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CNN Live Today

Interview with Rachel Nichols

Aired September 02, 2002 - 10:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The father of top ranked tennis player Serena Williams says his daughter may be underestimating a weekend stalking arrest. A 34-year-old German, Albrecht Stromeyer, was arrested at the U.S. Open in New York and charged with stalking the 20-year-old. Police say Stromeyer has a long history of following Serena around the world and scuffling with anyone who denies him access. The reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion has been travelling with a body guard for several months. Her father, Richard Williams, says he fears she isn't as worried as she should be.
On that note, let's move out on to the tennis court and get all the latest on the U.S. Open, and for that we turn to someone who covers all the grand slams. Rachel Nichols writes tennis columns for the "Washington Post." She is also a contributing writer for "Tennis" magazine -- thanks for joining us.

RACHEL NICHOLS, "WASHINGTON POST": Good morning.

COSTELLO: So is Serena as worried as she should be?

NICHOLS: I think she's pretty worried. Obviously, any parent is going to be concerned when someone is coming after their child, so I understand Richard's concern, but Serena has a full time body guard, she has several people working on her security, and this guy has never come close to her. He sends threatening e-mails. He says he loves her. He has certainly followed her. He has done a lot of inappropriate things, but he hasn't really gotten to her, and I think she sort of feels, Hey, I have got to live my life, I have got to go out there. Otherwise, this guy is really controlling what I do, and I don't want to have that happen.

COSTELLO: Can you tell us more about this guy?

NICHOLS: He is 34 years old. He is German. He lives with his parents, and they apparently bankroll him, which is a concern for a lot of people because he travels all over the world doing this to Serena. A lot of them are looking at them, saying why don't they step in and do something? He has been arrested in several countries. He has been arrested in Italy, he has been arrested in England. Neither place have they held him for very long, or really required him to put up that much bond. Here, I think, it's a little bit more serious. He's been charged with three counts of stalking. They have required him to put up $3,000 in bond. The DA actually asked for 50,000, but the judge gave him three, and they also issued an order of protection, which means that if he does try to get close to Serena, again, they can come on with even harsher penalties.

COSTELLO: Got you. Let's talk about fashion in the tennis world, because...

NICHOLS: That's Serena's favorite subject. That she's concerned about, no question. Richard doesn't have to worry about that.

COSTELLO: Everybody is talking about what she's wearing in this particular U.S. Open. Pretty racy.

NICHOLS: Hey -- you wouldn't wear that to do the news? I mean, come on.

COSTELLO: Maybe I should think about it. Did she design that?

NICHOLS: She didn't. This is designed for her by Puma. I think she looks terrific. I mean, she's definitely putting it out there. We are used to seeing a lot of tennis players with these more narrow, athletic bodies wearing outfits that show their stomachs, that have slits up the side showing off their legs. Serena is basically doing the same thing. Her figure is obviously a little bit different, and I think she is saying Hey, you can look like whatever you want to look like, you can still be sexy.

COSTELLO: Yes, we give her credit for that. But perhaps the outfits are taking away from the game itself and their athletic prowess.

NICHOLS: Well, I think at the bottom line, these women out there are entertainers. They are having people come pay for a product. That doesn't mean that they should go out there in high heels and boas just because it will look good and please the crowd. But she can great tennis. She actually likes to say, This makes me faster. She feels like it's the cat suit. It makes her look great and speedy out there. She feels good in it and she is playing great, so I don't think it has taken away too much.

COSTELLO: Well, she certainly is fit. OK. Give us your predictions on winners.

NICHOLS: Well, obviously you can see every muscle on Serena's body, so she has got to be right up there. Venus, also, has been playing lights out tennis this first week. So the two of them are really the favorites. Any tournament they play in, and especially in the grand slams.

On the men's side, you have to look more at Lleyton Hewitt, who is the top seed, and definitely put in a really gutty performance the other day against James Blake, the American. And then you have some of our other American players, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick. Those guys are also contenders.

COSTELLO: Got you. OK. You are bringing a book today, I understand, because you are afraid it might rain again and cancel the whole darn thing.

NICHOLS: It has been so soggy the last few days, and it really messed up tournament organizers yesterday. They got one match in. It was Serena Williams' match. She played for 41 minutes fortunately, so they were able to slip that in. Very convenient of Serena to take care of her opponent so quickly, because it started raining again pretty soon after that.

And they had to push forward all of these matches. It is rainy again this morning. They should get some in this afternoon and evening. It's supposed to clear up. But this is going to affect some of the players, a guy like Pete Sampras, who is now going to have to play two or three days in a row. Some of the older players, they don't like to play that often, and you might see the results on the court.

COSTELLO: Yes, that old man Pete Sampras. OK, well, Rachel, stick around for just a second.

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