Grand Slam Tennis

Most consecutive years with Grand Slam singles tennis titles from 1968 to present. Pete Sampras' streak still active: Steffi Graf 10 years (1987-96) Pete Sampras Eight years (1993-2000) Bjorn Borg Eight years (1974-81) Martina Navratilova Seven years (1981-87) Billie Jean King Five years (1971-75) Chris Evert Five years (1974-78) Source: World Features Syndicate

Jaroslav Drobny, who won three Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the 1950s and an Olympic medal in hockey, died Thursday at his London home. He was 79. A left-hander who wore glasses on the court, Drobny won consecutive French Opens in 1951 and '52 after losing three previous finals. In 1954, at age 33, Drobny won Wimbledon by beating 19-year-old Ken Rosewall 13-11, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7.

Venus and Serena Williams, who met in an emotional semifinal at Wimbledon last month that was won by Venus en route to her first Grand Slam tennis title, won't meet in the semifinals at the U.S. Open. If the sisters meet at all, it will be for the championship. Wednesday's draw for the two-week tournament, which starts Monday at the National Tennis Center in New York, put third-seeded Venus in the top of the draw and fifth-seeded Serena, the defending champion, in the bottom.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System, extending its venture capital bets, is considering putting $122 million into a firm that funds sports-business start-ups. CalPERS, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, would buy a stake in Sports Capital Partners from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., said a briefing memo prepared by the staff. The $170-billion pension fund would pay $22 million for the bank's $37.5-million stake--including management fees of $7.

The International Tennis Federation banned South Africa from three worldwide championships and voted Friday to seek an end to the annual Grand Prix tournament there because of the country's apartheid policy. A South African tennis official called the ban "nonsense" and said the ITF is powerless to force a halt to the tournament.

Letitia Baldrige, an etiquette arbiter who served as social secretary to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and later wrote books and a syndicated column advising readers on good manners in contemporary America, has died. She was 86. Baldrige died Monday at a nursing facility in Bethesda, Md., said Mary M. Mitchell, a longtime friend and writing collaborator. Baldrige had severe osteoarthritis with cardiac complications, Mitchell said. PHOTOS: Notable deaths of 2012 In 1960, Baldrige was called by Jacqueline Kennedy, a friend from their days at a private girls' school in Connecticut, and asked to help at the White House.

Tiger Woods runs the risk of being deposed at the top of the world golf rankings in the first quarter of next year. Woods has been out of action since having major knee surgery after winning the U.S. Open in June, when he had a lead of 11.328 ranking points over second-place Phil Mickelson. Spain's Sergio Garcia has since climbed into second and trails Woods by 3.865 points going into the new year.

Whether you're trudging on a treadmill, pedaling on an exercise bike or taking on Roger Federer in a Wii game of Grand Slam Tennis, the machine will probably give you a reading of how many calories are going up in sweat. In fact, no matter what you're doing -- and that includes doing nothing -- you can find a gadget to compute how many calories you're working off. But should you put a lot of weight on these figures? "The short answer is no," says Dr. Chris Cooper, director of the UCLA exercise physiology research laboratory.

So much for that working theory about the first week of a Grand Slam tennis tournament being a virtual walkover for top players. It landed in the paper shredder when Tim Henman's name settled in the space next to Andy Roddick's when Wednesday's draw ceremony for the U.S. Open was held at United Nations headquarters in New York. The Open starts Monday. So, how does the last man to beat Roddick this summer end up playing him in the first round?

Mary Pierce, reeling between shows of anger and happiness, reached the second Grand Slam final of her career Thursday at the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez. In a sloppy match punctuated by injuries to both players, Pierce's deep groundstrokes and 18 clean winners proved too much for Martinez to handle with a strained tendon under the arch of her right foot.