Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Justine Henin have more in common than simply playing tennis.

According to Forbes, these four women are the top earning female athletes in the world.

Maria Sharapova leads the list of the highest earning female sports figures with an endorsement portfolio that includes big names such as Pepsi, Colgate-Palmolive, Nike, Canon and Motorola. Her total earnings are now estimated at $26 million per year.

Before Sharapova became a teenage sensation in 2004, Serena Williams held the distinction of being the richest female athlete. Now, eight years later, she is second behind Sharapova, but still brings home $14 million.

2008 Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is just behind her younger sister Serena with $13 million. Part of her earnings can be attributed to her successful EleVen line, although this could be threatened by Steve & Barry’s recent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Coming in at fourth place on the top earning list is the newly-retired Justine Henin. Forbes estimates Henin’s yearly worth at $12.5 million—$5 million of which she earned by winning titles in 2007.

Rising star and current world number one Ana Ivanovic made the list at No. 9 with $6.5 million dollars.

The former world number one pulled out on Tuesday because of a knee injury she sustained last week in Stanford.

“It’s a huge disappointment for me to be unable to play the East West Bank Classic in my hometown of LA,” said Williams in a statement released by tournament officials.

“I’ve been getting intensive therapy and doing everything in my power to get my knee in shape for this week, waiting until the last possible moment to see if I could play. Unfortunately after hitting this morning, I knew that wasn’t going to be ready for this week. This is such a great event with amazing fans and I plan on being here next year. In the meantime I’m working hard to be ready for the Olympics and US Open.”

Williams has been replaced by lucky loser Melanie South, who will face Petra Kvitova in the second round of the singles draw. Venus Williams pulled out of the Tier II tournament on Friday, also because of a knee injury.

Former world number one and 2008 Wimbledon runner-up Serena Williams is the top seed at the Tier II tournament.

The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Olympus US Open Series.

As a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tier II event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $600,000.

The top four seeds, Serena Williams (1), Anna Chakvetadze (2), Vera Zvonareva (3), and Daniela Hantuchova (4), each received a first-round bye.

Highlighting first-round play will be the match-up between former No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport and the eighth-seeded Francesca Schiavone.

The seeds in the top half of the singles draw are Williams, Zvonareva, Patty Schnyder (5), and Schiavone. The bottom-quarter of the draw features the 2007 defending singles champion Anna Chakvetadze, Hantuchova, Marion Bartoli (6), Nadia Petrova (7), and defending doubles champions Sania Mirza and Shahar Peer.

The Bank of the West Classic will serve as an Olympic preview as a total of 23 players currently scheduled to play will compete for the Gold medal later this summer at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Of the group, 16 were announced as part of the Bank of the West Classic main singles draw.

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website.

For more information about the Bank of the West Classic, please visit www.bankofthewestclassic.com.

Venus had not beaten Serena in a Grand Slam singles final since their very first major championship at the 2001 US Open.

Venus, the elder of the Williams sisters, had to overcome a tentative start to win her fifth Championships at Wimbledon title. Serena raced to an early lead in the opening set, but could not deny her sister an opportunity to win her seventh career Grand Slam title.

“I can’t believe that it is five, but when you are in the final against Serena Williams five seems so far away from that first point,” said Venus during the trophy ceremony. “She played so awesome, it was really a task to beat her.”

This was the sixteenth career meeting between the two sisters, who are now tied 8-8 after Venus’ victory at Wimbledon.

Because she successfully defended her 2007 title, Venus is assured of holding onto the No. 7 spot on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings. Serena Williams will rise to No. 5.

Over the past two weeks, they have been asked countless questions about their relationship.

Serena about whether Venus is the favorite for the title:
“I would never sit here and say she’s the favorite when I’m still in the draw. What are you on?”

Venus on the allegations of a “fix” for Saturday’s final:
“The main thing is that I find the question pretty offensive because I’m extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court. I contribute my best in my sport, and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family. So any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for, and my family.”

Serena on what breakfast will be like at their flat on Saturday:
“I’m going to sabotage her and eat all the breakfast. I’ll eat all the Wheaties so she doesn’t have any chance.”

Venus about her role as the big sister:
“That’s my job. That’s a huge part of my life, is being a big sister. I love that job. It makes me really proud. I’m always happy when I can help out. It’s definitely one of the joys of my life.”

