WTA Launches "Road to Singapore" Journey to WTA Championships 2014

It's going to be an exciting year ahead for many of us in Asia, particularly tennis fans in the Southeast Asia region as we're going to have the year-end WTA Championships in Singapore in 2014.

Here's the official press release from the PR team in Singapore in regards to this highly anticipated event.

For immediate release

Serena Williams

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) launched today the "Road To Singapore", a season- long campaign which will see the WTA stars through their journey from the beginning of the year to its culmination during the season-ending WTA Championships in Singapore. For the first time in the 44-year history of the WTA Championships, a city in Asia-Pacific will host the prestigious year-end event, which will take place during October 17-26, 2014, and through 2018.

 "I am starting my 2014 season today, but I’ve already made qualifying for the WTA Championships one of my biggest goals,” said Serena Williams, WTA World No.1 and four- time WTA Championships winner. "I am really excited about the WTA Championships being held in Singapore for the first time, as it's an amazing city that I'd like to visit. Women's tennis is definitely growing and becoming more and more global each year."

Ana Ivanovic

Li Na

The fans of women's tennis will have the opportunity to get closer to their favorite stars and the Championships via a season-long "Road To Singapore" journey. Throughout 2014, fans can be fully engaged with the Championships and WTA Stars' journeys to Singapore by visiting the newly launched Championships website www.wtachampionships.com and becoming "A Road To Singapore Insider". Through the dedicated platforms, newly launched for the "Road to Singapore" adventure, fans will enjoy an unparalleled access to their favorite players' season-long journey, including enhanced editorial coverage across all platforms.

(Images via Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal, Ana Ivanovic to play in Richard Branson's event this week

While Novak Djokovic is back to Belgrade to play in the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic this weekend, Rafael Nadal is already in the Caribbean for Richard Branson's Necker Cup.

Nadal with girlfriend Maria Francisca and baby Kristian Kriek in a car ride to the hotel in Necker Island

The Necker Cup is an exclusive Pro-Am event held on Sir Richard Branson’s private island Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands held on November 12-16th. If the Necker Cup is not exciting enough for you, then it has to be Super Bowl to be held in February next year in New Orleans. To get yourself prepared for more winning moments, visit Super Bowl XLVIII Bets.

Cirstea and Ivanovic on a private flight to the Necker island

Back to the Necker Cup, some of us may not be too familiar with the event. Sixteen (16) ATP/WTA Tour Players/Legends are paired up with sixteen (16) amateur teams of all levels to compete in the fun tennis event. A handicapped scoring format is implemented to make it competitive for every player. Each team consists of one pro and up to two amateurs. Teams will compete to win their bracket and earn a chance to play in the Necker Cup Finals.

Of course besides playing tennis, participants also get to do a lot of island activities.

(Images via Facebook, Instagram)

Notable ATP tennis statistics in 2013

Finally we have concluded a dramatic year with Novak Djokovic retaining his ATP World Tour Finals trophy beating world no.1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

The World Tour Finals have always been regarded as the Super Bowl of tennis and by winning the title, it gives Djokovic a boost after losing the no.1 rank in October. Speaking of the Super Bowl, the big event will take place in February 2014 in New Orleans. Assuming you're a fan, we would encourage you to check out the 2014 Super Bowl betting sites.

Set aside the World Tour Finals, Nadal has made a great comeback this year by winning two Grand Slams, the French Open and the US Open that adds up to 13 in total.

Grand Slam winners in 2013

Grand Slam finals in 2013
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2
French Open: Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Wimbledon: Murray beat Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
US Open: Nadal beat Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Besides winning more Grand Slam titles more than any players this year, Nadal also won 5 more ATP Masters 1000 to come up with a massive total of 26! That's an incredible achievement by the 27-year-old. If Nadal continues to be healthy in 2014, he is expected to keep his winning streak especially on clay. If you want to achieve exactly the same winning moments, we strongly recommend you to go to Super Bowl XLVIII prop bets.

