News, gossip and other items of interest from the world of tennis:
Enter to Win
You have until October 22 to bid in an online auction for Andy Roddick’s foundation gala, which takes place in Austin, Texas, on November 30. The winning bidder gets to attend the gala, sit at the same table as Roddick and Elton John, and pick John’s setlist for his performance that evening. How cool is that? As of Tuesday, Oct. 20, there were 10 bids, the highest of which was for $10,750.
Andy Murray is also having a contest on his website. It’s not nearly as extravagant as Roddick’s foundation gala auction. All the winner gets is a t-shirt, and you have to answer a multiple-choice question to be in the running: Which comedian did Murray go see last weekend? Jimmy Carr, Alan Carr or Ross Noble. Hmm…that’s a tough one. Maybe Murray tweeted about it. Deadline to enter is Oct. 24.
Tennis Goes Hollywood
According to People.com, Gavin Rossdale—Roger Federer’s BFF and Gwen Stefani’s husband—is going to appear in a Nov. 11 episode of the CBS show “Criminal Minds.” Rossdale plays a goth rocker, a real stretch for the former post-grunge musician.
She has yet to confirm it, but apparently Mark Philippoussis has been telling people he’s engaged to actress Jennifer Esposito, who was last seen playing opposite Christina Applegate on the cancelled ABC sitcom, “Samantha Who?” (Esposito was previous married to actor Bradley Cooper; the union lasted about as long as Ana Ivanovic’s stint at No. 1.) Word on the street is that Philippoussis is in negotiations to sell the exclusive rights to the wedding. I’ll say it again: Esposito has yet to weigh in on this news.
She’ll Have a Guinness…Record, That Is!
After spending 18 weeks at No. 1 in 2008, Jelena Jankovic has kept a fairly low profile on tour this year. Now I see why. According to her website, she became a Guinness world record-holder last week. As Orbit’s Serbian “smile ambassador,” Jankovic helped the chewing gum company collect 137,264 pictures of smiling peeps; the images were combined to create the world’s largest mosaic of photographs. Now that she has the record, let’s hope she can re-focus on her tennis in 2010.
Serbia’s other tennis sweetheart, Ana Ivanovic, was also really, really, really busy last week, shopping at a mall in Belgrade and answering fan mail. Movie she enjoyed watching recently? State of Play. Favorite character on "24"? President Palmer. She makes those other players, who are hard at work trying to raise their rankings, look like bums!
Hot Bod Rides A Hot Rod in Primetime
Serena Williams, who was recently featured in the buff on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s “Bodies Issue,” was on Jay Leno’s new NBC primetime show Monday night. Williams participated in the “Green Car Challenge,” a segment in which celebrities race around a track in a hybrid car and try to avoid obstacles like confetti cannons and, in her case, a cardboard John McEnroe. Williams, who regained her No. 1 ranking earlier this month, can now claim she’s No. 1 on the track, as she beat the previous top mark, set by Gerard Butler, of 56.16 seconds, with a time of 55.84. You can watch the video of her on the show’s official site or on YouTube here.
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Is American actress Jennifer Esposito engaged to the Scud? (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)Television Confessional No. 1*
This weekend Boris Becker came out of the closet, so to speak. He appeared on the show “Piers Morgan’s Life Stories” on the British network ITV on Saturday night. (Unfortunately, video of the interview on itv.com seems to be available only to people living in the U.K.) Morgan, whom American audiences know as a judge on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and as the winner of Donald Trump’s “The Celebrity Apprentice,” pressed Becker on what really happened in that notorious broom closet at London’s Nobu restaurant nine years ago. As if we didn’t know already. His tryst in the closet with a Russian model yielded a daughter named Anna. But on Saturday, Becker revealed that the quickie didn’t take place in the broom closet, as had been reported for years. It actually occurred on a stairwell between the restaurant’s bathrooms. (Or, as the Brits would say, between the water closets.) So glad that’s all cleared up.
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Television Confessional No. 2**
On Friday, Serena Williams appeared on Tavis Smiley’s late-night PBS show, which happens to have a set designed by Serena’s big sister Venus Williams. There were no broom closet revelations, just Serena’s loose lips:
Talking about her love of reading: “I read all the time. Venus and I used to have a book club … You wouldn’t think it, but we’re a little geeky.”
Responding to Smiley’s question about why Serena and Venus still live together: “I don’t want to be away from her. I’m not ready. I love living with her. I don’t ever envision myself not living with her … It’s just I love being with her. Besides the fact that she pays the bills.”
Responding to, yet not quite answering, Smiley’s question about what is the most difficult part of getting back to No. 1 after having fallen from the top spot: “Really, beating the girls who get to No. 1 by not winning the big tournament, just playing every week. I don’t play every week. I just try to do the best I can in the few tournaments that I play.”
There’s more… Smiley brought up race and sex and the infamous tirade at the U.S. Open this year, and asked Serena what she would like to accomplish after tennis. She replied that she wants to be an action star in a movie and write a screenplay for a “dramedy” on TV. Guess “open a tennis academy” was already taken.
Hermès Tennis-Themed Fashion
It’s always fun when tennis crosses over to ready-to-wear. A couple weeks ago at Paris Fashion Week, Jean Paul Gaultier created a tennis-themed Spring/Summer 2010 collection for Hermès. Check out the clothes here and here. I’m no fashionista but I prefer the Hermès collection over Thom Browne’s tennis-inspired collection for men from last spring.
Tennis Blotter
Thirteen people were arrested for attempting to smuggle drugs using tennis balls into a prison in New Orleans. The smugglers cut open the balls, filled them with marijuana and then hurled them over the prison walls. I can’t imagine what triggered prison officials to suspect the illegal activity.
In Australia, a 20-year-old man was fined $500 (I assume that’s Australian dollars) for his involvement in the riot that broke out between Serbian and Bosnian fans after the Novak Djokovic—Amer Delic match at the Australian Open on January 23. The riot was captured on ESPN and can be seen here.
Birthday Cake
If you ever need to make a cake for a tennis-loving friend, try this recipe from Munchkin Mommy, who blogs about food at cafemunchkin.com. Her cake, which looks amazingly delicious, reminds me of the ones made on the Food Network show “Ace of Cakes.” In case you missed it, on an episode a few years ago, Chef Duff and his team at Charm City Cakes made, per Pam Shriver’s request, a tennis-ball cake for Martina Navratilova’s 50th birthday. Click here for video of the episode.
Briefing on Briefs
Recently, I added the “Insider’s Journal: An Insider’s Reflections on Life and Fashion” to my list of blogs to follow. This one comes to us through Bjorn Borg underwear. It’s mostly promoting the BB brand, but I like its young-and-hip vibe, and every now and then, the blogger, Miriam, who is the digital communications manager at BB in Stockholm, slips in things beyond underwear, like her favorite movie (the French film Girl On a Bridge), and the inspirations for BB. I find it a fun read, and thought you might, too.
Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor for TENNIS. Follow her on Twitter.