Serena on how they remain close despite having the other as competition:
“We leave everything on the court. We’re sisters the moment we shake hands.”

Serena on what it feels like to lose to Venus:
“It definitely hurts less to lose to her. I mean, I’ll be bitter, but at the end of the day it’s a lot easier to [lose] to someone that I feel I should normally beat.”

Upset was the name of the game at Wimbledon last week, opening the door to an all-Williams final–a sibling matchup that hasn’t been seen at the All England Club since 2003.

Four-time Wimbledon champ Venus Williams and two-time champ and younger sister, Serena Williams have amassed 14 Grand Slam singles titles between them – not to mention six Grand Slam double titles, and four mixed doubles titles.

Both have their eyes on the prize, with Venus looking to take home her fifth Wimbledon title, while Serena is looking to make her long-awaited comeback.

Which sister will be the last player standing?

Current Ranking:
Serena: 6
Venus: 7

Venus

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 6
Olympic gold medal in singles and doubles (2000 Sydney Olympics)

Grand Slam Wins:
Wimbledon – 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007
U.S. Open – 2000, 2001

Serena

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 8
2000 - Olympic gold medal in doubles (2000 Sydney Olympics)

Grand Slam Wins:
Australian Open - 2003, 2005, 2007
French Open - 2002
Wimbledon - 2002, 2003
US Open- 1999, 2002

Venus/Serena Grand Slam Head-to-Head Results:

1998 - Australian Open Second Round - Venus winner
2000 - Wimbledon Semifinal - Venus winner
2001 - U.S. Open Final - Venus winner
2002 - French Open Final - Serena winner
2002 - Wimbledon Final - Serena winner
2002 - U.S. Open Final - Serena winner
2003 - Australian Open Final - Serena winner
2003 - Wimbledon Final - Serena winner
2005 - U.S. Open Fourth Round - Venus winner

Other Tournament Head-to-Head Results:

1998: Italian Open - Quarterfinals - Venus winner
1999: Munich Grand Slam Cup – Final - Serena winner
1999: Lipton Championships (Miami) – Final - Venus winner
2002: NASDAQ-100 Open (Miami) - Semifinals - Serena winner
2005: NASDAQ-100 Open (Miami) – Quarterfinals - Venus winner
2008: Bangalore (India) Open – Semifinals - Serena winner

Paula Vergara is an experienced tennis journalist, who has worked as a regular contributor to On the Baseline Tennis News, USTA New England Magazine, and New England Sports Magazine. To view her work, visit her blog at www.paula-vergara.blogspot.com.

However if you are one of the millions of tennis fans who prefer to follow live tennis, you can watch a live internet stream of the match through MediaZone’s Wimbledon LIVE.

For the third consecutive year, MediaZone is the Official Live Broadband Video Partner, in cooperation with IBM and the AELTC, and will be streaming the Grand Slam live for online viewers worldwide.

The 2008 Wimbledon LIVE service includes full match coverage of Centre Court and Number 1 Court action, as well as 6 other courts in play.

In total, the service includes more than 300 matches and immersive features such as user ability to toggle between up to 8 courts, as well as live commentary, and complete integration with the official Wimbledon website.

She will play a familiar face in the championship round—her younger sister Serena Williams.

Saturday’s match will be the seventh All-Williams Grand Slam final and third at the Championships.

Dementieva was overpowered from the beginning by Venus Williams’ first serve and converted only one of seven break points. Venus’ serves frequently exceeded 120mph, edging close to her own Wimbledon record of 127mph.

The Russian fifth seed managed to force a tiebreak in the second set, but Venus advanced into the championship round on her first match point when a forehand by Dementieva ended in the net.

It was an exciting moment for the seventh seed, who improved her perfect semifinal record at Wimbledon to 7-0.

“I guess it started to set in a little bit about being in the final, which is always exciting,” said Venus in her post-match press conference about her on-court celebration.

“When I’m excited I always jump. That I guess will never change. But still I felt like the tournament was not over. I’m still in the doubles tomorrow and still have that final match to play, still one step further.”

