Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/73939
2B Daily News– Wednesday, July 11, 2012 No rest for Serena in lead up to Olympic competition Williams has had little time to reflect on her first Grand Slam title in two years and even less time to sleep with a schedule she says is ''probably the most hectic it has been in my career.'' And it has only just begun. Three days removed from winning Wimbledon and less than three weeks away from returning to London to go for Olympic gold, a jet-lagged Williams was back on the court Tuesday — more than 5,000 miles and eight time zones away from the All England Club — in the serene setting at Stanford. ''I don't know really where I am right now,'' she joked. The 14-time Grand Slam sin- gles champion left London a day earlier, watched ''at least five movies'' on the flight — ''The Hunger Games'' was her favorite — because she couldn't sleep and only rested a few hours before she showed up on Court 10 wearing a pink, long-sleeved shirt and black capris in front of about a dozen spectators. Leaving the London drizzle for the Stanford sunshine wasn't the only reason Williams returned. STANFORD (AP) — Serena The Bank of the West Classic, where the top-seeded Williams will defend her title beginning Wednesday against NCAA champion Nicole Gibbs of Stan- ford, holds special meaning for Williams. The tournament is where her comeback took shape last year when she beat Marion Bartoli in the finals for her first WTA title victory since returning from blood clots in her lugs and two foot operations that threat- ened her life and career. ''I really wanted to come here more than anything,'' Williams said. ''This is kind of where I felt like it began. Just getting on that plane and coming here to play is probably the best thing I could have done.'' What a way to gear up for the Games. Not only did Williams win the singles title at Wimbledon, she also teamed with older sister Venus to capture the doubles crown. The ''super hectic sched- ule,'' as Williams refers to it, isn't slowing down either. The two will be right back on grass at the All England Club when Olympic competition begins July 28. Williams, now No. 4 in the world rankings, and Venus won gold in doubles in 2000 and 2008 and will go for a third again this year. Serena might also team with Andy Roddick or John Isner in mixed doubles. She has never medaled in singles. A year ago at this time, even playing in the Olympics didn't seem possible. Williams cut her feet on glass at a restaurant two weeks after her 2010 Wimbledon title, lead- ing to a series of health problems for most of the next year, includ- ing being hospitalized for clots in her lungs. She also had a pocket of blood removed under the skin on her stomach. Now she's back and better Martina Navratilova took home the title in 1990 at age 33. If she stays healthy, Williams has a chance to match Navratilova's total of 18 Grand Slam titles as well. Only Steffi Graf with 22 major championships has more. ''I've actually never felt this fit and this good in my entire life,'' Williams said. ''It's really, really, really weird but I've never felt this good.'' She could not have said that a year ago. Williams walked onto the court at Stanford as the favorite then, but hardly the clear-cut choice she once was — especial- ly entering the fall's U.S. Open, where she lost in the finals to Samantha Stosur. Now that pun- ishing serve is back, and so are those hard-hitting strokes and fleet footwork that propelled Williams to the top of women's tennis. Not to mention that aura of than ever. ''She's proven herself to be a great champion,'' Roddick said during a conference call Tuesday before a tournament in Atlanta. ''She's almost become a master of comebacks. I remember when, what, four or five years ago, she was below 100 in the world? People were wondering if that was it. She came back and domi- nated.'' invincibility. ''I'm so in awe of her,'' said Gibbs, who was a ball girl for Williams for an exhibition in Cleveland when she was 12 years old. ''She's one of my idols growing up. I'm honored to play against her.'' Williams yet. She is the first woman in her 30s to win Wimbledon since Seemingly with ease, too. What has propelled Williams more than anything is her serve. She broke her own Wimbledon record for aces in a match with 23 against Zheng Jie in the third round. Less than a week later, she eclipsed that mark with 24 against Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals and finished with 102 for the tournament. Williams tossed a football around the Stanford courts Tues- day before practicing her serve — a motion her father, Richard, has said is similar to her racket swing. She used to toss the ball around as a kid, too. Age hasn't slowed down Bartoli also is back in the field at Stanford as the No. 2 seed. Third-seeded Dominika Cibulko- va and fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic, both looking to shake off first-round losses at Wimble- don, figure to round out Williams' top competition. In another example of how much has changed, Bartoli beat the former world No. 1 in straight sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year. Then