FanHouse DinaraSafina

Quite frankly, to use her own words, Serena Williams really is the best. She said so a few months ago, when the computer dropped her from the No. 1 ranking, and then embarrassed herself a few times, even losing to a journeyman hours after her self-proclaimed greatness.

But on Saturday, she proved it. She's right. Serena beat her sister, Venus Williams, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to win Wimbledon.

Serena is the best.

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Maybe they ought to just stop messing around and have the women's tennis players at Wimbledon compete in bikinis. When did women's tennis become beach volleyball, anyway?

I missed it. But the evidence keeps pouring in. And in the past few days, we've seen Svetlana Kuznetsova (right), the French Open champ, complain that she wasn't placed on Centre Court while some young unknown women were. Even more strange, she thought, was No. 1 Dinara Safina playing on an outer court.

"Of course it's not fair," Safina said. "But, I mean, I'm not doing the schedule."

Turns out, Wimbledon officials say success alone doesn't earn women a spot on Centre Court, a court of honor. Wimbledon wants the best-looking women out there.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Indoor tennis has come to Wimbledon.

The new retractable roof over Centre Court was closed Monday after rain halted play during a fourth-round match with Amelie Mauresmo leading top-ranked Dinara Safina, 6-4, 1-4.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Top-ranked Dinara Safina has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time by defeating Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 7-5, 6-1.

Safina had lost in the third round on three previous occasions at The All England Club and is still looking for her first Grand Slam title.

Venus is not Serena. They don't dress alike, sound alike, play alike or look alike. They stand out alike, yes, because they are a novelty together, they are great and they are sisters.

But we have combined them in every way for some obvious reasons, but frankly, that's not fair to Venus.

Venus Williams is a better champion than Serena Williams. More elegant, more gracious.

On Tuesday, Venus starts defense of her title at Wimbledon, where she has a royal feel. She is the queen. And in the most elegant place in tennis, Venus stands apart.

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WIMBLEDON, England (June 17) -- Rafael Nadal's French Open stumble failed to strip him of the world No. 1 ranking, and it won't cost him the top seed at Wimbledon either.

Nadal, the tournament's defending champion, was seeded No. 1 for Wimbledon on Wednesday. Top-ranked Dinara Safina, who lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French Open final, earned the women's No. 1 seed.

There were no big surprises when the All England Club announced the seedings for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, which opens June 22. The draw will be released Friday.

Why am I such a chicken?

That's what Dinara Safina said. This was her crowning moment. And, oh man, did women's tennis need this. It needs a star desperately. And Safina needed a big win desperately, as she is No. 1 without a major title. That's No. 1 with an asterisk.

But here she was in the final of the French Open Saturday, and instead of a grand moment for Safina and for women's tennis, it just turned into something that turned your stomach.

In the end, Safina lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2. And yes, I said that in the right order. The story of the match is that Safina lost, not that Kuznetsova won.

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PARIS (AP) -- Svetlana Kuznetsova conquered her nerves and beat a shaky Dinara Safina to win the French Open.

Showing uncharacteristic calm, Kuznetsova earned her second Grand Slam title Saturday by defeating Safina 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Russian matchup. Jitters have often betrayed Kuznetsova down the stretch in big matches, but she swept the final four games with steady play.

PARIS (AP) - Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run at the French Open is over.

The four-time defending champion lost to Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 6-7 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) Sunday in the fourth round, ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.

Soderling, seeded 23rd at this year's tournament, ran Nadal ragged on center court with his hard serve and booming forehand.

"This is just one more match," Soderling said.

It wasn't just that Venus Williams lost in the early rounds of the French Open Friday to someone most people have never heard of. That happens.

It was that she lost the first set 6-0. It was that she didn't know where the ball was going when she hit it.

It was that she was terrible.

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