Williams eliminated in first round
Tennis: Racket bag slung over her shoulder, resignation written across her face, Venus Williams weaved through fans milling about on the sidewalks that players must traverse to get from Court 2 to the Wimbledon locker rooms in Wimbledon, England.
The 32-year-old Williams had just absorbed a lopsided first-round loss at the Grand Slam tournament she once ruled, a poor performance that raised questions about how much longer she will keep playing tennis while dealing with an energy-sapping illness.
Looking lethargic, and rarely showing off the power-based game that carried her to five Wimbledon titles and seven majors overall, Williams departed meekly Monday with a 6-1, 6-3 defeat against 79th-ranked Elena Vesnina of Russia. Only once before – as a teenager making her Wimbledon debut in 1997 – had Williams exited so early at the All England Club.
She hadn’t lost in the first round at any Grand Slam tournament in 6 1/2 years. Still, Williams said she’ll be at the London Olympics next month and is “planning” to be back at Wimbledon next year.
She announced in August that she had been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.
• Isner falls in first round: Marathon man John Isner faded at the finish of another five-setter at Wimbledon, England.
The highest-ranked American failed to convert a match point in the fourth set and lost in the first round to Alejandro Falla of Colombia, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5.
Isner is best known for winning the longest match in tennis history two years ago in the first round at the All England Club, when he edged Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set. Isner also went five sets in the second round at the French Open last month, losing 18-16 to Paul-Henri Mathieu. He has been eliminated in five sets in each of the past three Grand Slams. Since climbing to a career-best No. 9 in the rankings in mid-April, Isner has gone 3-5.
Presidents to look at playoff proposal
College football: The only things standing in the way of a major college football playoff are 12 university presidents.
They figure to be more of a speed bump than a road block.
The BCS commissioners will present their four-team playoff proposal to the presidential oversight committee today in Washington.
The committee is headed by Virginia Tech’s Charles W. Steger, and includes one university leader from each of the 11 major football conferences, and Notre Dame.
Whether approval will come quickly or the presidents will take some time to mull over the proposal, maybe toss it back for tweaks, is unknown. But it is safe to say the men who have spent hours upon hours hashing this out over the last six months believe their bosses will approve of their work.
NFL rookies educated about health risks
FootbalL: The NFL has schooled some of its rookies on the dangers of concussions and potential long-term effects of head injuries.
As part of a symposium designed to ease their transition as pros, NFC rookies attended a seminar on health and safety hosted by Browns team physician Dr. Mark Schickendantz in Aurora, Ohio. He spoke about a number of topics, including concussions, which have become a major focus for the league in recent years.
Schickendantz took the players through steps they’ll have to follow if they suffer a concussion, symptoms to identify a head injury and possible consequences if they don’t report being hurt.
Dallas Cowboys rookie Morris Claiborne says the information was useful.
This week, speakers will advise the players on subjects ranging from financial advice to social media The rookies will also tour the nearby Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bobcats consider trading second pick
NBA: New Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap says the idea of trading down from the No. 2 spot in the NBA draft to acquire extra picks “makes a lot of sense” for a young team like the Bobcats.
After finishing 7-59 and with the worst winning percentage (.106) in NBA history, the Bobcats have a variety of holes to fill this offseason.
Dunlap says the Bobcats are taking a “hybrid thinking” approach to the draft, which means evaluating the talent available at No. 2 while simultaneously looking into the feasibility of moving down and picking up an additional first-round draft pick.