Pe’er, coach part ways

Serena in doubt for US Open.

By ALLON SINAI
Peer 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Peer 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
After almost two years with Pablo Giacopelli, Shahar Pe’er is looking for a coach once more.
Giacopelli, who recently got married, notified Pe’er that he would not be able to guide her any longer because of personal reasons.
Giacopelli began working with Pe’er in November 2008 and brought some off-court stability for the Israeli, who had tried several coaching options throughout 2008.
Injuries and some misfortune meant it took a few months until Giacopelli’s work bore fruit, but since the end of last year Pe’er has gone from strength to strength and has played some of the best tennis of her life in recent months.
Pe’er reached a career-best No. 14 in the world in June and is currently ranked just below that, at 16th.
“I would like to thank Pablo for all of his work and for a fruitful and fun period which led to excellent achievements and a record ranking,” said Pe’er, who is currently in Los Angeles, training for the North American hard-court season, which she will begin in Stanford, California next week.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams is in doubt for the US Open because of her recent foot injury, according to the WTA Tour.
Williams cut her right foot on broken glass at a restaurant shortly after winning Wimbledon. The tour said last week she needed surgery and would miss three tournaments leading up to the Open.
On Monday, tour spokesman Andrew Walker said Williams is questionable for the final Grand Slam of the year.
Williams’ return to the Open has been widely anticipated because of her tumultuous semifinal loss there last year, when she threw a tirade at a line judge at the end of a match against Kim Clijsters and was fined a record $82,500.
Because of the injury, Williams is missing the entire World Team Tennis season with the Washington Kastles.
Her team said she cut the bottom of her foot and needed stitches.
“Hey guys I’m doing better,” Williams tweeted Monday. “Thanks for all the love.”
Ranked No. 1, Williams won her fourth Wimbledon crown and 13th major title July 3. The injury occurred shortly after in Europe and at first was not believed to be serious.
After hurting her foot, Williams played in an exhibition in Brussels on July 8 against Clijsters before a worldrecord tennis crowd of 35,681.
Williams attended a WTT match the next night in Glen Falls, New York and did not play but briefly discussed her injury with reporters. When asked how she was able to play against Clijsters, Williams said, “Those Belgian doctors and waffles.”
Clijsters said she knew before the exhibition that Williams was hurt pretty seriously.
“I saw her before we started but she didn’t go into how it happened,” Clijsters said. “I told her how much I admired her for coming out there. A lot of players in her situation wouldn’t have done it.”
Williams subsequently withdrew from upcoming tournaments in Istanbul, Cincinnati and Montreal. The last of those, at Montreal, begins August 16, and the US Open starts August 30.
AP contributed to this report