People: Aug. 19, 2002

SERENA DEFLECTS HOLLYWOOD'S SERVES, FOR NOW

At first blush, the idea of a tennis champ's making a meaningful contribution to the craft of acting sounds about as plausible as Robert Downey Jr.'s winning the U.S. Open. But not only is SERENA WILLIAMS, the world's top-ranked player in women's tennis, taking acting lessons, she's also getting offers for small parts and cameos. Alas, being a professional athlete is more time-consuming than bartending or waitressing, the usual day jobs for aspiring actresses. "A lot of people want me, but my schedule right now is kind of conflicting with my acting," she said at...

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