“The change of structure and everything that’s going on at Williams is incredibly exciting,” Russell explained.
“Obviously the team have finished last for the past three years in a row. I’m pretty confident that will not be the case next year.
“Things are really making a turn for the better. Things are really getting in line and in place.
“Jost [Capito, team principal] is doing a fantastic job building that structure for everybody to be more efficient, more streamlined, and every single decision that’s been made so far I think has been a good one for the right reasons.
She was asked about her Olympic plans during a pre-Wimbledon video conference with reporters Sunday.
Serena Williams said she will not go to the Tokyo Olympics, but did not want to say why during her pre-Wimbledon video conference with reporters Sunday.
“I’m actually not on the Olympic list … Not that I’m aware of. If so, then I shouldn’t be on it,” Williams said.
The 39-year-old Williams has won four gold medals at past Summer Games for the United States: in both singles and doubles at the 2012 London Olympics — which held the tennis competition at the All England Club — and in doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
All of her doubles golds were won with her older sister, Venus, as her partner.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Serena Williams lost in the third round of singles to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and the siblings were beaten in the first round of doubles. Before that, they had been 15-0 as an Olympic doubles team.
“There’s a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision,” Williams said Sunday, the day before the start of main-draw action at Wimbledon, where she will try to collect her 24th Grand Slam singles title. “I don’t really want to — I don’t feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry.”
Asked what it will be like to sit out the Summer Games, Williams replied: “I have not thought about it. In the past, it’s been a wonderful place for me. I really haven’t thought about it, so I’m going to keep not thinking about it.”
Other top tennis players such as Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem also have said they’ll skip the trip to Japan, where the Olympics open on July 23, a year after being postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Roger Federer said Saturday he hasn’t decided whether to participate in the Tokyo Games and will figure that out after he sees how things go at Wimbledon.
More AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Author:
This post originally appeared on CBS8 – Sports
It was quite a blow to the tournament to see both gone from the field one after the other — and a week after Naomi Osaka pulled out, citing mental health.
Serena Williams turns 40 in September. Roger Federer hits that milestone the month before. No one knows how many more French Open appearances each will make, and this year’s tournament ended for both on Sunday.
Williams fell way behind and could not put together a comeback against a much younger and less-experienced opponent in the fourth round at Roland Garros, losing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena Rybakina — who wasn’t even born when the American made her tournament debut in 1998.
Asked whether that might have been her last match at the clay-court major, Williams responded: “Yeah, I’m definitely not thinking about it at all. I’m definitely thinking just about other things, but not about that.”
Her defeat came hours after Federer withdrew, saying he needed to let his body recover ahead of Wimbledon after a long third-round victory that ended at nearly 1 a.m. on Sunday.
Wimbledon — which Federer has won eight times and Williams seven — begins June 28.
“I’m kind of excited to switch surfaces,” Williams said. “Historically I have done pretty well on grass.”
She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles; Federer has won 20. They are two of the sport’s greatest and most popular players, so it was quite a blow to the tournament, its TV partners and tennis fans to see both gone from the French Open field one after the other — and a week after Naomi Osaka pulled out, citing a need for a mental health break.
Williams has won the French Open three times. But the American hasn’t been past the fourth round in Paris since she was the runner-up in 2016.
Rybakina is a 21-year-old from Kazakhstan who is ranked 22nd. This was just the seventh Grand Slam appearance for Rybakina — and the first time she ever made it so much as past the second round.
“When I was small, of course, I was watching her matches on TV. So many Grand Slams,” Rybakina said.
Against Williams, whose right thigh carried a heavy tape job, Rybakina hit big, flat serves. She dealt with, but managed to steady, her nerves. She even produced the occasional return winner off Williams’ speedy and spectacularly gifted serve, breaking her five times, including in the next-to-last game.
“I knew that the serve was going to be difficult for me to return. She’s powerful, but I was ready,” Rybakina said. “Then, after few points, I felt … comfortable.”
Rybakina said she followed her coach’s strategy of sending shots to Williams’ backhand side and trying to stay away from her forehand.
Every time Williams appeared as if she might turn things around, she could not quite get the momentum fully in her favor.
Down a quick break in the second set, she got to 2-all. Williams then was down 4-3 in the second set but pulled even again when Rybakina sailed a forehand well wide to get broken.