Williams whipped the French- woman in straight sets in the finals at Stanford. And now? ''I'm glad I was able to play against her last year at Wimble- don because I think that was my best chance to ever beat her,'' Bartoli said. ''I predicted that last year here at Stanford. And I think my prediction was kind of right.'' Solo receives warning after drug test COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — U.S. national team goalkeeper Hope Solo received a public warn- ing Monday from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after she tested positive for the banned substance Canrenone in a urine test. warning and will still play for the United States in the Olympic tournament. The 30-year-old Solo tested positive for Can- renone in a test on June 15. Solo has accepted the cans to the 2008 gold medal in Beijing with some spectacular per- formances. Considered one of the world's top keepers, she helped the Ameri- cans to a second-place finish in last year's World Cup, only a penalty kicks shootout loss to Japan denying Solo her first World Cup title. ''I took a medication prescribed by my per- sonal doctor for pre- menstrual purposes that I did not know con- tained a diuretic,'' Solo said in a statement. ''Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and that the medication did not enhance my perfor- mance in any way.'' Canrenone is classi- fied as a specified sub- stance, so its presence in an athlete's sample can result in a reduced sanction. ''As someone who believes in clean sport, I am glad to have worked with USADA to resolve this matter and I look forward to representing my country at the 2012 Olympic Games in Lon- don,'' she said. A recent semifinalist on ''Dancing With The Stars,'' Solo has been the regular U.S. keeper for nearly six years and backstopped the Ameri- She also is remem- bered for the con- tentious finish to the 2007 World Cup in China, when she helped the Americans reach the semifinals. But she was benched by coach Greg Ryan against Brazil for veteran Briana Scurry, a hero of the 1999 world champions. Scurry was rusty, the United States was routed 4-0, and Solo famously criti- cized Ryan's move. ''It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that,'' Solo said. ''There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. ... You have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past.'' Ryan dismissed Solo from the World Cup team. She wasn't allowed on the bench for the third-place game, did not partici- pate in the medal cere- mony and flew home from China on her own. Pia Sundhage soon took over as coach and Solo has remained her top goalkeeper since. 3 Armstrong associates get lifetime USADA bans — With Lance Arm- strong digging in for a legal fight, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued lifetime sports bans Tuesday to three former staff members and consultants on the cyclist's winning Tour de France teams for drug violations. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Moral was a team doc- tor; Michele Ferrari was a consulting doctor; and Jose ''Pepe'' Marti (team trainer) worked for Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service and Dis- covery Channel squads. All had been accused by USADA of participat- ing in a vast doping conspiracy on those teams during part or all of Armstrong's seven Tour victories from 1999-2005. Luis Garcia del Armstrong also has been charged and has declared his innocence. Several hours after USADA announced its KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Baseball Commis- sioner Bud Selig has gone to the Boston Red Sox with complaints over a film Bobby Valentine produced about Dominican prospects. ''Ballplayer: Pelotero,'' a documentary that tracks corruption in the process of signing Dominican ama- teurs, opens Friday. ''I expressed our con- cerns to Red Sox owner- ship and that was it. What they did from there is up to sanctions against the others, Armstrong's attorneys refiled a law- suit asking a federal judge in Austin to pre- vent the case against from going forward. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks had thrown out Armstrong's initial 80-page complaint Monday, but invited him to submit a new one that was shorter, more to the point and less about his career and personal battles with anti-doping officials. Armstrong's attor- neys refiled a 25-page suit arguing that USADA violates ath- letes' constitutional rights, that the agency doesn't have the juris- diction to bring the charges and that it may have violated federal law in its investigation. Armstrong wants the court to rule by Satur- day, his deadline to either accept USADA's charges and sanctions them,'' Selig said Tuesday during a question-and- answer session with the Baseball Writers' Associa- tion of America. ''There were a lot of things that were inaccurate.'' MLB says many of the issues have been rectified since 2009, the period cov- ered by the film. ''It doesn't really reflect what's happened in recent years in the Dominican,'' said Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president of economics and league or send his