Serena Williams outlasted Chinese wild card Jie Zheng and two rain delays to join her sister in the final. Serena appeared on track for a quick win, but Zheng staged a last minute comeback during the second set.

Zheng, ranked at No. 133rd in the world, held a set point at 6-5, but Serena stormed back to take the tie break and match 6-2, 7-6(5) after Zheng double-faulted on Williams’ first match point.

This is a developing story. Please check back soon for more details.

Elena Dementieva and Jie Zheng have a monumental task ahead of them on Thursday in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

(5) Elena Dementieva vs. (7) Venus Williams
Venus Williams feels so at home on Centre Court that she has stopped just short of calling it her house. Wimbledon is the site of some of her fondest tennis memories, and now she is only one match away from playing her seventh final at the Championships–one that will be even more special if she plays her sister.

Venus avoided a semifinal meeting with the highest seed in the top quarter of the draw, but Maria Sharapova’s countrywoman might be even more dangerous. At least with Sharapova, Venus would have known what to expect, but against Dementieva it is anyone’s guess. The Dementieva who sets foot on Centre Court might be confident and aggressive–or nervous and erratic.

Either way, I don’t expect this to be a cakewalk semifinal for Venus. For all Dementieva’s faults, she does have an aggressive baseline game and will make Venus hit extra balls from angles all over the court. The serve will be crucial for both women, especially if Dementieva starts to feel the pressure of the moment.

If Dementieva is going to reach her first major final in four years, she has to play one of the best matches of her career.
Venus Williams in three sets

(6) Serena Williams vs. Jie Zheng
“Grass is a great equalizer,” former No. 1 Ivan Lendl said. “On a bad day, you can lose to anyone.” Justine Henin learned this lesson the hard way in the semifinals last year against Marion Bartoli, and Serena Williams will do well to remember that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

At this stage, Jie Zheng is playing with nothing to lose. Her ranking was so low that she needed a wild card just to enter the singles event, but she has knocked out three seeds in succession, including world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic. The past ten days have been a modern Cinderella story for the Chinese 24-year-old, who had never before gone past the third round at the Championships.

Unfortunately for her, the next seed in her path will be the steeliest one yet. Serena Williams has hit her groove, which she proved by dismissing the hard-hitting Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets to reach the semifinals. Williams’ serve is winning her more free points than anyone else at Wimbledon, as she leads the field with thirty-four aces in just five matches.

It was a huge surprise when Marion Bartoli reached the final last year, but that will pale in comparison if Zheng ousts Serena Williams on Thursday. While I agree that grass is the great equalizer, the scales are not as evenly balanced when the No. 133rd-ranked player in the world has to face an eight-time major winner on one of her best surfaces for a spot in a Grand Slam championship match.
Serena Williams in two sets

‘Journey to Beijing – Tennis celebrates the Olympics’, a 140-page publication which features a series of specially commissioned photographs of the game’s top names dressed as athletes from other summer or winter Olympic sports.

These are accompanied by interviews with the players talking about their Olympic memories and hopes for Beijing.

Among the 44 players represented in the book is current world number one Ana Ivanovic, who is shown playing beach volleyball.

Maria Sharapova takes time out from a photo shoot to try rhythmic gymnastics in Los
Angeles, while Serena Williams demonstrates her ice skating abilities at home in
Palm Beach.

Amelie Mauresmo appears as a sprinter, Lindsay Davenport plays volleyball, Elena Dementieva showcases her skills as a softball player, and Svetlana Kuznetsova takes up snowboarding for a day.

The photographs were taken over a six-month period by some of the world’s leading tennis photographers, with photo shoots held in venues as varied as Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Indian Wells, Los Angeles, Miami, Melbourne, Moscow, Netherlands, Palm Beach, Santiago, Shanghai and Tel Aviv.

The players also give an insight into the part the Olympics has played in their lives,
with a series of exclusive interviews looking at their childhood memories, previous
Olympic appearances and ambitions for this summer’s Games.

“I believe the book shows how proud current tennis players are to represent their countries in the Olympic Games as well as the importance the Olympics has played in their lives,” ITF Francesco Ricci Bitti said in the ITF’s announcement.

“In turn, we have witnessed the continued growth, not only of the Olympic Tennis Event, but also of the international reach of our sport since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988.”

To view an online edition of this book, please visit here.