Nadal's achievement in 2013

Masters 1000 tournament winners in 2013
Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal
Miami: Andy Murray
Monte Carlo: Novak Djokovic
Madrid: Rafael Nadal
Rome: Rafael Nadal
Montreal: Rafael Nadal
Cincinnati: Rafael Nadal
Shanghai: Novak Djokovic
Paris: Novak Djokovic

Titles in 2013
Rafael Nadal - 10
Novak Djokovic - 6
Andy Murray - 4
Juan Martín del Potro - 4
Richard Gasquet - 3

This has been the year where we have the most winners over 30 years old. Is that a good sign? Not exactly I guess. We hope to see more young players winning more titles but it seems like it's not going to happen so soon.

Over 30 Winners - 16 (most since 1975)
David Ferrer with the Buenos Aires trophy (Reuters)
David Ferrer - Auckland 30 years, 9 months
David Ferrer - Buenos Aires 30 years, 10 months
Tommy Robredo - Casablanca 30 years, 11 months
Tommy Haas - Munich 35 years, 1 month
Albert Montanes - Nice 32 years, 6 months
Roger Federer - Halle 31 years, 10 months
Feliciano Lopez - Eastbourne 31 years, 9 months
Nicolas Mahut - ‘s-Hertogenbosch 31 years, 5 months
Nicolas Mahut - Newport 31 years, 5 months
Carlos Berlocq - Bastad 30 years, 5 months
Ivo Karlovic - Bogota 34 years, 4 months
Mikhail Youzhny - Gstaad 31 years, 1 month
Tommy Robredo - Umag 31 years, 2 months
Jurgen Melzer - Winston-Salem 32 years, 3 months
Tommy Haas - Vienna 35 years, 6 months
Mikhail Youzhny - Valencia 31 years, 4 months

Longest Winning Streaks
Player - Matches - Duration
Novak Djokovic - 22 - September 13-November 11
Rafael Nadal - 22 - April 22-June 24
Rafael Nadal - 22 - August 5-October 6
Rafael Nadal - 18 - February 11-April 21
Novak Djokovic - 17 (22 back to 2012) - January 14-March 16
Fabio Fognini - 13 - July 8-July 28
Andy Murray - 13 - June 10-August 8
Andy Murray - 10 - January 1-January 27

Most aces served
John Isner (Reuters)
John Isner - 979
Milos Raonic - 883
Kevin Anderson - 651

(Images via Menstennisforums; statistics via Eurosport)

ATP World Tour Finals (WTF) 2013: Fantastic finish for Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal has to wait for another year before he can give the WTF title another shot. That is the only major title missing from his CV after playing as a professional player for 13 years.

Despite the loss, Djokovic who captured the year-end title for a third time said that the no.1 rank in Nadal's hands is well deserved because the Spaniard has won 2 Grand Slam titles this year, the best out of all players this year.

Djokovic, a favourite to win this tournament, brought the curtain down on the 2013 season with a convincing 6-3 6-4 win.

Djokovic caught up with One Direction member Niall Horan after winning the championship.

It will be exciting to see how these two players perform in 2014 especially at the Australian Open where Nadal was missing earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero upset favourite duo Bob and Mike Bryan 7-5 6-7(3) 10-7 in the doubles final.

(Images via ATP, Getty Images)

Roger Federer: Last minute race to the World Tour Finals

With Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the ATP Swiss Indoors event in Basel due to fatigue, it is a good news for Roger Federer as his obstacles (based on rankings) are now down to Juan Martin del Potro and Tomas Berdych.

Seeded third, the five-time Basel champ needs to have a strong run this week as well as the upcoming Paris Masters in order to secure one of the four spots left in the World Tour Finals (WTF) at the O2, London in November. If you are following these events very closely and looking for online sportsbooks that provide a straightforward and convenient way for your sports betting needs, go to list of top sportsbook sites.

