ESPYS red carpet: Azarenka in black, Sharapova goes for sparkling silver

It's ESPYS's night! Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, both nominated for Best Female Tennis Player,  made their walk down the red carpet and got their pictures snapped by the paparazzi. Vika showed up at the event with her plus one LMFAO's Redfoo. 

Victoria Azarenka on her way to the ESPYS...looking gorgeous, by the way.
(via Azarenka's Instagram)

Photo: Nacion ESPN (Instagram)

Redfoo and Vika (via Azarenka's Instagram)

Maria Sharapova chose a black and silver J. Mendel gown for the cerimony. Masha arrived alone but once inside the Nokia Theatre she enjoyed the company of  Le Bron James and Colin Kaepernick. :)

@mariasharapova looking beautiful on the red carpet #espys best dressed? pic.twitter.com/4i39Yq1BxR
— ESPN Images (@ESPNImages) July 18, 2013

Maria Sharapova is very rarely a fashion miss, but I can't say this #ESPY Awards number is a hit. #tennis pic.twitter.com/cO8UmS9Jyv
— Romi Cvitkovic (@RomiCvitkovic) July 18, 2013

One dash Sugarpova, a little @AdrianPeterson & BACON = a recipe for backstage @OldSpice photo booth success. #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/z7zSz644Xd
— ESPYS 2013 (@ESPYS) July 18, 2013

Kaepernick, next to Maria (GETTY) pic.twitter.com/bJqoV9KDbQ
— Joe Fleming (@ByJoeFleming) July 18, 2013

Everybody, I mean everybody, wants to say hi to Maria (even LeBron) (GETTY) pic.twitter.com/HMZFGbAZcf
— Joe Fleming (@ByJoeFleming) July 18, 2013

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.

Crazy day at Wimbledon paves way for Murray, Djokovic and Serena Williams

Wednesday, 26 June. Day 3, Wimbledon 2013. Probably one of the craziest days in tennis history. After Nadal's loss in the first round, no one could picture another major upset anytime soon. But the unexpected happened. Not once or twice but ten times. There were four withdrawals and three retirements in a single day. Six former World No.1 were sent home in Round 2!

Let's rundown wacky Wednesday at Wimbledon:

1 - Withdrawal: Victoria Azarenka was the first victim of the slippery grass. She injured her right knee during her Round 1 victory against Portugal's Maria João Koehler. The Belarus withdrew before her second round match against Flavia Pennetta.

Looks very comfortable RT @HuffPostUKPics Azarenka slips during her match against Koehler http://t.co/ld6RGdf0Ud pic.twitter.com/dYhTUnOLeR
— Charlie Lindlar (@charlielindlar) June 24, 2013

2 - Upset: Roger Federer was upset by World Nº136 Sergiy Stakhovsky.

Elation for #Stakhovsky after beating #Federer in the 2nd round at #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/treitMYTPY
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 26, 2013

With this loss, the Swiss will be out of the Top 4 players in the world for the first time since 2003. This was also Federer's earliest loss at a Grand Slam for a decade. Seven-time Wimby champion was out before quarterfinals for the last time in 2002. "End of an era?" ... some might say.

Does Federer's defeat mark the end of an era?: Boris Becker and Tim Henman ask what the future holds for seven... http://t.co/sDar1r75jY
— BBC Tennis (@BBC_Tennis) June 27, 2013

3 - Upset: Maria Sharapova lost to qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito in straight sets. The Russian was unable to overcome the grass voodoo (Masha and her 20 year-old opponent said the court was "dangerous") and the Portuguese spell. Between them, Portugal qualifiers Koehler and de Brito had a huge part in sending both second and third seed home in the early stages of the Championships.

Qualifier Michelle Larcher De Brito stuns Maria Sharapova 63 64 in 2R of @Wimbledon, her 1st career Top 10 victory! pic.twitter.com/cC1qpqUj49
— WTA (@WTA) June 26, 2013

4 - Withdrawal: Steve Darcis, who defeated Rafa Nadal in the first round, decided not to play against Lukasz Kubot due to an injury in his right shoulder. Tough decision for the Belgian.

Had to withdrawn after a win like this!?THE most difficult thing i had to do!!!#triedeverythingtoplaybutdidntwork!!!!
— steve darcis (@stevedarcishark) June 26, 2013

Marin Cilic withdrew due to a left-knee injury and Yaroslava Shvedova offered a walkover to Petra Kvitova because of an injury in her right arm. With Vika and Masha out, Kvitova is now top seed in her quarter. 

5- Retirements: Black Wednesday at Wimby also affected Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The French slipped, fell and hurt his knee. He retired in the third set. Radek Stepanek, on the other hand, quit in the second set. And John Isner's knee also got him in trouble. He retired after just two games in set 1.

Made a #Wimbledon pictorial of 21 players who took bad slips during Days 1-3. #Vika #Djokovic #Woz #Sharapova pic.twitter.com/sF3EvVxT6j
— Romi Cvitkovic (@RomiCvitkovic) June 26, 2013

6 - Upsets: Number nine-seed Caroline Wozniacki lost in straight sets 62 62 against Czech Republic's Petra Cetcovska. But she wasn't the only former 1-ranked player to say goodbye to SW19 on Round 2. Ana Ivanovic was defeated by teenager Eugenie Bouchard 63 63, followed by Jelena Jankovic who lost 75 62 to fellow Serbian Vesna Dolonc. 

