Djokovic "accepts" a proposal; Kvitova goes on a date

Who says that tennis must be the sport in which "love" means nothing? A young fan with a gleam in his eye barked out a marriage proposal to Novak Djokovic during his practice session yesterday. Precedent has now been set for such future incidents, as Djokovic gamely invited the kid onto the court for a brief hit, much to that wee enthusiast's delight, as well as that of assembled U.S. Open goers.

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova herself went on a (strictly platonic) tennis date this week, hitting with an elated fan of hers and sharing a pasta meal. This was no Lady and the Tramp session, though: The table dinner involved no meatball canoodling, and Kvitova beat her overmatched fan/foe without dropping a game. (He did score one winner on her, which the Wilson promo camera caught.)

Both of these propositions pale in comparison, of course, to the 1996 Wimbledon spot in which Steffi Graf found herself. Whilst playing Kimiko Date, she was hardly alarmed when an attendee yelled out to her the now-customary, "[Insert Player Name], will you marry me?" See her response here, intriguingly coy and funny considering her usual on-court disposition over the years:

While we're at it, this seems as good a time as any to share New York magazine's celebration of **"tennis hunks through the years."** Surprises: The inclusions of Nicolas Kiefer, Lleyton Hewitt, and Tomas Berdych, not often drummed up for such lists. Welcome reminder: Pete Sampras's winsome smile. Unstoppable: Patrick Rafter's eternal affability. Repressed memory: James Blake's dreads. Amusing caption: Aussie Rod Laver's "all-American smile." Never forget: Andre Agassi's skimpy on-court jean shorts. Great comparison: Rafael Nadal and Twilight's Taylor Lautner.

And the best line of that entire slideshow: "Jorts and a Sonic the Hedgehog mullet. Kelly Kapowski just fainted."  

So, Spin fans, this begs the question: What player would you like a tennis date with, and why?  

Thanks to the U.S. Open's [**Tumblr page** for the Djoko-tip.]  

—Jonathan Scott (**@jonscott9**)