A couple of days earlier, Federer admitted that he had made disastrous errors in this year's campaign. However he said retirement is not on his agenda.

The seventeen-time Grand Slam winner proved made a winning start at the Swiss Indoors with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino yesterday. He will face either Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the second round tomorrow. While Federer needs to keep winning this week and in coming week, you can achieve exactly the same winning moments by visiting this sports handicapping guide.

Federer has qualified for the season-ending tournament WTF every year since 2002, winning it six times. I believe he is not going to miss it this year too.

(Images via menstennisforums.com)

US Open: Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams serve up double bagel each

We are already in Day 10 at the US Open. The men's quarterfinalists and women's semifinalists are on line-up, battling for the weekend's finals.

Earlier today, World no.1s Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams both powered through the next round by serving double bagel each. If you think that's a heavy meal to take on, you might need some weight loss tips.

Djokovic eliminated Spaniard Marcel Granollers 63 60 60 in just 79 minutes while Williams shut another Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 60 60 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Meanwhile Wimbledon and US Open defending champion Andy Murray dropped the first set but eventually came back to beat Denis Istomin in the first New York night session of his US Open title defence. He will face Stanislas Wawrinka on Thursday's quarterfinal match.

Djokovic is set to play against Mikhail Youzhny next, Richard Gasquet to meet Ferrer and Tommy Robredo and Rafael Nadal will battle it out in an all Spanish showdown.

In the women's category, Williams will play against Li Na in the first semifinal after the Chinese player defeated Ekaterina Makarova in three sets.

Roberta Vinci will play against Flavia Pennetta while Daniella Hantuchova will compete with Victoria Azarenka for places in the semifinals.

(Images via zimbio.com)

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announces retirement from tennis

Marion ‪‎Bartoli‬ shocked the tennis world by announcing her retirement from the sport at the age of 28. She just won a Wimbledon title weeks ago and has tweeted her anticipation for the US Open 15 hours before she made that tearful announcement!

After a second round loss to Romanian Simona Halep at the Western and Southern Open, Bartoli walked into the media room and said she just can't do it anymore.

"My body was really starting to fall apart and I was able to keep it together, go through the pain - with a lot of pain - throughout this Wimbledon and make it happen. That was probably the last little bit of something that was left inside me."

"I've been playing for a long, long, long time, and it's time for me now. It is."

The French player has won eight WTA titles in her career.

"Everyone will remember my Wimbledon title. No one will remember the last match I played here."

We wish her all the best. She'll be missed!

(Image via Quqster)

Top line-up confirmed for Thailand Open 2013; three former champs in the field

PRESS RELEASE

The Thailand Open 2013 will be a hotly-contested tournament with a packed line-up of tennis stars revealed for the prestigious event.

Four of the world’s top 11 players lead the field: World #2 and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, #6 Tomas Berdych, #10 Milos Raonic and defending champion world #11 Richard Gasquet head a list of potential winners.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to the Thailand Open this year,” said Murray. “I’ve enjoyed some really good results in Bangkok in the past including my first ever final back in 2005 and winning the event in 2011.

The Thailand Open field will include three former champions of the event with popular Frenchman World #17 Gilles Simon joining Murray and Gasquet as former winners hoping to repeat their success.

To lift the King’s Cup trophy in 2013 the marquee names will need to battle past some stiff competition, however. Other players confirming their participation in the tournament include #25 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, Bangkok favourite and Thailand Open 2010 runner up Jarkko Nieminen of Finland currently ranked #39, plus Australian prodigy #42 Bernard Tomic.

