Tennis champ Serena Williams named UNICEF goodwill ambassador
Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:41 GMT
Serena Williams reacts to a missed point to Samantha Stosur of Australia during their finals match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, September 11, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
By Dongwei Liu
LONDON (AlertNet) - UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency, has named U.S. tennis champion Serena Williams as its latest international goodwill ambassador.
Williams, who has been described as the greatest player of her generation, first teamed up with UNICEF in 2006, travelling to Ghana where she joined a team of volunteer health workers as they immunised children and distributed free mosquito nets.
UNICEF said Williams, who has won 13 grand slam titles, would use her popularity to promote UNICEF's Schools for Africa programme and the upcoming Schools for Asia initiatives which aim to provide schooling for particularly vulnerable children.
"I believe all children deserve the chance to make something of their lives," Williams said in a statement.
"I am committed to helping UNICEF provide a quality education to children to help them build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities."
The American joins a famous list of past and present UNICEF ambassadors that includes Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow, David Beckham and Shakira.
News of Williams' appointment came more than a week after she escaped with a $2,000 fine for verbally abusing an umpire during the U.S. Open final. She only recently returned to the sport after a series of health problems that began last year.
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