Serena Williams leads tennis players nominations for 2013 ESPYS

Serena Williams got two nominations for the 21th annual ESPY Awards, which recognizes last years major sports achievements, best moments and leading players and performances. World Nº1 WTA player, who brought home in 2012 a Gold Medal from London Olympics and two Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon and US Open), is nominated for Best Female Athlete and Best Female Tennis Player. Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are the other nominees for Best Female Tennis Player.

Novak Djokovic is once again nominated for Best International Athlete alongside last year's winner football player Lionel Messi. Also competing for this prize are Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt and boxer Juan Manuel Marquez. Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal compete with the Serbian in the Best Male Tennis Player category, which Nole won for the first time in 2012. Roger Federer is a six-time winner of the ESPYs - from 2005 to 2010 - and Rafael Nadal got his first award in 2011.

Britain's pride and joy Andy Murray books a place in a special category: Best Moment. The Brit won his first major title at the Olympics, which were played at Wimbledon, but will have tough competition from other unforgettable events such as Alex Morgan's goal in the Olympics women's football semifinal.

Fans will determine the winners in all ESPY categories (except the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and other special awards) by voting online at ESPN. Voting ends July 17 9 p.m. ET.

The 21th annual ESPY Awards will take place at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, USA, on July 17, 2013. Mad Men's Jon Hamm will be the host and will be joined by Ben Affleck and Le Bron James who are confirmed as presenters of the Jimmy V Perseverance Award and the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Irina Shayk, Sergio Ramos and Falcão enjoy clay tennis in Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend Russian model Irina Shayk have been spotted this afternoon watching the quarterfinal match between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Sergio Ramos was sitting right next to his fellow Real Madrid star CR7 but his wife Pilar Rubio was nowhere to be seen.

Atletico de Madrid forward Radamel Falcão, who will face Ronaldo and Ramos on the Copa del Rey next week, was also attending the match between the two Spanish tennis stars.

Football players are regularly seen at la Caja Magica, as we noticed last year.

Images via Twitter

Forbes Top 100: Federer is highest-paid tennis player

Roger Federer is the highest paid tennis player in the world and the fifth biggest earner in all of sports. According to Forbes newest list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes, Maria Sharapova is the world's highest-paid female athlete for the eighth straight time. The Top 100, which includes athletes from 11 different sports, has five tennis players, two of which are the only two female athletes making the list. They are Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and Li Na. 

5/100 - Roger Federer 

The Swiss makes the Top 5 with total earnings of 52,7 million dollars. Forbes says he "has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports, with 9 sponsors that collectively pay him more than $30 million annually, including long-term deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson and Credit Suisse". As one of the greatest tennis player of all time, Federer makes more than $1 million per exhibition event. 

16/100 - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is the next tennis player on the Top 100, making the 16th position. The Spanish has total earnings of 33.2 million dollars and a career prize money of  $50 million, ranking second only to Federer. His endorsement portfolio includes Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Richard Mille and Bacardi 

26/100 - Maria Sharapova 

Only two women made the top 100 list, and they're both tennis players. Maria Sharapova ranks first in Forbes list, making the 26th spot, a better position than current world nº1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, and the second tenniswoman on the list, Li Na. "Masha" is considered the highest-paid female athlete for the eighth straight time and, according to Forbes, she earns "much more off the court than on it, thanks to deals with Evian, Head, Nike, Samsung and Tag Heuer". Nike subsidiary Cole Haan doubled the sales for the Maria Sharapova Collection and the Russian is now launching her own line of sweets and candies, Sugarpova. The 1-ranked WTA tennis player earned 27.9 million dollars, 5.9 of which came from prize money due to her great season (first French Open and a career Grand Slam). 

61/100 - Novak Djokovic

Djokovic, world nº1 tennis player, ranks 61th in Forbes Top 100. He made a total of  20.6 million dollars, and is the only tennis player making more money on courts than with endorsements. The Serbian had one of the most successful years in the history of tennis in 2011, winning three Grand Slam titles and a record $12.6 million in prize money. His sponsors are Mercedes-Benz, Head, Audemars Piguet, Bombardier and Telekom Srbija. He recently ended his deal with Italian clothing company Sergio Tacchini and signed a new sponsorship deal with Japan's Uniqlo. 

81/100 - Li Na

After becoming the first Asian-born player ever to win a singles Grand Slam event (2011 Roland Garros), Li Na's fame in China and Asia skyrocketed. The Chinese "signed seven multimillion-dollar endorsement deals after the historic win, in spite of the sluggish overall sponsorship market", says Forbes. She is sponsored by Babolat, Häagen-Dazs, Nike, Samsung and Mercedes, as well as multiple Chinese companies. She ranks nº81 in Forbes Top 100, with earnings of 18.4 million dollars. 

Forbes list of the top 100 highest-earning athletes includes 30 football players, which is more than any other sport. David Beckham (8th) and Cristiano Ronaldo (9th) are the biggest earners from all football players. The world’s highest-paid athlete is boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr, unseating Tiger Woods, who has been the top-earner since 2001 and is now number 3, according to Forbes.


Forbes Top Ten Highest-Paid Athletes

1 - Floyd Mayweather - Boxing ($85 million)

2 - Manny Pacquiao - Boxing ($62 million)

3 - Tiger Woods - Golf ($59.4 million)

4 - LeBron James - NBA Basketball ($53 million)

5 - Roger Federer - Tennis ($52.7 million)

6 - Kobe Bryant - NBA Basketball ($52.3 million)

7 - Phil Mickelson - Golf ($47.8 million)

8 - David Beckham - Football ($46 million)

9 - Cristiano Ronaldo - Football ($42.5 million)

10 - Peyton Manning - NFL American football ($42.4 million)

(Photos by Roland Garros/FFT)