The tournament will also feature a mini “Spanish Armada” led by world #23 Tommy Robredo and #27 Feliciano Lopez, with #58 Daniel Gimeno-Traver and #66 Roberto Bautista Agut. Robredo, a former World #5 has enjoyed an amazing comeback from injury in 2013. His ranking dropped as low as #471 last year but he is enjoying a banner year including titles in Umag and Casablanca. The Spaniard has won a total of 12 ATP World Tour singles titles and will be making his first ever appearance at the Thailand Open. The popular Lopez last played in Bangkok in 2007 and is enjoying a successful year including winning the Eastbourne title and a finals appearance in Memphis.

The newest member of the world’s Top 10 Raonic is looking forward to returning to Bangkok. “Last year was my first visit to Thailand and it was fantastic. Before the tournament I spent a week training on Koh Samui and the island was so beautiful and the people so friendly. The Thailand Open was well-organised and a lot of fun,” said Raonic ahead of his return.

Adding further strength to the field are #43 Czech Lukas Rosol who famously dumped Nadal out of Wimbledon last year, world #35 Ivan Dodig of Croatia, Marinko Matosevic of Australia ranked #56, Dutchman Robin Haase ranked #62, and #60 Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu who paired with Danai Udomchoke to lift the doubles trophy last year.

Thailand Open Executive Committee chairman Mr. Suwat Liptapanlop said that while the top seeds were amongst the very best in the world – four of the top 11 – no match would be easy.“Men’s tennis is so keenly contested; the top players cannot afford to let their concentration lapse in the early rounds. There are many extremely talented players competing this year,” he said. “There will be no easy matches.”

“There will be lots of top players competing so it will be exciting and I expect some tough matches,” said Youzhny, echoing Suwat’s comments.

In total, 13 countries are represented by players in the main draw of the tournament. Completing the international flavour of the event are world #63 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and #67 Lukasz Kubot of Poland, both making their first appearance at the tournament.

The Thailand Open singles main draw will feature 28 players – three wildcards will be announced before the event and an additional four players will enter the main draw via the tournament’s qualifying rounds.

The Thailand Open will be held from at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. A number of brand new ticket promotions offer ticket buyers more value and options than ever before.

For all the details contact any Thaiticketmajor outlet, log on to www.thaiticketmajor.com or call 02 262 3838.

Can Murray Handle the Pressure of Wimbledon?

A British man has not won Wimbledon since tennis icon, Fred Perry, in 1936.

While this statistic is bandied about rather a lot, and has been since the British public’s hopes were heartlessly raised and then dashed each time Tim Henman exited the tournament in spectacular semi-final style, take a moment if you will, to imagine the magnitude of this sentence for Andy Murray.

He is the UK’s only hope, everything rests on him, and the time has come to prove himself. That’s a lot of pressure for the world No. 2 to handle, especially as last year, everything ended in disaster!

So will Murray be able to handle the pressure this year? He has made a winning start to his latest Wimbledon campaign, beating his opponents without too much trouble, bar dropping serve  in a fairly inconsistent performance against Mikhail Youzhny, who put Murrray under some real pressure in the fourth round of the tournament. Check out the BBC report on that match here.

Perhaps the pressure is getting to him; his performance in the coming match will surely tell all. To help Murray out, as well as all those who’ve been inspired by the summer’s tennis tournaments to play a few sets of their own, I’ve put together some tips on keeping a clear head when it comes to tennis.

Releasing the tennis-ion 

Keep Comfortable: Maybe Andy Murray’s sweatbands are a bit tight, or he forgot to cut the label out of his shirt when he was playing 20th seed Youzhny... In all seriousness, being uncomfortable can seriously affect your game. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned professional, it’s important to wear the right clothing, especially a great pair of shoes or trainers.

Don’t just buy the first pair you see, shop around a little bit for the perfect pair – there’s a large selection of tennis equipment including tennis shoes, and equally important, an extensive range of racquets available at UK based Millet Sports, so you can have a good browse before you buy.