case to arbi- tration. Under USADA rules, Moral, Marti and Fer- rari had until Monday to challenge the allega- tions against them in arbitration or ask for a five-day extension. If they did not respond, USADA could impose sanctions. spokesman declined immediate comment on the USADA bans issued Tuesday. An Armstrong Although none lives in the United States, USADA says the ban blocks them from par- ticipating in any sport that falls under the World Anti-Doping Agency code. ''The respondents chose not to waste resources by moving forward with the arbi- tration process, which would only reveal what they already know to be the truth of their doping activity,'' said Travis Valentine's documentary 'inaccurate,' Selig says affairs, said in a statement. Valentine, in his first season as Red Sox manag- er, said in text message to The Associated Press that he did not think he would respond. ''There are not a lot of headlines that are going to come out of this, but that somebody has a problem with something that Bobby Valentine did, probably a pretty big headline that would come out of it,'' union head Michael Wein- er said. Tygart, chief executive of USADA. There's been no indi- cation from USADA that any of the three men — who each received the agency's maximum punishment — is cooperating with investigators. Armstrong was granted his extension while he files his court case. Also charged and granted an extension was Armstrong's former team manager, Johan Bruyneel. Another team doctor, Pedro Celaya, also has been charged and faced the same Monday dead- line. A USADA spokes- woman declined to say if Celaya asked for an extension or for his case to go to arbitration. USADA filed the ning the Tour de France from 1999-2005. Moral, who lives in Spain, was the team physician from 1999- 2003. According to USADA, he helped rid- ers use banned blood transfusion techniques to help boost endurance. He also helped them use banned performance-enhancing drugs including the blood-booster EPO and steroids. Moral could not immediately be reached for comment by tele- phone or email. Ferrari, who lives in training. He also helped advised riders how to use EPO and avoid detection. Ferrari's lawyer could not be immediate- ly reached for comment and there was no answer at Ferrari's home. The doctor already was banned for life by the Italian cycling federa- tion in 2002. charges against Arm- strong and the others in June, laying out what it calls a vast doping con- spiracy on Armstrong's teams when he was win- WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Minnesota 14 4 .778 — Los Angeles14 6 .700 1 San Antonio11 5 .688 2 Seattle 8 9 .471 5.5 Phoenix 4 14 .222 10 Tulsa EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Connecticut 13 4 .765 — Indiana 10 6 .625 2.5 Chicago 8 7 .533 4 Atlanta 8 9 .471 5 New York 6 11 .353 7 Washington 3 13 .188 9.5 ------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday's results Connecticut 77, Washington 70 Indiana 84, New York 82 Minnesota 107, Tulsa 86 Los Angeles 90, Phoenix 71 Today's games San Antonio at Chicago, 9:30 a.m. Atlanta at Seattle, Noon Washington at Connecticut, 4 p.m. Thursday's games Tulsa at Minnesota, 10 a.m. Los Angeles at Indiana, 4 p.m. West Division 3 14 .176 10.5 Italy, was a consulting doctor for Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Ser- vice and Discovery Channel teams from 1999-2006, according to USADA. USADA said Ferrari developed a special mixture of testosterone and olive oil to be placed under the tongue to help riders recover from races and MLB National League WL Pct GB Dodgers 47 40 .540 — Giants 46 40 .535 .5 Arizona 42 43 .494 4 San Diego 34 53 .391 13 Colorado 33 52 .388 13 East Division WL Pct GB Washington 49 34 .590 — Atlanta 46 39 .541 4 New York 46 40 .535 4.5 Miami 41 44 .482 9 Philadelphia37 50 .425 14 Central Division WL Pct GB Pittsburgh 48 37 .565 — Cincinnati 47 38 .553 1 St. Louis 46 40 .535 2.5 Milwaukee 40 45 .471 8 Chicago 33 52 .388 15 Houston 33 53 .384 15.5 ------------------------------------------------------- Today's games No games scheduled Thursday's games No games scheduled worked for the U.S. Postal Service, Discov- ery from 1999-2007 and then Astana, helped deliver performance- enhancing drugs to rid- ers in Europe and helped with injections, USADA said. ''Permanently ban- ning these individuals from sport is a powerful statement that protects the current and next generation of athletes from their influence, and preserves the integrity of future com- petition,'' Tygart said. Marti, of Spain, who MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 48 38 .558 4 A's 52 34 .605 — 43 43 .500 9 Seattle 36 51 .414 16.5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 52 33 .612 — Baltimore 45 40 .529 7 Tampa Bay 45 41 .523 7.5 Boston 43 43 .500 9.5 Toronto 43 43 .500 9.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 47 38 .553 — Cleveland 44 41 .518 3 Detroit 44 42 .512 3.5 Kansas City37 47 .440 9.5 Minnesota 36 49 .424 11 ------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday's result All-Star Game: NL 8, AL 0 Today's Games No games scheduled Thursday's games No games scheduled