Celebrity Status

Flushing Meadows isn’t the only place that brings the stars to the court. The crop of celebs at the Farmers Classic was impressive, though it hardly matched the superstar lineup at the U.S. Open each year.

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett came out on Thursday to support his good buddy James Blake. The 13-time NBA All Star even gave Blake some love after the American defeated Benjamin Becker in the second round. Also in the crowd were rocker and tennis junkie Gavin Rossdale and Barry Bonds, the all-time Major League Baseball home run leader (and alleged steroid-user). Before their match against Dmitry Tursunov and Ernests Gulbis, Bob and Mike Bryan had the opportunity to meet the slugger in the locker room. And on Saturday, Star Trek legend turned Priceline pitchman William Shatner watched the late-round action in L.A.

One star who didn’t make an appearance in the stands was Serena Williams. The injured No. 1 appeared at the Classic early in the week, having her picture taken alongside Blake. But when the semifinal matches were played on Saturday, the Farmers Classic made no exceptions when it came to ticket prices.

Williams lashed out on Twitter, writing, “Omg! The @farmersclassic tennis tournament in LA is charging me $100 a ticket…After I plugged them!!! Lol ill send a bill for my plug!” She also encouraged fans not to attend, posting, “@farmersclassic=use@serenajwilliams than over charge her to see tennis! Lol. Anyone don’t go if u r in LA.”

So what did Williams do to keep up her busy social calendar? She ditched her sport for a seat at the X Games.

—Brad Kallet