LONDON -- The next time Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova meet, it will likely be on a tennis court, with a net separating them -- maybe even at Wimbledon, in the final, on the first Saturday in July. "I think its great for womens tennis when we play each other," Williams said. Until then, fans and non-fans alike can keep picking apart the unexpected trade of verbal jousts between two of the sports biggest stars -- a back-and-forth that has turned the lead-up to Wimbledon into something much more than simple tennis talk. The latest chapter came on the eve of the tournament, which starts Monday. Trying to set aside a number of awkward outcomes from a Rolling Stone profile of her posted online last week, Williams used her pre-tournament news conference Sunday to express her apologies. -- For comments that put both her and Sharapovas love lives on centre stage. -- For remarks she made about the 16-year-old victim in the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case. -- And, it seemed, every bit as much for letting the author of that story into her private world, thus turning the buildup to Wimbledon into a festival of dirty laundry that has the headline writers for the London tabloids drling. ("This time its personal" and "Im sorry, Maria!" were among the lines used.) "It definitely hasnt been easy," the No. 1-ranked Williams said about the stir created by the magazines profile. "And I feel like I really wanted to say: I apologize for everything that was said in that article." Earlier in the week, Williams had issued a statement expressing regret for remarks about the 16-year-old victim in the Steubenville case. On Sunday, she said she and the family "came to a wonderful understanding, and were constantly in contact." Also Sunday, Williams explained that she approached the No. 3-ranked Sharapova to try to smth things over by extending an apology at a pre-tournament players party Thursday. The exchanges between the two can be traced to a passage where the storys author surmised that something critical Williams said during a telephone conversation with her sister referred to Sharapova. Williams said Sharapova accepted her apology. If that was the case, however, it sure didnt show Saturday, when Sharapova delivered her own broadside during her news conference: "If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids." Asked to respond to that dig 24 hours later, Williams declined, saying: "I definitely was told of (Sharapovas) comments. I definitely like to keep my personal life personal. I think it would be inappropriate for me to comment on it." With play beginning Monday -- Roger Federer begins defence of his seventh title on Centre Court, with Sharapova playing her first-round match afterward -- much of this talk is certain to die down. But its just as certain to pick back up in about two weeks if the players, on opposite sides of the bracket, advance to the final. "Theres no guarantee that Ill be there," Williams said. "But Im definitely hoping that I can play and win seven matches." Shes a heavy favourite to do so, going 74-3 and collecting three of four major titles since the start of Wimbledon in 2012. That, perhaps not coincidentally, is when she began working with French tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, to whom Williams has been linked romantically. Neither has confirmed publicly whether theyre a couple, but Sharapovas shot on Saturday was taken as a reference to Williams and Mouratoglou. Sharapova was responding to a question about the portion of the Rolling Stone story in which Williams spoke to her sister about what the reporter described as "a top-five player who is now in love." Williams lamented Sunday that "a private conversation" was reported about, but she also laughingly conceded: "Ive been in the business for a little over 200 years, so I should definitely, definitely know better. I should know better to always have my guard up." She is quoted in the article as saying: "She begins every interview with Im so happy. Im so lucky -- its so boring. Shes still not going to be invited to the cl parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it." That is followed by these words in parentheses from the writer: "An educated guess is shes talking about Sharapova, who is now dating Grigor Dimitrov, one of Serenas rumoured exes." On Sunday, Williams said: "I made it a point to reach out to Maria. ... I said, Lk, I want to personally apologize to you if you are offended by being brought into my situation. I want to take this moment to ... be open, say Im very sorry." Williams repeatedly used some version of the phrase "inadvertently brought into a situation" to describe the way Sharapova got involved. "Its important what Ive learned this week -- mostly that its so important to know all the facts before you make a comment or before you make an assumption," Williams said. "Thats something Im still learning."stschweiz.ch/" target="_blank">Adidas Ultra Bst Schweiz . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. stschweiz.ch/" target="_blank">Ultra Bst Kaufen Schweiz . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. stschweiz.ch/" target="_blank">http://www.ultrabstschweiz.ch/ .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. stschweiz.ch/" target="_blank">Größentabelle Ultra Bst . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty gd place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very gd defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. stschweiz.ch/" target="_blank">Ultra Bst Schweiz Bestellen . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St.SANTA ANA, Calif. -- The California Highway Patrol has recommended that Dennis Rodman face charges in a freeway incident, but the former basketball player denied Friday that anything happened.Life is gd, thats why Ive never been charged, Rodman told The Associated Press in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he made a surprise appearance to give out his childrens bks at a boys and girls club.Guess what? Nothing happened, there was no wreck, there was no injuries, there was no nothing, so I guess its going on hearsay, said Rodman, who is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Officer Florentino Olivera told The Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/2aTIN8W) on Thursday the agency recommends Orange County prosecuutors charge Rodman with felony hit-and-run and driving the wrong way on a freeway.dddddddddddde are currently reviewing the matter. There are no charges as of yet, district attorneys spokeswoman Roxy Fyad wrote in an email to the AP.The incident allegedly occurred at 120 a.m. July 20 on Interstate 5 in Santa Ana.According to the California Highway Patrol, a BMW driver reported striking the center divider after swerving to avoid a head-on collision with an SUV traveling north in a southbound lane. The BMW driver said that after a brief conversation, Rodman left without exchanging information. ' ' '