Think Positive: It’s important to stay positive, even in a tennis game you  seem to be losing. Lose your temper or despair, and there’s no way you’ll come back from it. Think of previous triumphs and how you achieved them; last summer Murray beat tennis legend Roger Federer to win the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics and would do well to cast his mind back to his past achievement before and during his next Wimbledon match!

Murray insists he can indeed handle the pressure, commenting in an interview with the Radio Times:

"There's a lot riding on Wimbledon, but I'm better equipped to deal with the pressures and understand how I need to play matches when I get to the latter stages of the big events."

But only time will tell if this is finally Murray’s year.

(Image via Yahoo! Sports)

Rafael Nadal does not need to prove himself by winning Wimbledon

Sports betting has been around for thousands of years. Some claimed that the credit should go to Greece, home of the Olympic Games, for popularizing the social activity. Now, thanks to the advent of the Internet and online sportsbooks, the legacy of Greece has come full circle.

In recent years (or better known as the 'golden years'), we have seen the rise of tennis betting thanks to amazing players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray who have produced some of the most epic matches and notable rivalries in history. Tennis fans have frequently used betting sites , not only to bet on their favourite players but also a source for them to get information such as scores, head to head and other resources.

With the upcoming Wimbledon Championships drawing near, fans will be asking: Will Rafael Nadal continue his winning form on grass after a successful season on clay this year? Is he back at his best? These questions are often posted by the media lately.

Nadal with his second Wimbledon trophy in 2010

Many tennis fans may have forgotten that Nadal has also won on hard court in Indian Wells after his first title on clay at Acapulco despite a seven-month break from tennis since Wimbledon.

Not only that. Nadal made a historic victory at Roland Garros recently making him the first man to win a Grand Slam singles tournament for a record of eight times. That win completes his first half of the year with a total of 6 titles - 2 Masters 1000 titles and 1 Grand Slam.

According to Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni, he is very confident that his fifth-ranked nephew is sitting in a good position to make a run at the no. 1 ranking. Nadal only trails world no. 1 Novak Djokovic by about 5,000 points, with only 90 points to defend the rest of the year. Remember last year when Nadal lost to Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon? With an impressive run so far, I can only forsee that Nadal will do better at Wimbledon this year. He doesn't need to win at Wimbledon and yet has a good opportunity to rake up more points and climb a few ranks up to be among the 'Big Four' again.

Roland Garros 2013 - Who are the Contenders?

With the draw for the 2013 French Open released today, the potential semi final permutations have begun. The most interesting fact out of the draw is that defending champion Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic are in the same half. If they can negotiate against their other opponents, they will meet each other in the semi final stage. This sets up an enticing encounter, and one that many felt would turn out to be the final. One person who wins from this draw is Roger Federer, as he does not have to worry about facing the absent Andy Murray.

If you can get your hands on French Open tennis tickets, you will get the chance to see some of the best players in the world compete for the year's second grand slam title.

Before the draw, Djokovic and Nadal were the favourites to contest the French Open title on the last Sunday of the event. However, Roger Federer has got to be the man to beat now, as he will have a relatively easy passage to the final. Federer will have to be wary of a potential semi final clash against David Ferrer or Thomas Beyrdich. However, these are two players who he has not had a problem beating in the past. Federer would have to be seriously off his game for him to not make the final at the Philippe Chatrier Court.

For Nadal and Djokovic, the draw represents a real chance to face each other sooner than they expected. Nadal has only lost one match at Roland Garros in his career, to Robin Soderling two years ago. However, he has lost eight out of his last eleven games against Djokovic, including a final on clay in Monte Carlo. This will pray on Nadal's mind, especially as he lost two grand slam finals to Djokovic recently: at Wimbledon and the US Open. However, Roland Garros is another ball game. Just like Roger Federer seems to gain super powers at Wimbledon, the French Open is Nadal's back yard. He has been next to invincible on this court, often leaving his opponents with no chance. There was a final a few years back where he beat Roger Federer in three sets, winning one of the sets 6-0.

