Serena Williams wins ESPYS for Best Female Athlete and Tennis Player

Serena Williams was awarded last night with two ESPYS. World Nº1 player took home the trophy for Best Female Athlete of 2012, leaving behind tough competition such as Olympic champions Missy Franklyn and Gabby Douglas. Miss Williams had already won this award back in 2003. 

Video of ESPYS Awards including @serenawilliams female athlete of the year. http://t.co/TCZxthd16C http://t.co/uhLrckYS68
— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) July 18, 2013

Serena - who won two Grand Slams in 2012 (US Open and Wimbledon) and two Gold medals at the London Olympics (in singles and doubles) - also got the ESPYS for Best Female Tennis Player. Venus's younger sister is in Sweden playing a tournament and the award was accepted for her by actor Jason Sudeikis. 

Aww yeah! @serenawilliams won #ESPYS Best Female Athlete, it was some tough competition, so proud of lil sis :)
— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) July 18, 2013

Novak Djokovic couldn't attend the ceremony too despite being the winner of the ESPYS for Best Male Tennis Player for the second year in a row. Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova were the only tennis players attending the event. 

Serena Williams in Disneyland Paris with boyfriend & coach

Serena Williams and her supposed boyfriend & coach Patrick Mouratoglou visited Disneyland in Paris after the elimination of the 1-ranked player from Wimbledon.

Williams has bought a house in the French capital and has been seen in the city of lights more often in the last year.

Photo: Serena's Twitter

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.

Federer orange-soled trainers banned from Wimbledon

Roger Federer trainers were banned from Wimbledon due to All England Club rules. According to AELTC, the orange-soled footwear infringes Wimbledon's all-white dress code. BBC Sport reports that an All England Club spokesman said "a number of players had been spoken to about their attire in round one". 

But, that we know of, players like Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, who also had orange motifs in their gear (shorts and trainers), were not informed to change their clothing.

Looks like @serenawilliams & @rogerfederer are getting the same fashion advice #Wimbledon #Blazer pic.twitter.com/pXTeDA7VfR
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 25, 2013

Nike made no comments about the incident but didn't miss the chance to tweet about it. "One match wonder", they say. It could have been the best tweet ever if only Roger Federer hadn't lost his second round match to world Nº136 Sergiy Stakhovsky. Guess the all-white trainers for Round 2 had bad luck printed all over.

One Match Wonder. pic.twitter.com/rbDBu8SWil
— Nike Tennis (@niketennis) June 26, 2013

WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party Behind the Scenes & Pink Carpet

Pre-Wimbledon party: Serena Williams and Laura Robson in Burberry, more pics

Serena Williams and Laura Robson picked Burberry dresses for the Pre-Wimby Party, which is taking place  tonight at the Roof Gardens in London.

RT @WTA Live on the Pink Carpet at #WTAWimbyParty #TwitterMirror with @SerenaWilliams pic.twitter.com/3n8cBpIa4N
— Beyond The Baseline (@SI_BTBaseline) June 20, 2013

Jelena Jankovic is so trendy: fishtail hairstyle, cut-out dress, Jimmy Choo clutch and shoes - Best Dressed nominee much?

Live on the Pink Carpet at #WTAWimbyParty #TwitterMirror with @Jelena_Jankovic pic.twitter.com/OlXB0LvZdb
— WTA (@WTA) June 20, 2013

Radwanska wears Alexander McQueen

Heather Watson

Petra Kvitova

Laura Robson and host checking out H. Watson dress 

Sabine Lisicki

Sloane Stephens chose a cut-out dress just like JJ

Haha, Raise the Roof!!! #gorgeous RT @WTA Live on the Pink Carpet at #WTAWimbyParty #TwitterMirror with @Sloanetweets pic.twitter.com/qC7xyt1Qp7
— Tennis Inside Out (@TennisInsideOut) June 20, 2013

Captions from WTA Live stream 

Serena Williams warms up for Wimbledon with... ping-pong

Serena Williams was a special guest of a Ping Pong tournament that happened last night in London. The tennis superstar made an appearance at the Royal Opera House to play Nike Electro Ping Pong and end up losing against the champion of the paddle sport (although, some believe she let him win).

