Sports
WIMBLEDON 2015: Serena Williams halfway to true Grand Slam
By Howard Fendrich
Associated Press
Serena Williams heads to Wimbledon halfway to a Grand Slam.
If it were up to her, no one would notice.
Williams prefers to downplay her chances of becoming the first tennis player in more than a quarter-century to win all four major tournaments — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open — in the same season.
“I haven’t done well at Wimbledon recently, so that’s the only one that’s kind of eluding me,” Williams said, managing to keep a straight face and perhaps hoping to convince herself as much as anyone who might be listening. “So I’m trying to get to that one, at least make it deep in the second week of that tournament.”
When play begins at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament Monday, Williams will be ranked No. 1, and seeded No. 1, and there is zero doubt that she is far and away the best tennis player on the planet at the moment. Indeed, she might very well be the best in history, a debate that can never be settled on a court, of course.
Already the Year of the Triple Crown in horse racing, 2015 could wind up being the Year of the Grand Slam in tennis and golf, with Jordan Spieth halfway to a 4-for-4 calendar year at his sport’s major championships.
In tennis, only two men and three women have ever done it.
The last man was Rod Laver in 1969. The last woman was Steffi Graf in 1988.
“Why not?” said Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. “That’s probably the most difficult thing to do in tennis. But it’s possible.”
There are others who could win Wimbledon, of course, challengers such as 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, two-time winner Petra Kvitova or 2013 runner-up Sabine Lisicki.
But as 18-time major champion and ESPN analyst Chris Evert put it when discussing Williams: “I mean, it’s all up to her. When she is at her best, she is better than anybody else.”
With a versatile and dangerous serve, and powerful groundstrokes, Williams’ game translates quite well to the slick surface at the All England Club, where she has won the championship five times: 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2012. She also was the runner-up twice.
And yet, here is what Williams had to say shortly after winning the French Open for her 20th Grand Slam trophy and third in a row: “To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really liked grass, and I just don’t know how I’ve done so well on it.”
On her past two trips to Wimbledon, Williams bowed out in the fourth round in 2013, and the third round in 2014.
“The monkey’s on my back. … I just consistently do terrible there,” Williams insisted, in just a bit of hyperbole.
“Now that it’s a slower surface,” Williams said, “it’ll help me out a little bit.”
Seems safe to say, actually, the speed doesn’t matter.
Nor does the opponent.
What’s really important when it comes to the 33-year-old Williams is how she’s playing and if she is motivated to win.
As she showed during her comeback-filled run at Roland Garros, she can summon the skill and the will to turn any match in her favor, even on her worst days.
“Serena has seemed late in her career … to be mentally tougher than she’s ever been,” said John McEnroe, a seven-time major champion who will be analyzing Wimbledon matches for ESPN.
A year ago at the All England Club, Williams departed under odd circumstances. She lost in the third round of singles to 25th-seeded Alize Cornet, then pulled out three games into a doubles match after appearing disoriented. Williams later blamed an illness.
She has not lost at a Grand Slam tournament since.
That’s a 21-match winning streak, from New York last September, to Melbourne in January, to Paris this month. Williams is the first woman to win three consecutive majors since — big surprise here — she took four in a row for a self-styled “Serena Slam” in 2002-03.
As for the possibility of completing a true Grand Slam or eventually surpassing Graf’s total of 22 majors, Williams is not all that keen about contemplating such milestones.
“I’m still playing, and when you’re still playing, you’re not thinking, ‘Well, I’m here in the history books, and soon I’ll be there.’ Because then you’ve become really satisfied,” she said. “And seeing that I’m the kind of person that I want to continue to play well, and I want to continue to win matches, I don’t want to be satisfied. I want to keep going.”
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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Community
Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR
Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.
By Tamara Shiloh
Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.
Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”
Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.
In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.
His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.
People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.
Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.
In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.
Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.
From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.
Community
Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA
Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.
The Richmond Standard
Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.
“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.
That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.
Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.
Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.
“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”
The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.
She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”
“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.
All she could do in that moment was cry.
“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”
There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.
Her high school coach agrees.
“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”
Community
Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame
The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February. Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.
By Post staff
The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February.
Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.
The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott Civic Center Hotel.
“I am truly honored to receive this incredible nomination,” said Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, who, along with college teammate Devanei Hampton, lead Oakland Tech to its second consecutive state title in 2005. “It took a village to raise me and get me here, and I truly am excited to continue the legacy.”
Gray-Lawson, a “second team” Parade All-American and an All-State honoree, as a senior in ’05, was chosen for the California Interscholastic Federation sportsmanship award. She only lost one game throughout her four-year career in high school. Her jersey was retired at Oakland Tech and placed in the National High School Hall of Fame as a four-time All-City recipient, averaging 17.2 points per game during her career.
Gray-Lawson received scholarships in volleyball, softball, and basketball before deciding to travel up College Avenue to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she played in more basketball games (143) than any other player in Golden Bears’ history. She finished her career as the Bears all-time 3-point leader (211), and she is ranked third in scoring with 1,982 points.
An All-Pac 10 and honorable mention All-American in 2010, Gray-Lawson also was the top player at 5’8” or under for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. Later that year, she was a third-round pick of the Washington Mystics in 2010 and played with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 2011 and 2012. She also played professionally overseas in Turkey and Israel.
Other inductees are Clifford Ray (Basketball); Lee Lacy (Baseball); Spencer Haywood (Basketball); and Mohinder Singh Gil (Track & Field).
Organizers say the event promises to be a “historic and celebratory evening,” and iconic personalities from across the professional sports industry and its various disciplines will attend.
The no-host cocktail hour begins at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:45 p.m.; and the ceremony at 7:45 p.m. All times are prompt. General tickets are $250.00; Seniors (65 and older) $150.00, and students $50. This includes dinner and the ceremony. Tables of 10 are available as well, and early purchase is recommended.
MESHOF is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring athletes from all corners of the globe who have made significant contributions to the world of sports and broadening the public’s understanding of the contributions people of color have made to professional sports; and to provide educational life skills and mentorship opportunities for deserving youth. Proceeds will help maintain the City of Oakland’s Curt Flood Field, Oakland Parks & Recreation, and MESHOF’s after school and mental health initiatives.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.multiethnicsportshof.com. For additional information, please contact: Arif Khatlib @ afrosportshall@aol.com or India Alston @ india@beamcreativehouse.com
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