The spot features Serena Williams, Misty May Treanor & Kerri Walsh, Candace Parker,  the legendary Muhammad Ali, and a bevy of other celebrity-athletes. It’s pretty cool though you’d never know they were selling a sports drink.

This latest comes shortly after Gatorade scored with the amazing ball girl video, easily the best viral marketing campaign of 2008.

In other beverage news, Gatorade is expanding into action sports  and has announced the addition of 17-year-old snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth to their elite team roster.

What do you think of the latest spot?

January 5, 2009

The Australian Open kicks off January 19th and we hope to see Maria Sharapova defend her title after months of rehab for a bum shoulder. She recently pulled out of Hong Kong – a popular tune-up tourney for the AO but claims she’ll be ready for Melbourne.

Although Sharapova won’t be competing, a number of other players will be in Hong Kong including Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Sania Mirza each representing their region in team play.

World number one Jelena Jankovic should be feeling good - she just received her own star in the sky called JJ. It’s shining in the SC2 Hercules constellation of North polar region and was acquired by her sponsor Knjaz Milos and its brand Aqua Viva water who wanted to show how much they admire her.  JJ, as you remember, ended 2008 with the top ranking despite the fact that she didn’t win a Grand Slam title last year.

Also prepping for the Australian Open is top seed Ana Ivanovic who made her eagerly anticipated debut on Pat Rafter Arena for the first night session ever at the Queensland Tennis Centre. She’s been training in Australia for a couple of weeks but got off to a shakey start barely making it through the first round of the Brisbane International. Ivanovic reached the Australian Open final last season and held the No. 1 ranking for part of the year. In other first round Brisbane play, former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo narrowly beat Jelena Dokic 7-6 (9) 7-6 (5).

Who else is on the radar this Grand Slam season? Well this just may be the year for Dinara Safina. A break-out player of 2008, the Russian Safina ended the season at a career high WTA rank of #3. When she’s on, she’s unstoppable and when she’s not, she’s liable to either self-destruct or play some of the biggest come-back points you’ve ever seen.

Before the Australian Open begins, Safina is teaming up with her equally vitriolic brother, Marat Safin, for mixed doubles at Australia’s Hopman Cup. The dynamic brother-sister duo got off to a winning start downing Italy 2-1 on Sunday’s Session 2.

So, with all this activity, don’t despair that the holiday season is over. With tennis time here, there’s lots more happiness and good cheer.

December 30, 2008

The three-time Grand Slam champion, who hasn’t played since the first week of August when she pulled out of an event in Montreal, revealed via her Website that after 10 weeks of rehab in Arizona the pain in her shoulder remained and she underwent “minor arthroscopic surgery” in October to fix the problem.

The ninth-ranked Sharapova says that she is now pain-free but only began hitting 16 days ago. Although she is back playing, Sharapova feels she has not done sufficient training to compete at a high level. She has subsequently pulled out of the JB Group Classic exhibition event in Tokyo, scheduled to be held January 7-10, 2009.

“It’s with much disappointment that I have to withdraw from Hong Kong,” said Sharapova in a statement released by the tournament.

“I’ve been using this event for the last five years to get ready for the new season, in fact Hong Kong has been successful in preparing me for the Australian Open.”

The 21-year old Sharapova confirmed that she did not expect the injury to hamper her chances of defending her Australian Open crown.

 After waiting months for her return to the court, let’s hope that’s not the case. See you in Melbourne?

December 23, 2008

Fab Serena just returned from Africa with news of her charitable work with B.A.S. (Build African Schools). Together they opened a secondary school named after her in the village of Matooni, about 70 miles southeast of Nairobi, Kenya, with state-of-the-art solar panels for power and computers donated from Hewlett-Packard. Her credo? ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ Good for you, girl.  Can’t wait to see what 2009 brings (besides your memoir).

(via Tennis Served Fresh & Women’s Tennis Blog)

December 17, 2008

Davenport pregnant again: Many were surprised when former world number one Lindsay Davenport announced last week that she would compete at the 2009 Australian Open. Today Davenport announced that she’s pregnant with her second baby and is once again putting her career on hold.

The three-time Grand Slam champion announced that she is expecting her second child with husband Jon Leach. The baby will join older brother Jagger, born in June 2007.

“I am thrilled that Jon, Jagger and I will be welcoming a new addition to our family this coming year,” said Davenport in a statement released by her agent Tony Godsick of IMG.

Davenport first retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in December 2006. She returned after giving birth to Jagger and won two singles titles during 2008 in Auckland and Memphis.

2008 ITF World Champions: The International Tennis Federation has selected the best female players of the 2008 tennis season.

Current world number one Jelena Jankovic has been named ITF World Champion, and co-ranked number one players Cara Black and Liezel Huber were awarded the doubles honor.

Jankovic becomes Serbia’s first Singles World Champion after securing the year-end No. 1 ranking in a standout year. She reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open, and won more matches on the tour than any other player, capturing four titles in Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow.

The 23-year-old also represented her country at the Olympics and in Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, where she helped Serbia qualify for the World Group for the first time ever.

