WTA ladies drop gear for gowns + glam at pre-Wimbledon party

The ladies of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour got their party on at last night's pre-Wimbledon party hosted by Sir Richard Branson and held at the Kensington Roof Gardens.

Venus Williams (sporting new hair extensions), Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Daniela Hantuchova and Sania Mirza were some of the ballers spotted walking the red carpet.

Also, check out the video below to see some inside footage from event.











(images via wireimage, video via sonyericssonwtatour)

DtL Diary: I was a kid in a candy store watching two tennis legends at work

As I mentioned earlier today, I happily attended the Wimbledon + HSBC promotional event hosted by Justin Gimelstob where I met tennis legends Monica Seles and Jim Courier. They were close enough to touch (but I didn't - there was security.)


Monica + Jim took some time to hit balls on a miniature court built at the corner of 4oth Street and 5th Avenue with members of the crowd. Justin was the play-by-play guy and apparently the comedy relief though that still remains questionable. They even offered their thoughts on the favorites for The Championships next week (see videos).

It was so exciting to see them in person, particularly Monica who, without a doubt, got me to love tennis they way I do.


They both looked like they were in great shape and both ballers can still work a racquet. Monica was trim and healthy while Jim, who was always a fitness freak, still looked like he could play a 5-setter.

So I hope you enjoy the images and sometimes shaky video from the day (and don't hate on my lack of video skills - it's hard to work a video camera and digital camera at the same time, I swear.)

Oh yeah - check back tomorrow for my preview of the top contenders for the men's and women's crowns at Wimbledon!









(images + video via DtL)

Letter to DtL readers: I just met Monica Seles + Jim Courier!

Hey everyone,

Okay, color me so excited (and a little out of breath...) I just left a personal appearance hosted by Justin Gimelstob and starring Monica Seles + Jim Courier here in New York City!

The two legends were doing a promotion for Wimbledon with partner HSBC Bank on the corner of 40th Street and 5th Avenue and they hit balls on a miniature court for about 30 minutes this afternoon.

I took tons of pictures, some video and got their autographs. I'll upload them as soon as I get home later!

Rich

A coddling Judy Murray already raining on Andy's Wimbledon parade

I didn't realize Andy Murray's mom was such a "Debbie Downer."

Judy Murray echoed Fed-bashing Bjorn Borg's recent comments about the Brit baller when she spoke to BBC Scotland's Jane Lewis recently. She told Jane her youngling won't win Wimbledon this year, even saying Andy agrees:

I think he may have a chance in another couple of years. He still has a lot of improving to do in his game, which is quite exciting. I think he has said it himself that he's not ready to win it. But he will be out there challenging for sure.

You'd think your mom would be completely behind you and supportive, not in a Yuri Sharapov throat-slitting kinda way, but at least pretend to believe in your chances in the press. Why even show up then?

Plus, you never know what could happen in tennis but, at this point, you may have just burst your son's bubble (like he needs more injuries.)

Geez - maybe Juan Martin del Potro had a point about you Judy. Stop the coddling!

(image via Getty)

THE LOW DOWN: Borg picks Fed as third favorite for Wimbledon. Is he still pissed about Paris?

Bjorn Borg is over Roger Federer and he's not afraid to show it.

The legendary Swede has shockingly put Roger Federer as his third favorite at next week's Championships behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively. "I pick Rafael Nadal as the winner. My second choice is Novak Djokovic, and my third choice is Roger," said the 5-time Wimbledon champion.

And why, might you ask, did the Swede make such a public claim?

A year ago, I would have had Roger as my favourite, but that was then. Nadal and Djokovic are playing much better tennis than they were a year ago. I think that Roger is going to be the No 1 player at the end of the year anyway. But for him to beat those guys at Wimbledon, he needs to play much better than he did last summer. He knows that he is going to have to play some unbelievable tennis to win again. This is the most open Wimbledon in years.

Bjorn also said he wouldn't be surprised if the top-ranked Swiss followed his lead and hung up his Wilson racquets early, even by next year:

I think Roger will probably carry on playing tennis, but if he retired next year that wouldn't surprise me. He has been through so much, he has done so much, he has been professional, he's been working hard, he's been winning everything. It probably won't happen, but if Roger suddenly decides to retire that wouldn't shock me at all. People expect Roger to win the whole time, and that's both mentally and physically tiring. It's not going to be like it used to be, when he won almost every single match he played. That time has gone.

Has Bjorn lost his marbles or is he still reeling from the embarrassment of publicly choosing Fed as his pick for the Roland Garros title on the eve of that match? He picks Fed to win on his least favored surface then picks him to come in third where he's a 5-time defending, grass-loving champion.

It seems like passive-aggressiveness and/or fair-weather fandom. Either way, that sucks Bjorn.