From Federer's point of view, just getting to the final will be an accomplishment. He is the third ranked player in the world, but that is only because Nadal has been absent through injury. If Nadal continues his stunning form for another six months, Federer would surely drop to fourth in the world. He still has that magic touch in certain games, but no longer has the fitness levels to sustain success in various tournaments. Long clay court matches will certainly test him physically, but the draw will play to his advantage.

There are many available tickets for this year's French Open. There are tickets for the early stages, where you can visit all the courts and experience the atmosphere of a grand slam.

While Nadal and Djokovic will have a gruelling semi final to look forward to, Federer's matches will be a lot shorter. This should leave him with plenty of energy in the tank for the final, should he make it that far. It would not be unreasonable to think that Roger Federer is now the favourite to win this year's French Open title.

(Image via French Open Facebook page)

Arrivals at the Sony Open Player Party

Players arrived at Sony Open Player Party 2013 held at the JW Marriott Marquis on Tuesday in Miami, Florida.

Missing from the tournament are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who won the BNP Paribas Open last week.

Maria Sharapova who was also recently victorious at the BNP Paribas Open made an appearance at the players' party along with world no.1 Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska among others.

Maria Sharapova is aiming for a rare double at the Sony Open. Only two players in WTA history have won back-to-back Indian Wells and Key Biscayne titles: Steffi Graf (1994 and 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005).

If you bet on sports you might want to follow the tournament closely.

Novak Djokovic who is the favourite to win the tournament here is set to make a comeback after losing in the semifinals at Indian Wells last week. His 22-match win streak was ended by Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro.

Djokovic will try to claim his fourth Miami title in Key Biscayne while Serena Williams attempts to take her sixth career crown at the $8.5 million ATP and WTA event that began since Tuesday. First-round byes are given to seeded players.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka is still dealing with a nagging, painful injury to her right ankle. After withdrew from Indian Wells last week, Azarenka will enter the Sony Open without a loss. However it is still unsure whether she'll be able to play her first tournament match on Friday.

Another notable player to watch is Spaniard David Ferrer who drew strong contender Del Potro in his quarter at the Sony Open. After a spectacular start to the 2013 season, Ferrer suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Nadal in the finals of Acapulco. That seemed to drag his disappointment with him to Indian Wells. With Del Potro in his half, it could be extremely hard for Ferrer to regain back his no.4 ranking from Nadal.

Looks like the tournament will not lose its shine without Nadal and Federer.

Victoria Azarenka

David Ferrer

Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy

(Images via zimbio.com)

Fernando Verdasco: Valentine's Day with Jarah Mariano

Fernando Verdasco flew to Memphis to have dinner with his model girlfriend Jarah Mariano on Valentine's Day. How romantic!

The couple has been together since 2010.

Previously, Verdasco had a high profile relationship with Ana Ivanovic which lasted for only a few months.

(Image via Fernando Verdasco's Twitter page)

Rafael Nadal, Juan Monaco: Winners for best bromance and in doubles match

Rafael Nadal and Juan Monaco are best friends. Last night, they were not only the winners for best bromance on the ATP but also on clay court.

Their mutual understanding for each other gave them the first doubles match win at the VTR Open. They won easily in just over an hour defeating the Czech pair of Frantisek Cermak and Lukas Dlouhy 6-3 6-2.

This is Nadal's first win and appearance in a tournament since June 28 when he was upset in the second round of Wimbledon by qualifier Lukas Rosol.

Nadal will kick off his singles campaign on Thursday against Argentine Federico Delbonis.

(Images via Juan Monaco's Facebook page, Sina Sports)

Kevin Anderson undergoes LASIK vision correction

"#Nomorefoureyes" as he puts it in his Tweet today.

Kevin Anderson decided to ditch his contact lenses and glasses and "go under the knife" to correct his vision.