Doubles players Black and Huber surpassed their 2007 effort by capturing ten titles during the year, including the US Open and the season-ending championships. For the second year running Black and Huber ended the year co-ranked world No. 1 in the individual doubles rankings. Huber also made her Fed Cup and Olympic debut for the United States, having formerly represented her home nation South Africa.

On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal took top honors.

December 16, 2008

• Maria Sharapova is on the cover of January’s Women’s Health magazine - Masha is recuperating well and on target to resume her career next month but in the meantime, she remains busy as a cover girl.  She’s also been spotted at Tiffany events in Los Angeles and NYC.
• Serena Williams is  on the cover of Vibe magazine’s annual “Tabloid Issue” for January ‘09 featuring the Best and Worst of 2008. Serena, along with rap star Nelly, is shown above the category of “Hottest Bodies”.
•  Serb beauty Ana Ivanovic continues her modeling career appearing in a 2009 limited edition calendar. for sponsor Verano Motors.  Ana has been busy on a myriad of fronts. She is also on the cover of the new issue of L’Equipe Sport & Style magazine, has just bought a house in Mallorca and has been traveling the world with hot boyfriend Fernando Verdasco.
• Retired world number one Justine Henin received a lifetime career achievement award in Belgium at her nation’s most prestigious sporting occasion, the Sports Gala. The seven-time Grand Slammer was reunited with compatriot Kim Clijsters and received videotaped congratulatory messages from tennis legends Pete Sampras + Stefan Edberg.
• World No.1 Jelena Jankovic,  Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and Zheng Jie will all warm up for the Australian Open at the JB Group Classic exhibition in Hong Kong January 7th-10th.
• Former world number 4 Jelena Dokic won her first round today in Australian Open wildcard competition by defeating Sophie Letcher but was upset on the second day of the round-robin play-off.
• Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport has decided to continue playing professional tennis in 2009 and has entered the Australian Open.
• Visitors to the Tennis Channel site can now pick the best match of 2008  Polls will remain open until Dec. 19.
• Wimbledon has their own line of tennis gear out including the elegant High Street Racer Tank ($48) + Flounce Skirt ($39). The tank features a beautiful racer back and v-neck wrap front while skirt has contrast detailing and an elastic waistband.

Did we miss anything?

December 11, 2008

“We are really excited that she has entered,” tournament director Craig Tiley said Thursday. “She is a world class player and a great ambassador for our sport.”

As well as her Australian Open singles title, Davenport won Wimbledon in 1999 and the US Open in 1998. She took part in this year’s Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova in the second round.

Davenport took a break from the WTA Tour for part of the 2006 and 2007 seasons before giving birth to a son, Jagger, in June 2007.

Entries for next year’s Open have closed and the top 100 men and women are all on the list for the main draws.

The  Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park January 19 - February 1, 2009.

Take 2 aspirin
India’s most famous female tennis player will now be known as Doctor. Sania Mirza was conferred an honorary doctorate (Doctorate of Letters) by the MGR University. Now if she could only prescribe something to mend her ailing wrist.

Pressure is a Priviledge
New York-area residents can take a break from the holiday hustle and bustle to spend time with Billie Jean King reading from her latest book at the B&N in Manhattan tonight.

Gear girl
Thinking about a career change? Meet gear girl Kate Anderson who was the equipment manager for the U.S. National Women’s Hockey Team for the Four Nations CUP in November.

Players Perspectives
Oklahoma senior Courtney Paris is one of seven women’s basketball players who are providing periodic updates on their seasons. CP writes…. “random people ask if I’m the one with all the double-doubles. I’m glad to see that people are becoming more aware of women’s basketball. Recently I have learned this about my streak and others: that it is hard to do ……”

The Obama-Olympic Softball Link
Not only is Barack Obama viewed as an asset to Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid, he may help women’s softball in its battle to return to the Olympics.

December 10, 2008

Looking for more ideas? How about a signed Justine Henin visor or apparel from some of your favorite 2008 Olympians?

Right To Play - the international humanitarian organization that promotes health, developing life skills and peace for disadvantaged communities and children - is offering a variety of items donated by athletic superstars such as Venus and Serena Williams, Chemmy Alcott, Paula Radcliffe and numerous 2008 Beijing Olympians. Bid for these items through December 15th on eBay ebay.com/righttoplay.

December 9, 2008

Polls are now open for the 2008 United States Sports Academy (USSA) Athletes of the Year awards presented by USAToday and NBC Sports. The USSA Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy’s year long Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in any sport around the globe.

Who’s on the ballot this year?

Rebecca Adlington (United Kingdom - Swimming)
Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe - Swimming)
Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia - Track and Field)
Yalena Isinbayeva (Russian Federation - Track and Field)
Guo Jingjing (China - Diving)
Nastia Liukin (United States - Gymnastics)
Lorena Ochoa (Mexico - Golf)
Candace Parker (United States - Basketball)
Paula Radcliffe (United Kingdom - Marathon)
Lindsey Vonn (United States - Skiing)
Chrissie Wellington (United Kingdom - Triathlon)
Serena Williams(United States - Tennis)

Cast your ballot at http://vote.ussa.edu/aoy.