(image via Getty)

Serena and Scott join forces in launching WTA Tour's "Looking for a Hero?" campaign

Serena Williams joined WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott in London for the launch of their 3 year $15 million "Looking for a Hero?" marketing campaign, the largest in the Tour's history and in women's sports, including the premiere of the infamous Superheroes ad. The campaign will be comprised of a print/digital advertising, and viral/social community based initiatives.


Speaking at the press conference, Scott was enthusiastic about the launch saying,

This is a thrilling moment in the history of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Never before have we planned, created and invested in a marketing campaign of this magnitude. The multi-platform campaign in many ways crystallizes how far we have come as a sport over the past five years, and everything we mean when we speak about the star power of our athletes and the excitement of women's professional tennis. I'm delighted and proud of the way the players have bought into the campaign. It's a huge testament to their professionalism and commitment to the growth of the game.

ReRe, along with 30 other ballers, stars in the Tour's campaign and believes it's a huge step for women's tennis:

Women's tennis is a premier sport for all women athletes, and I think it was a great opportunity to have the best athletes, female athletes, get together and be a part of such a wonderful advertisement. I was really happy to have an opportunity to be in it. I was more than excited to do it.

The director of the spots, Matthieu Mantovani, was also on hand for the ad's launch and said he was inspired by the women's ability to balance the demands of their professional on-court lives with their personal responsibilities saying,

Once I first received the brief my inspiration was to demonstrate the energy and high-intensity lives of these modern, successful, professional women. They possess amazing physical gifts on the court, but equally so off the court in lives that are provocative, glamorous and aspirational in so many ways. It is perhaps simple to point to features from the film world which helped shape and grow that vision but, for me, stylistically, elements of 'Charlie's Angels', 'Ocean's 11" and ' Mission Impossible' are reflected in this campaign.

The first phase of the campaign, which will be comprised of TV, print, and digital, begins at the end of August and runs through to the WTA Championships in November. The second phase will launch at the start of the 2009 season and continue throughout the year.

Here is the 60 second commercial followed by two 30 second spots, with a bonus behind-the-scenes video at the end:






(images via Getty, WTATour.com)

Quote of the Day: Nole on Fed

New names are coming, fresh talented players who believe more they can win against him and I am one of them. Suddenly he is worried a little bit.

- Novak Djokovic on Roger Federer's recent on-court struggles

Worried? Here goes Nole and his Tourette's again. The Serb loves playing mind games in the press, huh? Let's just hope he can put a Wimbledon title where his mouth is...

(image via Getty)

THE LOW DOWN: Sharapova isn't who you think she is...well, according to Sharapova

Maria "Shriek"apova is a goofy girl who enjoys making home-made lemonade for her 5 friends.

Well, that's what the 21-year old would like us all to believe, anyway. In an interview with The Telegraph, Maria discusses her preference for slumber parties with friends at her Manhattan Beach pad over red-carpet nights and movie premieres:

It's strange for my friends when they see me on TV and in magazines, because the person that they see doing interviews and pictures on the red carpet is not the person that they know. The person that my friends know is much more low key than the person that everyone else sees. I'm a very low-key person. I don't need many things. I don't need glamour and attention to be happy. I'm very happy being settled and working my butt off and trying to win grand slams. I want my tennis to speak for everything.

In fact, the former no. 1 still doesn't understand the fascination with her celebrity and finds it "weird":

I still find my celebrity weird - it's always weird, you know, when I see my image on the cover of a magazine. That's very, very strange. I remember for a while I had been getting a lot of praise from people, but I never felt as though I deserved it until I had won grand slams and held the world No 1 ranking. And then I thought, 'OK, all that talk, I understand it now'. But before then it was just random.

But don't get her wrong. Maria appreciates what her celebrity status ultimately affords her - opportunities:

The best thing about my life is that I've had the opportunity to do many more things that I wouldn't have done if I was just in school or something. I absolutely love that because if it was just 'tennis, tennis, tennis' I would get mad. I've met some amazing people and been a part of some great projects, and taken care of my family and my grandparents financially.

I'm sure it's all gravy now that you have fame + fortune, Maria. And, you may not necessarily need the glamourous life, but it sure beats keggers in college, huh?

(image via wireimage)

PHOTO OP: Nole + adidas celebrate Wimbledon and 2012 Olympics

Novak Djokovic was spotted taking part in a promotional event for adidas in London today in celebration of Wimbledon and the 2012 Olympics which will take place in the English capital.

The Aussie Open champ was joined by London mayor Boris Johnson on a make-shift adidas tennis court at County Hall.




(images via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Bartoli's in the pits...and in more ways than one

Okay Marion Bartoli. I understand that being a professional tennis baller means you're, like, really busy and scattered and you don't have time to pay attention to every detail. Plus, I realize that it's a big world with many cultural differences between us.

But seriously - couldn't you just take a razor to those hairy pits knowing you're on the world stage and at some point you might raise your arms in championship triumph?

Oh wait! It's you we're talking about...now I get it.

(image via Getty)