A new challenger has arrived. Tonight @SerenaWilliams downsizes to a small court in a @nikefuel battle. pic.twitter.com/S6ezrevbQq
— Nike UK (@NikeUK) June 19, 2013

21 points. 350 NikeFuel. @SerenaWilliams makes every court her own. Electro ping pong is no exception. pic.twitter.com/WLMLlcXWRF
— Nike UK (@NikeUK) June 19, 2013

Serena casually playing ping pong lastnight @wearePING @Nike @NikeFuel #MovingLDN #Nike #SerenaWilliams pic.twitter.com/kjgWgnMS1x
— Josh JDP Parkinson (@JDPsimplex) June 20, 2013

Serena Williams and Djokovic enjoy beach time ahead of Wimbledon

Serena Williams is enjoying some relaxing days in Miami Beach. The 31 year-old tennis star tweeted on saturday a few pics of her at the Soho Beach House, a private members club.

A day off. At the beach. #sohohouse #Miami http://t.co/t9kZvsz7Jw
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 15, 2013

Glasses off to ya :) #Miami http://t.co/tmGnnNpaFO
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 16, 2013

Nole visits Corsica 

Novak Djokovic has also been spending the week at the beach, but far away from Florida and its tropical beaches. First, Nole went to Saint Tropez, a glamorous beach in south of France and very close to his hometown Monaco. Accompanied by his brother Marko Djokovic and friends, he enjoyed some yacht trips along the coast and both him and Marko tweeted/facebooked to their fans:

Don't think I forgot about u guys, thx 4 ur msgs! I'm relaxing a bit before #Wimbledon :) here is me & @DjokoMare pic.twitter.com/oY8TwfYwph
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 11, 2013

Welcome to Saint T:) @DjokerNole @MarkStillitano7 !! pic.twitter.com/E4szAYKCIo
— Neven Markovic (@Markovicneven) June 13, 2013

With brother Marko (via Facebook)

Closer to the weekend, the Serbian player, his girlfriend Jelena Ristic and friends arrived in Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. The sun was shinning but the water was cold, as Nole mentioned in this tweet (sorry Jelena):

The sea is really cold, so guess who needs some pushing... Hahaha pic.twitter.com/WU05OVhkGL
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 14, 2013

Enjoying the walk and beautiful photos :) guess where i am? pic.twitter.com/G5Y6WoY0F6
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 14, 2013

"Guys time at the beach" (Photo via Novak's Facebook)

Nike looks for Wimbledon 2013

Roger Federer

Serena Williams

Maria Sharapova

Rafa Nadal

Li Na

Juan Martin Del Potro

Photo Credit: Nike Tennis (more info about the looks here)

Preview: Roger Federer and Serena Williams Nike outfit for Wimbledon

Tennis pros favorite off-court action in Paris

Maria Kirilenko had a special concern with her make-up during some of her matches, as a Brazilian newspaper pointed out. She even went to Sephora in Paris and got a make-up session for free. Maria is gorgeous and definitely doesn't need any make-up, but ladies love their eyeshadows and lipsticks.

Fun time in #SEPHORA #Paris store. Staff recognized me and decided to make a show make up😜 twitter.com/mkirilenko/sta…
— Maria Kirilenko (@mkirilenko) 4 de junho de 2013

John Isner and Rafa Nadal spent a few hours shopping in the city of lights. Isner went to visit his sponsor Lacoste. Rafa also had his birthday party with family and friends.

One thing is for sure, Vika Azarenka was eating well and probably had a long trip to the supermarket in order to fill up that fridge. :)

Flavia Pennetta went for a classic Eiffel Tower pic.

Giornata finita ! Io e il mio psicoccolo vi salutiamo così 😘!@dxtes1 twitter.com/flavia_pennett…
— Flavia Pennetta (@flavia_pennetta) 31 de maio de 2013

Shopping seems to be a favorite on tour. Svetlana Kuznetsova bought some Louboutin tennis shoes.

And tried the subway with Dimitrov and Wawrinka :)

@stanwawrinka @grigordimitrov @svetlanak27 tries different transportation from RG. #Frenchopen twitter.com/GTGAcademy/sta…
— Good to Great Tennis (@GTGAcademy) 26 de maio de 2013

Meanwhile, Serena Williams and Sara Errani find out on Twitter that they are both addicted to the game Candy Crush Saga, available on Facebook and mobile (Apple, iPad and Android). Here's a bit of their online chat:

@saraerrani I see u are playing candy crush! What level are you on???
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) 30 de maio de 2013

@serenawilliams completely crazy for candy crush!!! Level 133!!! 💪 And you???? 😃
— Sara Errani (@SaraErrani) 30 de maio de 2013

Good luck!! Lol vs candy crush! Haha! 😄RT “@saraerrani: @serenawilliams completely crazy for candy crush!!! Level 133!!! 💪 And you???? 😃”
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) 30 de maio de 2013

Waiting for the match!!!!!!!@SaraErrani@fulvia_fognini 👍👍👍 twitter.com/roberta_vinci/…
— Roberta Vinci (@roberta_vinci) 30 de maio de 2013

Images via players Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 

Serena Williams champions pics at Eiffel Tower

Wearing a crop top, one of the fashion trends of this summer, Serena Williams poses with the Suzanne Lenglen trophy in front of the most iconic Parisian landmark, the Eiffel Tower.

