breaking out: tati, dani, and makiri in si’s 2009 swimsuit issue

While they might not have any major titles among them (one or two Tier I’s, at most), the blonde tennis trifecta of Maria Kirilenko, Dani Hantuchova, and Tatiana Golovin has the distinction of being included in Sports Illustrated‘s 2009 Swimsuit Issue. They’ll join Andy Roddick‘s fiancee Brooklyn Decker, along with a long list of scantily clad babes.

A sneak peek of the issue aired on CBS Sunday Morning (who was the target demo?), spun as a profile on legendary photographer Walter Iooss, who shot the trio for the magazine.

And on tonight’s episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, the magazine will announce the cover girl.

(screencap by busted coverage)

and the burt’s bees award goes to…

The freckly Jeremy Chardy turned his second-round loss to Nole Djokovic at the Australian Open into his first appearance in an ATP Tour final. He lost to compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the inaugural South African Open in Johannesburg.

Chardy’s giving Philipp Kohlschreiber a run for his money in the luscious lips department.

More: A few more pics of Jeremy

trophy watch: tsonga rams chardy and cilic goes back for seconds

The inaugural South African Open in Johannesburg saw an all-French final between hitting partners Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jeremy Chardy. Tsonga, who did not drop a set all week, earned $79,000 for his 6-4, 7-6 (5) performance. This is his third career title and first of 2009.

Props to the tourney organizers for coming up with a one-of-a-kind memento of Tsonga’s achievement, however Lord of the Flies it may be. I’m just going to think that those aren’t real horns; I’ll sleep better at night.

And in Croatia, two lanky locals — Marin Cilic and Mario Ancic — played in the finals of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors. Cilic’s 6-3, 6-4 win gives him his second title in five weeks and his third overall. He also now has a 13-1 match record for 2009, an ATP-best.

In Vina Del Mar, Chile, Fernando Gonzalez took home his fourth Movistar Open title by beating Jose Acasuso 6-1, 6-3.

(photos via Getty Images)

he’s the berries

I’ve been too busy staring at David Muir that I forgot all about Guy Berryman.

Sorry, Guy… it won’t happen again!

(photo via Flickr)

attack of the 500-foot women

We’re not quite done with NYC phone photos: Nick McCarvel snapped this pic of a billboard that just went up in Times Square to promote the upcoming BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup.

Venus, Serena, Ana, and Jelena will compete for $1.2 million in prize money in one-set single-elimination semis before a three-set final.

Oops: Let’s hope ANTA is okay with Jelena still wearing her U.S. Open ’08 Reebok dress for the promo…

More: Get more info about the exo here.

serena in brooklyn

Serena Williams‘ portrait hangs on the wall in the Brooklyn Museum as part of The Black List Project, a collection of 25 photographs by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders that seeks to explore being Black in America. Others profiled include Toni Morrison and Colin Powell.

Serena also appears in The Black List Vol. 1, a compilation of interviews by journalist Elvis Mitchell and Greenfield-Sanders. Target is selling DVD copies of this documentary, which premiered at Sundance last year. You can pick one up for $9.99.

More: Click here to see Serena’s portrait up close.

(photo by Austin)

not quite: pbz zagreb’s 2009 site

We thought we’d check in on the PBZ Zagreb Indoors website (since last year’s site had us swooning). They were on the right track with this outer space theme, but unfortunately they didn’t take it past the landing page.

nike begins cole haan push with masha

That partnership between Cole Haan and Maria Sharapova announced on the eve of the 2008 U.S. Open is finally sprouting: the company’s spring ad campaign will feature Maria, marking the first time a Nike fashion subsidiary has used a Nike athlete for advertising.

The campaign, shot by Martyn Thompson for Assouline, will make its first appearance next week in Vanity Fair, and will also make cameos in other Conde Nast titles (Vogue, Lucky), plus Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, and Travel + Leisure.

The April issue of Elle will come with a catalog of the collection.

