TENNIS.com - Backcourt - Backcourt Buzz: Bikinis, Babies and Beer Diplomacy

By Sarah Thurmond

News, gossip and other items of interest from the world of tennis:

Ankling for an Injury
In her new memoir, On the Line (due in bookstores September 1), Serena Williams reveals that her 2003 left knee injury—the one that required surgery and knocked her out of tennis for eight months—was sustained not on the tennis court (that would be cliché) but while she danced in high heels at a nightclub. Williams writes, “I was at a club in Los Angeles, dancing and partying and having a grand old time, but the foolish part was that I was doing it in heels … I went into this little spin move out there on the floor and I could feel something go in my knee … I hated being sidelined for such a frivolous reason. It was embarrassing—so much that I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone how it happened.” Until now. Perhaps Jennifer Love Hewitt should heed this warning next time she plays tennis in a bikini and four-inch heels: Take a precautionary step, girl, like taping your ankles or using a knee brace.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Paula Radcliffe won the 2007 New York City Marathon nine months after giving birth to daughter Isla.

Baby On Boris
The rumors are true. Boris Becker and his wife of almost two months, Lilly Kerssenberg, are expecting a baby. It will be Boom Boom’s fourth child. He and Lilly wed on June 12, and have what I guess you could describe as an on-again, off-again romantic history. At one point last year, Becker was so off-again he was engaged to another woman, his former manager’s daughter Sandy Meyer-Woelden, who once was the girlfriend of Tommy Haas, who is supposedly engaged to Sara Foster, who is the daughter of mega-music-maker David Foster, who… Geez, such tangled webs they weave in tennis.

Speaking of Babies…
Traveling presents many challenges to pro players. All that flying and time-zone-hopping can really stress out the body and the mind. But imagine being an elite player with a baby in tow. Paul Newman of the Independent spoke to pro-athlete moms Kim Clijsters, who is returning to the tour next week after two years away with her 17-month-old daughter; Sybille Bammer, who has an 8-year-old; and marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe. Another new mom, Ashley Harkleroad, is hankering for a comeback—and cutting down on high-calorie indulgences accordingly. Harkelroad played at the “Shotgun 21” celebrity-pro tournament at the Palisades Tennis Center last weekend. Vince Spadea won the event. Pro participants included Donald Young, Robert Kendrick and Taylor Dent. Hollywood was represented by Donna Mills (where has she been since Knots Landing?), Elisabeth Shue, Jon Lovitz and Chad Lowe. (On second thought, where have all these people been all these years?)

The Commish Speaks
Curious to know how Larry Scott, who left the helm of the WTA Tour to become commissioner of the Pac-10 Conference, is liking his new gig? This oregonlive.com Q&A tells you. When asked how he’s handling being a consensus-builder among 10 universities, he said, “It all depends on your perspective. I had about 200 independent contract tennis players I worked for, and 55 individual tournament promoters around the world, and tennis federations. It would be hard to stagger me with complexity in terms of a political environment. I'm used to being a servant leader.” Wait, did he just call himself a servant?

Keep Your Eyes On This Lad
Those self-loathing Brits are at it again. Their great hope for a Wimbledon title this year, Andy Murray, lost in the semifinals to Andy Roddick. So now they have set their sights on a new up-and-comer, Jonah Ziff, who is 2 years old (or “30 months” in toddler years). According to his daddy, “He just picked up a racket that was lying around and he started whacking a ball against a wall.” Yeah, we’ve heard that one before.

Summer Camp
I have to give a shout out to my old tennis camp, John Newcombe’s Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas. It was just named as one of the USTA’s Certified Regional Training Centers to help grow youth tennis in the States. I went to this camp when I was an adolescent, and was even awarded “most improved” in my division, which I think was one step up from beginner (it was something like the “not quite intermediate but still a beginner” beginner division). Anyway, the camp is situated right in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. I remember it was brutally hot in the summertime and it seemed like all the coaches had moustaches, just like Newk. And look at this vintage (1974) Sports Illustrated profile of Newk; only Frank Deford can get away with calling Laver and Rosewall "vintage elves."

Obama isn’t the only one…
…who engages in “ beer diplomacy.” Sam Querrey's Samurai fan club has issued an apology to Tommy Haas, and also invited him to a beer summit to work out any differences. Haas was upset by the club's cheering during his match against Querrey last week in Los Angeles. No word yet if Haas is taking them up on the offer.

Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor at TENNIS.