With so many upsets in a single day, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have their way paved to the finals. In fact, that was the joke of the day among tweeps: 

BREAKING: Live pictures of Djokovic and Murray after Federer's defeat at Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/54TB7fWfbl

— Football Funnys (@FootballFunnys) June 26, 2013

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

First glimpse of WTA Pre-Wimbledon party

The Roof Garden in London welcomes once again the WTA Pre-Wimbledon party. Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic are two of the top stars already at the venue.
Maria is wearing a Burberry dress and told in an interview at the Pink Carpet that she enjoys this type of events because it is an oportunity to wear one of her many fancy pair of shoes.
Ana Ivanovic is looking gorgeous in Matthew Williamson, hair parted to the side, just as the trend rules.
Here are some pictures and tweets from the event:

On my way to the players party #WTAWimbyParty ... pic.twitter.com/T2ikj7my2g
— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) June 20, 2013

ORIFLAME getting me ready;) pic.twitter.com/g7dbh0R29a
— Sorana Cirstea (@sorana_cirstea) June 20, 2013

Ana Ivanovic (Captions from WTA Live)

Angelique Kerber

Maria Sharapova changed dress after Sugarpova launch

Vika wearing a belt she bought in Paris during Roland Garros

Storify: London welcomes Sugarpova

My killer #Sugarpova/Loubatin heels for the night. @Selfridges here I come. #Loubatin #sugarpovasoireeatselfridges pic.twitter.com/NQuQZrTVI9
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) June 20, 2013

Maria #Sharapova at the presentation of candy #Sugarpova in #London (6) pic.twitter.com/nYyuH2iewp
— ❤MSharapovaQueen❤ (@SharaMaria_love) June 20, 2013

Maria #Sharapova at the presentation of candy #Sugarpova in #London (5) pic.twitter.com/Wd12ctLcb6
— ❤MSharapovaQueen❤ (@SharaMaria_love) June 20, 2013

She looks good! RT @NoleLondon: Maria Sharapova @Selfridges #Sugarpova pic.twitter.com/5rTRy2Jsb1
— Pearl (@pearlescent48) June 20, 2013

Maria #Sharapova at #Sugarpova event in Selfriges, London pic.twitter.com/vxNSPSppyJ
— Elizabeth (@SharapovaWorld) June 20, 2013

@YellowTrench close to the shoes lol pic.twitter.com/fLO2suCxid
— Novak London (@NoleLondon) June 20, 2013

OMG, Maria Sharapova is absolutely STUNNING!!! Now @Selfridges #Sugarpova pic.twitter.com/XsYt7GhVdP
— Novak London (@NoleLondon) June 20, 2013

RT @cosmicvoices #Sharapova at the Sugarpova Selfridges launch #SharaFamily #Sugarpova pic.twitter.com/so58phTkEF
— Elizabeth (@SharapovaWorld) June 20, 2013

Boyfriend Dimitrov & Nole impersonate Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova's boyfriend joined forces, just a few hours ago, with Novak Djokovic's alter ego "Djoker Nole" in a Pre-Wimbledon exhibition tournament.

Grigor Dimitrov and Nole were playing this afternoon an exhibition match in The Boodles tournament and, at a certain point, decided to do impersonations of Maria (very good ones, in fact). The crowd at Stoke Park laughed their heads off. The Serbian player ended up winning the match and probably went home with a few more fans on account of his funny imitation. We wonder if Maria is gonna find this funny? Watch out, Grigor!

Sugarpova contest to meet Masha at Selfridges

Maria Sharapova will be launching her candy brand Sugarpova at Selfridges store in Central London on Thursday 20 June. Selfridges and Sugarpova are going to giveaway 10 pairs of tickets for lucky fans who wish to meet Masha at the VIP event taking place Thursday evening (schedule wasn't released yet). 

For a chance to win the VIP tickets, you have to purchase a Sugarpova product until tomorrow 18 June, online or at Selfridges stores. The competition is open to UK residents aged 21. 

More information about the contest here. To buy Sugarpova online click here. 

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)

Maria Sharapova's Wimbledon dress

Eugenie Bouchard will wear the same dress as Masha at Wimbledon 2013. 

Photos via Maria Sharapova's 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. 

Sharapova's favorite places in Paris in case you want to find her :)

Masha at the Medici Fountain in Paris (Photo from her Facebook page)

Maria Sharapova told Vogue her five favorite spots in Paris. Two of the places are cafés, the others fashion stores. Here's the list!

Who is gonna camp outside those places looking for a chance of meeting the Russian beauty?

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 

Masha launches Sugarpova in Paris

Maria Sharapova launched her sweet gummies this Wednesday at the Colette store in Paris. The Russian star took pictures with her fans and signed autographs on the packages of her Sugarpova sweets.

Photos by Colette (via Tumblr)

Meet tennis stars Ivanovic, Tsonga and Sharapova this Wednesday in Paris

Maria Sharapova will launch Sugarpova in Paris on Wednesday, 22 May. The event will take place at Colette (213 rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris) between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

Image by Adidas

If you hurry you can still get to meet Ana Ivanovic and Jo Wilfried Tsonga at the adidas store in the Champs Elysees (22 Avenue des Champs Élysées, 75008 Paris). They will be hosting a special autograph session, this Wednesday, 22 May, starting at 6 p.m. Don't miss the chance to meet them!