to re-sign three-time Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd. And Whaley didnt rule out the possibility of using the franchise designation for a second consecutive year to retain the players rights even if it risks the possibility of having the player miss the entire off-season as he did this past year. Byrd is open to re-signing, and also braced for possibility of the Bills retaining his rights once again. "Im at peace with everything. I know what to expect," Byrd said. "Ive gone through it once. And itll be good. However it works, itll be good." Statistically, the Bills showed improvement on several fronts. Their defence, though inconsistent in stopping the run, finished second in the NFL with a franchise-record 57 sacks. The defence ranked 10th in the NFL in yards allowed -- the units best finish since placing second in 2004. Byrd, defensive tackle Kyle Williams and defensive end Mario Williams all earned Pro Bowl selections this year. The defence also featured linebacker Kiko Alonso, a second-round pick, who is regarded an NFL defensive rookie of the year candidate. On offence, the Bills running attack finished second in the NFL with 2,307 yards -- the most since 1992. Running back Fred Jackson was among numerous veterans who expressed confidence the team might finally be turning the corner. "If you watched us play this year, youll know that were not the same team that weve been," Jackson said. "But theres no moral victories. We know that. We know that for us to be relevant, we have to win more football games." ---- NOTES: The Bills retained the rights to seven practice squad players: QB Dennis Dixon, DB Mario Butler, OTs Edawn Coughman and Jamaal Johnson-Webb, DE Ikponmwosa Igbinosun, WR Brandon Kaufman and LB Jacquies Smith. ... Whaley said hes open to re-signing PK Dan Carpenter and P Brian Moorman. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