In the next game, Williams gave away the opening point when, near the baseline, she failed to get out of the way of a shot from Rybakina that was flying long. Williams smiled ruefully and leaned over, resting and propping herself up with her racket.
Repeatedly one sort of mistake or another undid Williams. She ended up with 19 unforced errors and only 15 winners.
“I’m so close. There is literally a point here, a point there, that could change the whole course of the match,” Williams said. “I’m not winning those points. That, like, literally could just change everything.”
Since winning the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant for her most recent major singles title — No. 23 set a record for the professional era — Williams has come close to tying Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24. That includes four runner-up finishes at Grand Slam tournaments, most recently against Bianca Andreescu at the 2019 U.S. Open.
But since then, Williams has been beaten twice in semifinals, and once each in the third and fourth rounds. Last year at the French Open, she withdrew before the second round, citing an injured left Achilles.
Federer, meanwhile, never had pulled out of a Grand Slam tournament once he had started competing in it until now.
Rybakina next will meet Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a semifinal berth on the line; they’re playing doubles together and are scheduled to play a third-round match in that event Monday. Pavlyuchenkova advanced with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory over two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.
The other quarterfinal on that side of the women’s draw is going to be Paula Badosa against Tamara Zidansek. Neither has been this far at a major tournament, either.
One of those four players will become a first-time Grand Slam finalist next weekend.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is still looking for his first major final, too, and he reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the second year in a row by eliminating 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Tsitsipas next faces No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, who has won six of their previous seven meetings.
Medvedev is a two-time Grand Slam finalist — at the 2019 U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open — but was 0-4 for his career in Paris until now. He advanced Sunday by eliminating No. 22 Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.
The other quarterfinal on that side of the field will be unseeded 22-year-old Alejandro Davidovich Fokina against No. 6 Alexander Zverev or Kei Nishikori. Davidovich Fokina beat Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” has died. He was 81.
Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday.
A native of New York, Williams career spanned over five decades in theater, television and film. He was born into a creative family in 1939 and raised by his musical grandparents. His grandfather was a jazz composer and pianist, his father a musician and his mother, Eva Taylor, a singer and actress. He got his acting start on Broadway after a stint as a paratrooper and received a Tony nomination for his role in William Hanley’s “Slow Dance on the Killing Ground” in 1964.
His breakout role would come with “The Mod Squad,” which he led with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. Bill Cosby had seen Williams perform and told Aaron Spelling he should consider him for the role of Linc. The show ran from on ABC from 1968 through 1973. A trailblazing show for attempting to portray the hippie generation of the time, “The Mod Squad” was a star-maker for all three. But roles were not quick to follow for Williams.
He appeared on Broadway opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard’s “Night and Day” in 1979 before getting cast as the troubled father in “Purple Rain,” which came out in 1984.
Director John Frankenheimer would become a frequent collaborator. They first teamed up for his adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s “52 Pick-Up” at a time when Williams was not having much luck in Hollywood and crashing on Cosby’s couch to keep a roof over his head.
“He asked me to read for the part of one of the blackmailers, but after only four lines, he told me to stop,” Williams recalled in a 1999 interview. “I thought it was all over, but he said, ‘Have your agent call me. It will be a 10-week shoot. Thank you for coming in.’ That was it.”
Williams also appeared in Frankenheimer’s “Against the Wall,” “Reindeer Games” and some episodes of “Tales from the Crypt.”
Williams could command a variety of genres, including comedy. He played a drug lord opposite Dave Chappelle in “Half Baked” and stole scenes in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ blaxploitation parody film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” He also had a recurring role as the FBI agent in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” who tells Agent Cooper he’s been suspended.
Williams never fretted over his longtime association with “The Mod Squad.”
“All most people know about me is the two hours they’ve invested in a movie theater or the time spent in front of their TV,” he said in an interview in 1999. “There’s so much entertainment out there right now, it’s difficult to break through and become part of the national consciousness. It’s nice to be recognized, and I have no problem with it at all.”
He was married to the actress Gloria Foster from 1967 to 1984.
Williams got his breakout role on “The Mod Squad,” which he led with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole during its run on ABC from 1968 through 1973.
Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” has died. He was 81.
Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday.