The South African is absent from the Davis Cup match this week. Last year, he has defended his decision to skip the tournament citing financial concerns, along with the risk of injury, as the reasons for not playing.

Meanwhile Frenchman Benoit Paire paid a visit to the dentist. He'll be cheering for his countrymen as he didn't make the Davis Cup team.

(Images via Twitter)

Rafael Nadal meets President Sebastian Pinera, Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez at La Moneda Palace

Rafael Nadal arrived in the Chilean capital of Santiago this morning.

The first thing on his schedule since he landed was a visit to the Palace of La Moneda for a meeting with President Sebastian Pinera. Also attended the function were Chilean Olympic medalists Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez.

Arrives in the official car

Waves like a prince

This is Nadal's first official public appearance since Wimbledon

A happy smile

Nadal, Massu and Gonzalez on the way to meet and greet the President

After the event, Nadal headed off for his workout preparing for his first appearance in Vina del Mar tournament since Wimbledon.

(Images via Soychile.cl, Rafaholics)

The wig prank continues

Caroline Wozniacki is the latest player to pull a wig prank on Facebook. However, unlike Victoria Azarenka who copied Maria Sharapova, Wozniacki is a bit more original by putting on a black one.

Still on Wozniacki, she'll be on the February issue of Expatriate Lifestyle (Malaysia version). There will be an exclusive interview inside. I haven't purchase the magazine yet but I will share the content once I get hold of it.

(Images via Wozniacki's Facebook page, Expatriate Lifestyle)

Mom-to-be Kim Kardashian hangs out with Serena Williams

Kim Kardashian enjoyed a night out with girl pal Serena Williams without boyfriend Kanye West. They had a dinner at Nobu restaurant in Los Angeles.

"I simply cannot get out of bed," Williams tweeted earlier that evening, to which Kardashian replied, "You better! We have dinner tonight!"

Despite her exhaustion after long weeks at the Australian Open, Williams ended up having a great time with Kardashian.

They even took a picture together and Kardashian tweeted "Fun girls night!!! But where's my nose @serenawilliams ??? Lol #tooflashy."

"Such a fun night," Williams agreed. "Love you!"

(Via US Magazine; Images via Tennisforum.com)

Infographic: Who are the social media champions of Australian Open 2013?

The guys at IBM has analysed social media posts across Twitter, Facebook, news sites, blogs and videos to understand fan sentiment for the first time at the Australian Open this year.

Some of the predictable facts are Maria Sharapova's first tweet (she has garnered more than 115k followers so far), Sloane Stephens tripled her Twitter followers since defeating Serena Williams and Bernard Tomic being the most popular Australian player at the Grand Slam.

There are a couple of surprises though. Firstly, Victoria Azarenka's negative sentiment is way lower than I expected and secondly, Li Na is not even listed among the Top 5 popular female players ranked by number of positive mentions. It doesn't make sense to me.

So, what do you think?

Click the image to enlarge

(Image via @desteed of IBM)

Bernard Tomic likely to lose his driving licence

Bernard Tomic has run into trouble with traffic police again.

Tomic was reportedly driving his yellow Ferrari at 78kph in a 60kph zone on Australia's Gold Coast after the conclusion of the Australian Open.

According to Eurosport, around the same time last year, Tomic made headlines after he refused to stop for police while driving an orange BMW, leading to a bizarre stand-off with police outside his home.

If found guilty, he is likely to lose his driving licence this time.

(Image via Menstennisforums.com)

Marta Domachowska poses for Polish Playboy

Polish tennis player Marta Domachowska is the latest tennis player who will appear on the cover of the Playboy magazine.

Back in 2008, Ashley Harkleroad created a huge sensation when her Playboy spread was revealed.

The 27-year-old Domachowska is currently ranked no. 230 in the world but has been as high as no. 37 back in 2006.

How we wish the other Polish tennis player (who is way more successful) is the one who will be taking these shots instead.

(Images via kozaczek.pl)