January 5, 2009 - If it’s January, tennis fans know Grand Slam season is upon us.

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.

Filed under: Maria Sharapova, Tennis, Venus Williams by jane
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December 30, 2008 - Just as we were getting stoked to see Maria Sharapova return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour,  news comes that her return has once again been delayed. 

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?

Filed under: Maria Sharapova, Tennis by jane
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December 16, 2008 - As the tennis world gears up for the first Grand Slam of 2009, here’s what our fave female ballers have been up to…

• 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?

Filed under: Events, Fashion, Fun Stuff, General, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Tennis, Venus Williams by jane
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December 10, 2008 - Make it a Christmas to remember. If you’re looking for that perfect holiday gift,  Maria Sharapova is auctioning off an autographed Nike duffle bag to support her Foundation. According to her site, the bag is “a soft gold color accented by shimmery gold trim. The bag has been personally used by Maria and is gently worn.”  Bid here.

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.

Filed under: Charity/Cause, General, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Tennis, Venus Williams by jane
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December 4, 2008 - With a recession officially upon us, top tennis player Maria Sharapova probably won’t be feeling the pinch. Forbes has released their “Best-Paid Celebs Under 30″ list and Masha is ranked seventh with earnings of $26 million.

Sharapova made the mag’s list last year after raking in a cool $23 million but the 21-year-old Russian managed to top that number this time around with earnings of $26 million.

There’s nothing like the combination of talent and good looks to woo corporations looking to spend endorsement dollars. Sharapova’s Australian Opentitle this year was her third Grand Slam win, along with 16 other singles titles. She’s recently added Sony to an endorsement portfolio that includes Pepsi, Colgate-Palmolive, Nike and Motorola.

In fact, athletes (such as Kobe, Lebron) take nearly half the top 10 celebs under 30–indicative of the power of endorsement deals and testament to the fact that they reach their peak much faster than actors, who gain recognition and fatter paychecks over time.

Other female ballers on the list include 27-year-old Serena Williams who earned $14 million after bouncing back and winning three tournament wins this year, matching her combined total from 2005 to 2007. Her endorsement stable includes Hewlett-Packard, Nike and Kraft.

Big sister Venus Williams, 28, defeated Serena at this year’s Wimbledon final, showing she’s got plenty left in the tank (and in the bank) with earnings of $13 million. She’s parlayed success on the court into her own fashion line, EleVen, a collection of casual and performance footwear and apparel.

Other gals on the “Best-Paid Celebs Under 30″ list? Beyonce (#1 with $80 million in earnings) , Keira Knightly, Miley Cyrus, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, Hilary Duff and the  High School Musical duo - Asley Tisdale and Vanessa Anne Hudgens.

Earlier in the summer Forbes listed the top-earning athletes with tennis players and golfers topping the list.

Filed under: Entertainment, Maria Sharapova, Tennis by jane
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November 23, 2008 - She may not have played a competition in months but women’s tennis star Maria Sharapova has been keeping busy and obviously staying in shape.

Still recovering from a shoulder injury, which forced her to miss a significant part of the 2008 season, Masha hopes to return to playing tennis in January.

In the meantime, the Russian ace has been having fun on the fashion front, attending New York fashion week,  and modeling for such publications as British Hello!, Russian Vogue (Nov. 08 cover) and California Style (Dec. 08 cover). Sharapova also recently posed for the December 2008 issue of Spanish GQ Magazine.

Check out this vid for a sneak peak of the Pretty Tough fashionista’s latest photo shoot or visit Sharapova’s website for more photos.

Filed under: Fashion, General, Maria Sharapova, Tennis by jane
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November 3, 2008 - After a wide open year in women’s tennis, with half a dozen players sharing the top ranking, the best in the world are now in Doha for the WTA Tour’s season-ending championship. 

For those in need of a quick geography lesson, Doha is the capital of Qatar located on the Persian Gulf.  The oil-rich conservative Muslim country enjoys world-class features and will be home to WTA season-ending championship for the next three years (after which it will shift to Istanbul Turkey).

This Sony Ericsson tournament is without its defending champion following the retirement of Justine Henin in May.  With Henin out and a shoulder injury sidelining Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova there is no clear favorite in this tourney. The world’s top eight women’s singles and top four women’s doubles teams compete for the title and a share of a record prize money of $4.45 million.  Russians make up half of the top eight singles. 