A native of New York, Williams career spanned over five decades in theater, television and film. He was born into a creative family in 1939 and raised by his musical grandparents. His grandfather was a jazz composer and pianist, his father a musician and his mother, Eva Taylor, a singer and actress. He got his acting start on Broadway after a stint as a paratrooper and received a Tony nomination for his role in William Hanley’s “Slow Dance on the Killing Ground” in 1964.
His breakout role would come with “The Mod Squad,” which he led with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. Bill Cosby had seen Williams perform and told Aaron Spelling he should consider him for the role of Linc. The show ran from on ABC from 1968 through 1973. A trailblazing show for attempting to portray the hippie generation of the time, “The Mod Squad” was a star-maker for all three. But roles were not quick to follow for Williams.
He appeared on Broadway opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard’s “Night and Day” in 1979 before getting cast as the troubled father in “Purple Rain,” which came out in 1984.
Director John Frankenheimer would become a frequent collaborator. They first teamed up for his adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s “52 Pick-Up” at a time when Williams was not having much luck in Hollywood and crashing on Cosby’s couch to keep a roof over his head.
“He asked me to read for the part of one of the blackmailers, but after only four lines, he told me to stop,” Williams recalled in a 1999 interview. “I thought it was all over, but he said, ‘Have your agent call me. It will be a 10-week shoot. Thank you for coming in.’ That was it.”
Williams also appeared in Frankenheimer’s “Against the Wall,” “Reindeer Games” and some episodes of “Tales from the Crypt.”
Williams could command a variety of genres, including comedy. He played a drug lord opposite Dave Chappelle in “Half Baked” and stole scenes in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ blaxploitation parody film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” He also had a recurring role as the FBI agent in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” who tells Agent Cooper he’s been suspended.
Williams never fretted over his longtime association with “The Mod Squad.”
“All most people know about me is the two hours they’ve invested in a movie theater or the time spent in front of their TV,” he said in an interview in 1999. “There’s so much entertainment out there right now, it’s difficult to break through and become part of the national consciousness. It’s nice to be recognized, and I have no problem with it at all.”
He was married to the actress Gloria Foster from 1967 to 1984.
The Mod Squad actor Clarence Williams III has died aged 81, his management team confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He had been suffering with colon cancer.
The actor passed away in Los Angeles on Friday 4 June.
He was best known for his role as undercover cop Lincoln Hayes on the ABC drama The Mod Squad, which aired from 1968 and 1973.
His long-running career saw him feature on productions including The Cosby Show, The Littlest Hobo, Miami Vice, Twin Peaks, Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Williams was born in 1939 to professional musician Clay Williams, before being raised by his grandparents who were also famous in the industry.
After realising acting was his forte, he began his career on the stage in the ’60s.
He earned a Tony nomination in 1965 for best featured actor in a play for his work in the drama Slow Dance on the Killing Ground.
Williams returned to Broadway decades later to star opposite Maggie Smith in the original 1979 production Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day.
Following the sad news of his passing, stars and fans alike took to social media to pay their respects to the actor.
Living Colour’s Vernon Reid tweeted: “Mod Squad broke new ground. Clarence Williams III broke new ground. You can draw a direct line from Clarence Williams III to both Denzel & Idris.
“It’s his MF moody blood running through The Kid in Purple Rain that’s the furnace of his pain & genius. Rest In Power, Linc.”
Another fan wrote: “My heart is hurting right now at the passing of another bona fide legend. Clarence Williams III was an actor u can depend on to bring the heat in any film or show he was on.
Osaka withdrew from the tournament after being fined and threatened with expulsion for her boycott of media obligations at Roland Garros.
Williams, who claimed a straight-sets win over Irina-Camelia Begu at Roland Garros, was asked what she felt about the situation with Osaka, and her reply was full of sympathy and support for the Japanese starlet and four-time Grand Slam winner.
Related articles
“The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi,” she said after her 7-6, 6-2 victory.
“I feel like I wish I could give her a hug, because I know what it’s like.
Osaka had kicked off her French Open campaign in solid form with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Patricia Maria Tig.
But after she backed up her pre-tournament stance of not attending the post-match press conference, the Roland Garros tournament organisers slapped her with a £12,900 fine.
The organisers even threatened the possibility of kicking her out of the tournament for her failure to comply with their media demands.
Instead of challenging the organisers again, Osaka instead took the decision out of their hands and announced her decision to withdraw.
