Posted at 12:50 p.m., Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tennis: Serena Williams pulling out of Fed Cup
By HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press Tennis Writer
The eight-time Grand Slam singles champion will be replaced on the U.S. roster by Meilen Tu, who flew to Vermont today to join the rest of the squad, a person at the U.S. Tennis Association told the AP.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Williams' withdrawal and replacement by Tu were not going to be announced formally until tomorrow. The draw for the best-of-five semifinal is Friday, with matches Saturday and Sunday.
The matchup already lost some luster when two-time major champion Maria Sharapova, who is No. 2 in the rankings, withdrew from Russia's roster because of a right shoulder injury that's bothered her for months. Russian media reported that 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova would pull out, too.
There was, however, some lingering intrigue: As of today, Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev was still waiting to get a visa to be able to travel to the United States, and Russia's Foreign Ministry posted a statement on its Web site saying, "We consider this slowness to be incomprehensible and unwarranted."
The USTA said it would help Tarpishchev in any way it could.
Williams and her older sister Venus were part of the four-player team announced June 27 by U.S. captain Zina Garrison, along with doubles specialist Lisa Raymond and teenager Vania King. But five days later, Serena Williams strained her left calf and hurt her left wrist and thumb during her fourth-round victory at Wimbledon.
Particularly hampered by the wrist and thumb — she had to hit backhands with one hand instead of two — she lost to Justine Henin in the quarterfinals at the All England Club. On Tuesday, Williams pulled out of next week's WTA tournament in Mason, Ohio.
She and Venus, who won Wimbledon for her sixth major title, were on the U.S. team that beat Belgium 5-0 in the Fed Cup quarterfinals at Delray Beach, Fla., in April. That was Serena Williams' first Fed Cup action since 2003, and Garrison has spoken about the sisters' commitment to participate in the competition and win it — if healthy.
The United States hasn't won the Fed Cup title since 2000.
The 41st-ranked Tu complained last month that she hadn't heard at all from Garrison before the team was picked.
"I'm a little bit disappointed in that I never even met her," Tu said at Wimbledon, a day after the roster was announced. "Look, I can go up to her and definitely introduce myself, I'll give you that. But I think it's part of her job representing women's tennis, representing the Fed Cup, that she come up and talk to all the American players."