The collection has 40 styles for women and 30 for men: ballet-style Mary Janes, elevated wedges and sandals in fuschia, orange, and cobra for women and boat shoes and lace-ups for men in bold and neutral shades — all ranging in price from $115 to $200.

Innovations include Flywire, a weaving technology first seen at the Beijing Summer Olympics that creates strong but lightweight shoes, and their handbags will go the “green route” by using Bionic Yarn, a textile spun from recycled glass and plastics.

Per a WSJ blog, Masha will also add “design consultant” to her Cole Haan duties this coming fall.

(via Brandweek and WSJ.com; image from brandweek.com)

feelin’ lucky?

For those of you making grand plans next Saturday (may I suggest Cliff’s Edge in Silver Lake, and a bouquet with hydrangea?), you can thank pimpster Bjorn Borg for giving you one less thing to worry about.

Behold the Lucky Trunk, a pair of skivvies printed with icons of luck and love — we’re talking fuzzy dice, the number eight, a silhouette of maker-outers, a coin (with Bjorn Borg’s bust, of course), and the company’s current motto: “Love for All” — all signs that point to yes after a night of wining and dining.

And as a just-in-case, they’ve include a lucky charm with every box.

Overkill? Not really — you shouldn’t leave things like this to chance!

Buy: Lucky Trunk, 20 euros, bjornborg.com. (Not available in the US.)

(images via bjornborg.com)

short balls: roger’s the best, nadal loves marilyn, and a threesome in my living room

I WANT THEM ALL: We ran across these prints of Roger, Rafa, and Andy Roddick done by UK artist Vietnamthemovie. He’s doing a 100-print run of all three — available in a variety of print finishes and sizes, starting from $48 — so act fast. Le sigh. my disposable income’s at zero, but my living room already looks naked without ‘em! Check out the shop here.

Just like (quick) honey: Do you remember the January 2007 issue of Tennis, which had illustrations by Peter Stemmler of Venus and Serena, Lindsay Davenport, and Nole (I think in a dress)? I meant to scan and post. Check out two more drawings, these ones of Masha.

He’s a rock star, after all: Another mark in that column for Rafael Nadal, who for six months now has owned a Marilyn Monroe piece by artist Daniele Donde. Rafa picked up Marilyn Rocks in June of 2008. (src)

Nadal’s number one… … but you’re the best a man can get, Roger! This mural was spotted by keithmaguire in South Korea.

what did your mother tell you?

Be careful, Andy — your face might freeze like that!

I’d be reacting the same way if my Australian Open run was crushed by Roger Federer in the semifinals. We were hoping Andy would put up a better fight against the former world no. 1, especially in light of his “free pass” — Nole‘s heat-related retirement in the quarters. Instead, it was just another day at the clinic; Roger beat Andy in straight sets: 2-6, 5-7, 5-7.

But hey, at least he wasn’t crying!

Speaking of, Andy spoke to the media yesterday in preparation for San Jose and Memphis. He commented on Roger’s tearjerking loss to Rafa Nadal in the Australian Open final:

Well, I mean, I think in sports you can certainly, you know, everyone can relate to being disappointed. I think the thing about, you know, kind of having to stay on for an awards ceremony and from what I read, I think Roger touched on it. Kind of going after a match, taking a shower, stretching, that’s kind of all part of your routine to kind of cool down and to kind of almost try to grab a sense of perspective and get away from everybody watching for a second.

You know, when you have to go straight into the awards ceremony, you know, it’s not easy especially after losing a Grand Slam final. I’ve been on the other end of that with Roger a couple of times. So I don’t think it’s surprising or out of the ordinary.

More: Andy made a few more faces in that semifinal match. See ‘em below.

(photos via Getty Images)

andy murray signs with caa

Lanky boy Andy Murray has brought in a top Hollywood talent agency to help manage his Q rating as he tries to establish his place in the top five of men’s tennis.