Related articles
“Hey everyone, this isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago,” Osaka said in a statement.
“I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.
“I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer.
“More importantly I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly.
Related articles
“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.
“Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.
“Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.
“I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.
Related articles
“So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.
“I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.
“I wrote privately to the tournament apologising and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the slams are intense.
“I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.”
Related articles
The French Open also deleted a post on its Twitter feed prior to the Japanese star’s withdrawal which praised players for attending media conferences.
Prior to Osaka’s withdrawal, the French Open used its social media to overtly praise players for attending media conferences.
The now-deleted tweet showed pictures of Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff engaging with the media along with the caption: “They understood the assignment.”
Since at least May 2021, an online advertisement claimed to reveal Juan Williams’ salary at Fox News. Williams co-hosts “The Five” and has appeared on the cable news channel since 1997.
The ad in question read: “[Photos] After Years With The Fox News Channel, This Is Juan Williams’ Annual Salary.”
Williams didn’t appear until page 119 of the 121-page article.
The ad appeared on the Outbrain advertising network. Outbrain ads are displayed across a massive number of pages including many local news websites.
121 Pages
The ad led to a 121-page slideshow article. The story was riddled with grammatical errors and strange wording.
On the first page, it mentioned that former NBC personality Matt Lauer “parted ways” with the network, but it did not mention why. Lauer was fired in 2017 for what NBC called “inappropriate sexual behavior.”
However, none of the information in the article was sourced in any way. It did not appear to be the least bit reliable.
Juan Williams
After clicking “next page” 118 times, Williams finally appeared on page 119.
JUAN WILLIAMS – $ 2 MILLION
Celebrated journalist Juan Williams has been in the game for as long as we can remember, and his mastery of delivering news has made him a household name.
Surprisingly, his career did not begin on the screens. William started as a reporter for the ‘Washington Post,’ before making the switch to radio and eventually television. He is one complete journalist, and it’s no wonder his paycheck is hefty. After all, such skills don’t come easy, and currently, Williams reportedly earns a little over two million dollars. His wages will only rise in the coming days, just like his popularity!
While the story claimed that Williams’ salary was $ 2 million, this appeared to be outdated and perhaps incorrect information. Further, there was no source offered for the figure.
11 Years Ago
In 2010, The Los Angeles Times reported that Williams was offered a three-year contract at Fox “in a deal that amounts to nearly $ 2 million.”
The slideshow article and other websites that claim to publish the net worth of celebrities published this seemingly outdated figure from 11 years ago.
We were unable to find any data on Williams’ current salary at Fox News more recent than 2010.
Google’s Unreliable Answer Boxes
The salaries and net worths of celebrities are often kept out of the public eye, with some exceptions. Google searches for a celebrity name might show a net worth figure at the top of the search results in a large font size. Moz.com referred to the search result area as “Google answer boxes” or “featured snippet.”
However, this area at the top of search results does not mean that Google confirmed the figure. It simply means that Google pulled data from a website that likely estimated the number. Such websites usually do not cite any sources.
Snopes debunks a wide range of content, and online advertisements are no exception. Misleading ads often lead to obscure websites that host lengthy slideshow articles with lots of pages. It’s called advertising “arbitrage.” The advertiser’s goal is to make more money on ads displayed on the slideshow’s pages than it cost to show the initial ad that lured them to it. Feel free to submit ads to us, and be sure to include a screenshot of the ad and the link to where the ad leads.
Author: Jordan Liles
This post originally appeared on Snopes.com
Maisie Williams, 24, showed off her striking new look at the Brit Awards 2021 on Monday night, as she took to the stage with stunning bleach blonde hair. Despite a simple change of hair colour, the difference in appearance was so drastic it seems, that it took viewers some time to realise who she was.
The actress was there to present the top award of Global Icon to Taylor Swift, who is a confessed super fan of Game of Thrones.
Maisie, who played Arya Stark in the HBO hit fantasy drama, gushed over the singer as she graced the stage to accept, but fans sitting at home were still taken aback by the actress’ new lighter locks.
Writing on Twitter, viewers shared their confusion as they finally realised who was presenting the award, despite her humorous introduction by host Jack Whitehall.
“STOP IT IS THAT ARYA STARK,” one exclaimed, completely dumbfounded the didn’t recognise the “Queen of Winterfell.”