The contenders include:

Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, who hasn’t won a major but will finish the year in the top spot; No. 3 Serena Williams, who surged to victory at the U.S. Open for her ninth Grand Slam; and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, who won her first major at the French Open, but slid to No. 4 after a string of losses.

Other elite contenders are Wimbledon winner Venus Williams and the Russian contingent of second-ranked Dinara Safina, former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva and world No. 9 Vera Zvonareva.

The eight singles players can now prepare their match strategies for the round-robin phase, which begin on Tuesday, with the White and Maroon Groups allocated at the official draw ceremony on Sunday.

Serena Williams will take on elder sister Venus in the group stages of the tournament.  The sisters have been drawn in the Maroon Group, along with Russians Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina.

Serbians Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, and Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva, make up the White Group.

The Group colors are in honor of the flag of Qatar. Two players from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

Game on.

Filed under: Maria Sharapova, News Bytes, Serena Williams, Tennis by jane
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October 8, 2008 - In tough economic times, it’s hard to find anyone giving pay raises these days but organizers of the Australian Open have announced that men’s and women’s singles winners will be receiving an 18 percent increase.

The 2009 Australian Open will offer $US 15.6 million in prize money.

While 2008 champions Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic each won $US 970,000, next year’s trophy-holders will carry off a comfortable  $US 1.15 million apiece based on current exchange rates (11.5 million euros).

To rake in more television money and pay the increased bills, the women are headed to a night final, sure to bolster viewer numbers and make the event the only major to play both championship matches under the lights.

We’re guessing that admission prices will also increase.

The Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam event, will be held Jan. 19-Feb. 1, 2009.

Filed under: Maria Sharapova, Tennis by jane
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September 22, 2008 - Fans of women’s tennis who dream of hitting the court to face off against the top players can now pit their own racket skills against top seeds such as Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic. The virtual match, part of a user-generated content (UGC) contest launched by the Sony Ericsson Woman’s Tennis Association Tour, launched last week.

Would-be contenders can create an account at www.ChallengeYourHero.com, choose one of four current woman tennis stars—Sharapova, Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Sarafina—and upload footage of their own courtside performance.

Fans can then mix videos of themselves matching up to the forehands, backhands, volleys and serves of some of the greatest women’s tennis players in the world.

Creators of the best videos, as determined by the Tour, will be eligible for a chance to win the grand prize – a trip for two to the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar.

From what we’ve seen so far on the site, there are no Spielberg’s contributing content yet - so the field looks wide open for a grand prize winner. What are you waiting for?

Filed under: Contest, Maria Sharapova, Tennis by jane
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September 15, 2008 - Another New York Fashion Week has come and gone and some of our favorite female athletes were there to get in touch with their girly sides. Designers showed their spring 2009 looks and it appears fun was had by all.

As per early fall tradition, the US Open nearly always coincides with New York Fashion Week so tennis players contributed to this year’s record attendance.

Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams were among the heavy hitters in the front rows.  Sharapova’s schedule included a cover shoot for a European magazine and a party to celebrate her newly announced collaboration with Cole Haan. She was also spotted at the Herve Leger and Peter Som shows.

Sharapova sat next to gymnast Nastia Liukin at the Peter Som show. According to Tennis Week, Sharapova passed along what she knows about fashion to the gold medal winner.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I sat front row, and Maria kind of filled me in on the rest,” joked the gold medalist at Peter Som. “I was stunned that it was only ten minutes. Maria told me it was all about the pre-show full of pictures, interviews, and all that stuff but it still went surprisingly fast.”

Tennis Week also reported that Serena and Venus Williams made the most front row appearances. Venus went to Diane von Furstenberg  on the day of the women’s final. The elder Williams sister also made it to Vera Wang, Doo Ri, Carolina Herrera, and Zac Posen while U.S. Open champion Serena graced front row at Calvin Klein, Luca Luca, Zac Posen, Baby Phat, and Vivienne Tam.

We hear that Nastia Liukin attended Max Azria as well and swimmer Amanda Beard sat near Serena Williams in the front row of the Luca Luca show.  Beard also strutted her stuff at the Mel B With Ultimo show.

Sanaa Lathan, who may not be an athlete but played one in our fave film “Love & Basketball, was spotted at the Reem Acra show.

And another athlete took to the runway.  Dara Torres modeled two outfits in the Charles Nolan show.

Who says you can’t be pretty & tough?

Filed under: Fashion, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams by jane
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