Serena to play in LV charity tennis event

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001 | 9:58 a.m.

On Sept. 11, the day of the terrorist attacks, tennis star Serena Williams was scheduled to fly home to Florida from New York.

She never made it.

The 20-year-old Williams left the city where she lost in the finals of the U.S. Open to her older sister, Venus, boarding a plane that was eventually grounded in Washington, D.C.

Because commercial air travel was stopped for several days after the attacks, she arrived home about four days later.

Already weary of flying, Williams flew to Munich, Germany, where the season-ending Sanex Championships are being held this week, with much trepidation.

"I've been nervous to fly," the seventh-seeded Williams said before she left. "I'm OK with flying around America, but going to another country is a lot more scary."

There is one trip she is excited about.

On Nov. 30, Williams will be back in Las Vegas to participate in the Players That Care Golf/Tennis Event to benefit ovarian cancer research that will be held at the Bali Hai Golf Club and at Anthem Sun City.

Tickets for the event go on sale tomorrow at both Las Vegas Golf and Tennis shops.

The second-year event, which featured tennis only last year, was founded by Linda Long, Williams' good friend and Puma consultant.

Long's mother, Opal, died of the disease three and a half months after she was diagnosed in 1999.

"I knew nothing about this disease until it hit my mother," Long said. "I realized that there are so many women out there who are at risk. I did some research and realized that there was no money going toward the research. Ovarian cancer has a 97 percent fatality rate."

Although Williams never met Opal, she wrote a poem for Linda to help ease the pain.

"I've been looking forward to coming out there for six months now," Williams said. "I had a great time last year and it's for a good cause.

"I'm doing a lot of things behind the scenes to help this year, like getting athletes to sign stuff for the auction. There's not many things out there to help ovarian cancer. It's such a horrible disease for women."

Williams is the honorary chairperson of the event.

Sandrine Testud, Lisa Raymond, Rennae Stubbs, Nicole Pratt and many other Sanex WTA Tour players have committed to participate.

Former ATP Tour players Rick Leach, Scott Davis and Las Vegan David Pate, and current ATP Tour player Michael Chang will also participate.

Las Vegan and four-time Grammy winner Gladys Knight was one of the celebrities who participated in the tennis exhibition last year.

Williams, who reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, and won the Tennis Masters Series title at Indian Wells, hasn't played a match since the U.S. Open as a result of the attacks.

She has spent her time at home training for the championships and said she would not have flown to Germany if she didn't have the drive to win it.

"I've been out of action for a while," Williams said. "I'm really looking forward to competing and winning again. I've been working real hard lately."