Serena and Sharapova in a Battle of Words

World Class

They're the two biggest stars of women’s tennis with their talent matched only by their mutual dislike of one another.
And yesterday the froidure between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova showed no sign of thawing.
The intense rivalry is made all the more complex off court by the two women’s deeply intertwined personal lives.

Maria Sharapova (left) has hit back at rival Serena Williams (right) who called her 'boring'

Sharapova was scathing about Williams' relationship with tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou (pictured)

In a prickly press conference ahead of this week’s Wimbledon Championships, Miss Sharapova, 26, fired the opening salvo of the fortnight.
She berated World No 1 Miss Williams for comments made in an interview in America about her being ‘boring’.

 

Miss Sharapova – who is dating Serena’s ex-boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov – was also scathing about Serena’s relationship with married tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Miss Williams, 31, had said of her fierce rival: ‘There are people who live, breath and dress tennis. I mean, seriously, give it a rest.

Williams previously said that Sharapova's tennis star boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov had a 'black heart'

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, pictured at the pre-Wimbledon party, have a competitive relationship both on and off the court

‘She begins every interview with, “I’m so happy. I’m so lucky.” It’s so boring. She’s still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart [Dimitrov], go for it.’
Yesterday the Russian-born, World No 3 ace, hit back, saying: ‘If Serena wants to talk about something personal, she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend who was married, who is getting a divorce and who has kids – and not draw attention to other things.’
Miss Sharapova and Miss Williams, 31, have had a notoriously competitive relationship on the court, fuelled by the fact Miss Sharapova hasn’t beaten her rival in nine years.
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Bailed-out bankers feast on £50 pork pies at Wimbledon VIP suite

The state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland is under fire for lavishing hundreds of thousands of pounds on corporate hospitality at Wimbledon.
Staff and guests of the bank, bailed out with billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash, will enjoy the run of plush ‘Suite H’ overlooking the famous No 1 Court throughout the tournament.
They will be able to watch the top matches from the best seats at the All England Club’s show courts, and dine on gourmet food such as lobster, gammon and Gressingham duck.

RBS staff and guests will dine on gourmet food such as £50 pork and sage pies

A free bar will serve champagne cocktails, and other delicacies will include Vale of Evesham asparagus, slices of a £50 pork and sage pie with pickle and tasty British cheeses. 
Other companies using the tournament to entertain clients include the BBC, oil giant BP and Barclays Bank. 
RBS, which was taken to the brink of collapse by former boss Fred Goodwin, was saved by a Treasury bailout in 2008. The Government now has an 81 per cent shareholding. 
The bank axed 15,000 jobs and pledged to cut corporate hospitality, but continues to sponsor Britain’s No 1 tennis player, Andy Murray. It is thought that RBS is paying about £260,000 for its suite at Wimbledon.
News of its extravagance was met with disbelief last night.Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘It is outrageous that hard-pressed families are still paying the  price for propping up the banks yet RBS can afford to wine and dine clients.’
An RBS spokesman said that as well as entertaining, the bank used Wimbledon to promote an initiative to help foster children’s sport.
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Royal Box thank-you for our Olympians

It has become the year’s hottest  sporting event, graced by the stars of stage, screen and society.
And this year’s Wimbledon will  play host to Britain’s newest breed of celebrity – our Olympians.
The All England Club has sent  invitations to all our gold medal winners as a belated thank you for their record-breaking haul last August.

Olympic heroes such as Mo Farah and Chris Hoy are believed to have accepted invitations to the Royal Box

Among those set to sit in the Royal Box this week are double-gold medallist Mo Farah, and cycling champions Laura Trott and Sir Chris Hoy.
However, some athletes are unable to attend because the Wimbledon  fortnight falls in the middle of their busiest training period.
Tour de France competitors Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome have all had to decline their invitations, as has heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis.
Among the other names believed  to be putting in an appearance are  Sir Alex Ferguson, US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Pippa Middleton and Sir Mervyn King, who will retire as Governor of the Bank of  England on June 30.
Although Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club, is notoriously tight-lipped about who receives an invitation into the Royal Box, insiders point out that more celebrities are being offered seats instead of minor royals, diplomats and aristocrats.
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Thought Serena's practice outfit was loud? Take a look at Caroline!

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki yesterday showed the style that clearly caught the eye of star golfer boyfriend Rory McIlroy.
She stepped out on a practice court in form-fitting lycra with a garish leopard-print that would never pass Wimbledon’s strict dress code.
However, the 22-year-old former world No 1 will attract even more attention if she succeeds in her quest for the women’s singles crown after being seeded only ninth in the draw.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki wore a garish Lycra outfit during her practice at Wimbledon yesterday

Her pink leopard-print outfit would never pass the strict Wimbledon code

Got it covered, lads!

Former Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic proved a winner with the ground staff yesterday by helping them with the covers when a shower halted his practice on Court 5.

Novak Djokovic earned some brownie points with the ground staff by helping to cover court five

Former champion Djokovic was not above helping the staff when the rain began to fall

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Andy Murray, pictured during practice, drunk champagne after winning the U.S. Open

Andy's foaming at the mouth after win

Teetotal Andy Murray quaffed champagne after his first ever Grand Slam win and was so hung-over he mistakenly used shaving cream to brush his teeth the next morning, his girlfriend reveals in a BBC documentary to be screened tonight.
Teasing the super-fit star about being a ‘lightweight’, Kim Sears says that Andy couldn’t resist a celebratory drink to toast his success in the US Open last year and he laughingly admits in the show:
‘I had a few glasses of champagne, then when I went to brush my teeth I ended up using shaving cream instead of toothpaste.’

... And his gran may miss the big match

Andy Murray’s bid for Wimbledon glory is in danger of being blighted by injury.
His 79-year-old grandmother – and No1 fan – has broken her hip and may be unable to take her seat on Centre Court to cheer him on.
Murray revealed that Shirley Erskine was recovering from surgery after being taken to hospital following a fall at her home in Dunblane.
‘She was doing the bed and tripped on the electric blanket,’ he said. ‘I called and asked, why in this day and age, she was still using an electric blanket and she said, “It’s not me, it’s your grandfather!” ’

Andy Murray, pictured with coach Ivan Lendl, said his grandmother is in hospital after breaking her hip

Keep grunting girls, says British veteran

Ann Jones – a three-times Grand Slam singles winner – says that it is only her fellow Britons who are upset by the grunting and screaming of modern female players.
‘It drives a lot of English people, including my friends, mad,’ said the 74-year-old, who played to the sound of nothing more that polite applause in the 1960s. 
‘But as far as I can tell we’re the only country where anyone objects, the rest of the world don’t seem to care.
‘It’s not very ladylike but do I expect ladies to be ladylike when they play tennis? I expect them to be athletic.’

Cold snap means big juicy strawberries

Wimbledon fans will be served up a vintage strawberry crop this year – thanks to the record-breaking cold spring.
Staff at the All England Club expect to sell two million of the plumpest and sweetest berries for 30 years as a result of the unseasonal chill at the start of the growing season.
It meant the plants remained in the ground longer than normal before flowering.
Marion Regan at Hugh Lowe Farms in Mereworth, Kent, will deliver 33 tons of the traditional summer fruit during Wimbledon, where the punnets of ten berries will sell for £2.50.