Photos: © FFT, via Roland Garros Facebook page

Serena Williams wins her 2nd Roland Garros 11 years on

Serena Williams secured her 16th Grand Slam title Saturday and her second French Open after her first title 11 years ago. The youngest William's sister defeated Maria Sharapova 64 64.

Serena has now set a new goal for her career at 31-year-old: she will try to win 18 major titles and overcome Roger Federer's mark of 17 Grand Slam titles and become the leader in major titles from all active players. Serena is the 4th player on the Open Era list of Slam titles. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova won 18 titles and Steffi Graf got 22.

Here are some of the best moments lived by Serena during the match and after winning her second major title in Paris, a city that she recently embraced as her own (bought a new apartment and his dating her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou):

11 years apart, but that same BIG smile from @serenawilliams ;) #RG13 #tennis twitter.com/WTA/status/343…
— WTA (@WTA) 8 de junho de 2013

Photos credit: ©FFT/CS/CD/PM/ST, via Roland Garros Facebook

Forbes: Federer becomes second highest-paid athlete

Roger Federer is now the second highest-paid athlete in all of sports and the first in tennis. According to Forbes newest list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes, Federer earn $71.5 million in 2012, including prize money and appearance fees. Tiger Woods is the biggest earner of all sports.

Federer at Roland Garros 2013 (Photo © FFT, via RG Facebook)

Forbes says the Swiss "has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports, with 10 sponsors that collectively pay him more than $40 million annually, including long-term deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson and Credit Suisse". Moet&Chandon joined his list of sponsors in November. (See “How Roger Federer Makes $71 Million A Year”).

Maria Sharapova is the second tennis player to make Forbes Top 100 list, making the 22nd position, before Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The Russian is the world's highest-paid female athlete for the ninth straight time. In 2012, Masha earn $29 million, including around $23 million only in endorsements. 

Other tennis players included on the list are Novak Djokovic (28th position, $26.9 million), Rafael Nadal  (30th, $26.4 million), Serena Williams (68th, $20.5 million) and Li Na (85th, $18.2 million).

Forbes Top 100 features six tennis players, three of which are the only female athletes in all sports making the list. 

Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic receive top honours at ITF Champions Dinner

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams received the top men's and women's honors at the ITF World Champions Dinner that took place in Paris on 4 June. The Bryan Brothers and the Italian doubles pair Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci were also honored at the event.

Maybe I do have an iPad problem... @serenawilliams @itf_tennis twitter.com/MicaelaBryan/s…
— Micaela Bryan (@MicaelaBryan) 5 de junho de 2013

At the Champions dinner in the company of a tennis legend @serenawilliams i get to be called a champion too :) … say.ly/iFH5Yea
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) 4 de junho de 2013

With @bryanbros, @bryanbrothers and Taylor Townsend mob.li/_LxbSJ
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) 5 de junho de 2013

A summary of last night. mob.li/_yrJvW
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) 5 de junho de 2013

Remember ITF Champions Dinner from 2012.

Serena, Roger, Rafa, Masha play in the dark - Coolest match ever!

Four top tennis stars - Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal - playing in a pitch dark court sounds like a crazy idea. Not for Nike Tennis who promoted a glow-in-the-dark exhibition match Thursday in Paris with its top ambassadors.

We don't know who won this mixed doubles match but we must say the effects are absolutely beautiful.

The team: 

With the lights on: 

In the dark: 

Set the court aglow in Paris. #kingoflights @serenawilliams @rogerfederer @mariasharapova @rafaelnadal twitter.com/niketennis/sta…
— Nike Tennis (@niketennis) 24 de maio de 2013

Images: Rafaholics; Sharapova's Facebook page; Nike Tennis 

Roland Garros 2013 outfits by Nike

Roger Federer

Serena Williams

Rafael Nadal

Victoria Azarenka

Maria Sharapova

Li Na 

Juan Martin Del Potro

Images by Nike Tennis

More information about the gears at Nike's website