Serena wins Best Female Athlete at ESPY Awards; Sharapova, Azarenka appear

Serena Williams, toiling at her trade in Bastad, Sweden, this week, won Best Female Athlete at the 2013 ESPY Awards held last night at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Williams also won the award in 2003 (photo), and accepted the award on behalf of sister Venus Williams in 2002 (photo).

Victoria Azarenka actually appeared on the red carpet and at the ceremony, with beau Redfoo on her arm. She and Sharapova were both nominated for Best Female Tennis Player. Serena won that award also, while Novak Djokovic took the nod in absentia as Best Male Tennis Player. Via Spin friend The Slice, here are looks at Azarenka and Sharapova. The latter, who knows something about the category, presented the Comeback Athlete of the Year award to NFL player Adrian Peterson, and then stepped into a photo booth with the winner and actor Kevin Bacon, her co-presenter:

Sharapova also saw face time with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Miami Heat star LeBron James.

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, who last week appeared on Katie Couric's TV show alongside Venus Williams, won the Arthur Ashe Award for courage, this in the wake of her recent breast-cancer and disease battles. Here is her stirring speech, which Venus tweeted about more than once:

Full-fledged ESPYs coverage here.

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