TENNIS WATCH: On coaches, nudity, money & power, retirement & comeback, etc.

Since I'll be away for a couple of days, here's a longer than usual brief tennis news for you to read. Have a good weekend!

• Finally James Blake has stopped working with long time coach Brian Barker after the US Open. He is now coached by Kelly Jones in Beijing. Although lost to Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in the second round yesterday, Blake saved a match point to claw back to 5-5 and eventually won the second set.

• Ernests Gulbis seems to improve a lot after getting help from new coach Hernan Gumy. He has won back-to-back ATP matches for the first time this season and advanced to the quarterfinals of Tokyo when Juan Monaco retired at 6-3, 4-1 yesterday.

• Have we forgotten about Mario Ancic? I guess not. The Croatian has not retire from tennis to become a full time lawyer. He is expected to get medical clearance (from mononucleosis) to begin training again. Ancic hopes to return to the tour next January.

• No.1 again next week, Serena Williams, on posing nude for the cover of ESPN The Magazine, "ESPN had a body issue, and they told me I had a great body and wanted me to be on the cover. So I was super flattered, but I wanted to do it classy and not trampy, for lack of a better word. It's tasteful and super cool, and I love it."

• It's not a surprise when AskMen.com poll voted tennis stars Roger Federer (no. 8) and Andy Roddick (no. 35) as among the world's most influential men of the year.

• Andy Murray is the 8th highest-earning sportsman in Britain with an annual income of £7 million, according to The Daily Telegraph.
  

• Still on money, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, like many other sportsmen who resides in Switzerland for tax purposes, will be unable to play in Basel. Tsonga's tax agreement with local Swiss authorities would become invalid if he were to earn money inside Switzerland.

• Justine Henin will make her Grand Slam comeback at the Australian Open, tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed at the official event launch. Henin's first tournment back will probably be Brisbane Open.

• While veteran players are planning a strong comeback, Amelie Mauresmo is considering retiring from tennis. In her website, she said, “Since I came back from the U.S. Open, I’ve been trying to practice but I can’t find again the desire to come back to competition. I don’t want to rush or force things. (I will take) some time to think before making a decision regarding the remainder of my career.”

• Martina Hingis who is now given the green light to return to the tennis circuit after her two-year cocaine ban, chose to return to competition - but in horse riding. She is set to make an appearance in a show jumping contest in Switzerland this week.

• Jelena Dokic's dad, Damir is on a hunger strike to protest his jail sentence for making threats against the Australian ambassador.

• The Spanish tennis federation has narrowed its choice of venue for the Davis Cup final against Czech Republic to Valencia or Barcelona. The final decision to be announced this Saturday.

(Via AP, tennis.com)

TENNIS WATCH: Belgian media reports say Justine Henin to return to tennis

• Justine Henin is set to announce her return to competitive tennis today, according to two top Belgian newspapers. La Derniere Heure and Le Soir reported the comeback on Monday.

• Serena Williams appears in Procter & Gamble Co.'s lighthearted new print ad campaign for its Tampax brand, just weeks after her U.S. Open outburst. With the theme “Outsmart Mother Nature”, we believe that's Serena's promise that we will not see the same incident happen again in the future.

• Taylor Dent won the Oklahoma challenger, defeating Wayne Odesnik in the final. With this win, Dent continues to climb in the rankings (started the year at 865) and will be ranked 122 in the world this week. IMG also announced that Dent has been offered a wildcard into the Malaysian Open next week and he will fly there early to prepare for yet another big step in his comeback.

• Martina Hingis became the first person eliminated on BBC's celebrity dancing show Strictly Come Dancing despite earning respectable debut scores from the judges for both her waltz and her rumba.

(Image via tampax.com)

TENNIS WATCH: Meet Gonzo in NYC, Sharapova's bling bling earrings, Navratilova's engaged, Hingis lines up on dance reality show

If you're a Fernando Gonzalez fan, head to Mason's Tennis Mart in Manhattan, this Saturday, on August 29, 2009 at 4.30PM as he'll be meeting fans to promote the new Babolat Pure Storm line of racquets.

Where: 56 East 53rd Street (between Madison and Park Avenues)

Gonzalez will sign autographs and free gifts will be presented to patrons who attend while supplies last.

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Maria Sharapova never failed to showcase her Tiffany earrings at Grand Slams.

Designed by Frank Gehry, this latest sterling silver and diamond earrings were created especially for Sharapova to wear at the US Open.

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Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, 52, is engaged with Julia Lemigova, 36.

The couple were spotted walking together in Saint-Tropez.

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Former world no.1, Martina Hingis, who is banned from tennis for cocaine abuse, has been revealed as a contestant in this year's BBC-produced Strictly Come Dancing.

This is Hingis' second foray into British reality TV after taking part in Beat the Star earlier this year.

(Via tennisweek.com, wtawomenstennis.co.cc, tennisforum.com)

Radek Stepanek: Engaged with Martina Hingis and now Nicole Vaidisova?

Radek Stepanek, the world #36 tennis player in the ATP rankings, might not be popular or attractive in the tennis world. But he is certainly popular among the women tennis players.

Old flame

He used to date and engaged to former world #1, Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis (now banned from tennis for 2 years due to cocaine offense).

After splitting with Hingis last year, it seems that Stepanek is hooking up with another tennis player, Nicole Vaidisova, the world #15. Here's a spying job on the couple.

New flame

Source: Down The Line