According to the AP, Andy and brother Jamie have signed on to be represented by CAA and also 19 Entertainment. The latter is the same outfit that manages David Beckham.

We can’t wait to see what these agents’ll do for Andy when they start working with him on March 1. Perhaps Jeff Gillooly some of his naysayers? Screen his Twittering? GET HIM BETTER-FITTING CLOTHES FROM FRED PERRY?

(AP)

borging while blogging can be hazardous to your health

A recent video on the Bjorn Borg website shows a guy and a gal duking it out on the tennis court while wearing very little of the spring 09 skivvies and shorts.

If only ATP tournaments were contested this way…

Watch: “In Action“, bjornborg.com. Screencaps below.

over 4,000,000 and counting…

We’re never ones to toot our own horn, but rest assured that we’ll be having a swig or two from the liquor cabinet tonight — in celebration of TSF’s page view counter going north of the four million mark.

We’d like to thank our readers, friends, fellow bloggers — and spambots, of course — for reading (or “reading”) Tennis Served Fresh. We couldn’t do this without you!

By the way, make sure to check out that Sam Querrey profile by TSF contributor Krystle Russin…

xoxoxoxo – TSF

the way of the samurai: tsf interviews sam querrey

By Krystle Russin

TSF chats with Sam Querrey about tennis, his new condo, his goals for 2009, and wanting a date with Taylor Swift.

Sam Querrey is driving his Range Rover en route to the Home Depot Center, an enormous athletic training facility in Carson, Calif. It’s where you might find David Beckham bending it on the soccer fields. Today, though, it’s all about Sam.

“I just got off a little while ago to get breakfast. I have to practice from 11:00 to 12:30 and then again from probably 1:30 to 3:00, and then I’m going to work out with a trainer from 3:00 to 4:00, and I’ve got to pick up some new ankle bracelets,” Querrey says, firing off a to-do list with nothing but tennis, tennis, tennis.

But this regimen is not without its rewards: Querrey is now the fourth-ranked American men’s tennis player, and in 2008 racked up some notable achievements, including his first title at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, putting up a fight against Nadal at the US Open, and participating in the Beijing Olympics.

When he’s not focusing on his craft, the 21-year-old Southern California native stays busy adjusting to life on his own. He recently bought a condo in the coastal city of Santa Monica. “It’s cool to have my own place and accomplish that at a young age, and I feel good about myself,” he says. The best part of his pad? “The hot tub.”

(OT) a salute to the admiral

Ten-hut: Our ears perked up when we caught wind of this new collaboration between DC Shoes and Lemar & Dauley on the former’s Admiral shoe. The collab shows what happens when you take an urbanite and move ‘em to a tranquil nautical setting.

Having done time on water ourselves — club rowing back in the day (bow seat!) — we have a soft spot for the 80′s regatta wind sail print adorning the side of the sneakers. It’s finished with some contrasting black and white uppers, representing the dockside serenity and the energy of car horns and massive crowds. L&D’s trademark houndstooth print makes an appearance on the tongue; the Braille’s a nice touch (though I’m not sure what it says…).

Buy: Lemar & Dauley, Admiral, $150, lemaranddauley.com.

form follows fashion: re-dressing stick figures after australia

The silhouettes of Joe Durica at Stick it Wear?! have transformed after the year’s first slam — a few of them inspired by the last men and women standing in Melbourne.

The Bring Bling logo shows off hoop earrings and curves; the Swiss Superstar draws inspiration from a tuxedo stripe; while Number One has sleeve-covered biceps and shorts hemmed at the knee. (Aww, why isn’t there a stick figure for the actual stick figure of these four athletes?)

Buy: Tees now available at stickitwear.com

the revolution might be televised… in June

Si se puede: Thanks to Monica for grabbin’ the baton and setting up the straightforwardly named Facebook group “Roger Federer needs mutton chops at Wimbledon”.

I was thinking more in time for Indian Wells, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?