The Business of Tennis: Forbes Special Report

Check out the latest special report by the guys at Forbes.com in conjunction with the U.S. Open.

One of the articles named the 10 top-paid tennis stars in the world. Roger Federer is still no.1, at least on their top earning tennis players list.

Top Paid Tennis Stars:
1. Roger Federer
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Rafael Nadal
4. Andy Roddick
5. Venus Williams
6. Serena Williams
7. Justine Henin
8. Novak Djokovic
9. Ana Ivanovic
10. James Blake

Check out other interesting articles featured in this special report:

I Was A Teenage Champion
Tracy Austin
The life of a tennis phenom is never simple.

Embrace Pressure
Michael Chang
The ability to perform under pressure separates the best tennis players from the rest.

The Rough Business Of Coaching
Brad Gilbert
It's a tough road with no safety net, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Why Is Tennis Writing So Bad?
Bruce Schoenfeld
For a sport that attracts its share of literary luminaries, the vast majority of tennis prose is sadly insipid.

Secret Life of A Tennis Pro
Vince Spadea and Dan Markowitz
A journeyman player survives on the professional circuit.

Make Some Noise
Tom Van Riper
It's time for tennis to stop shushing the fans.

Building A Tennis Career From The Bottom Up
Jeff Pyatt
Making a career when the prize money is just enough to get by.

Economics of the US Open
Peter Hoy
Running the numbers on the nation’s biggest tennis event.

US Open By The Numbers

How To Become A Chair Umpire
Eric Arnold
Think you have what it takes to make the calls at a US Open match? It's tougher than it looks.

No More Tennis Elbow
Matt Woolsey
A new treatment could heal damaged tendons and muscles without the need for surgery.

Can Videogames Help Your Tennis Game?
Mary Jane Irwin
For beginners, yes. But don't expect to become Roger Federer.

In Pictures: Virtual Tennis Through The Ages

Map: Top Tennis Players By Country, 1978-2008
Peter Hoy
The distribution of top players has changed significantly over 30 years.

Video: Martina Navratilova
The tennis legend shares some of her top career moments.

Video: Federer vs. Nadal
Is an epic rivalry between tennis' two greatest players enough to draw U.S. viewers?

Video: Business On The Court
Pandora.com CEO ranks nationally in men's singles tennis.

Forbes Autos: Cars of Tennis Stars
Tamara Warren
Buying cool cars isn't the problem for top tennis pros, it's finding the time to drive them.

Forbes Traveler: Top Luxury Tennis Resorts
Jennifer Rosini
Hitting the courts in high style.

(Via Forbes.com)

Heidi Klum Designs US Open T-shirt

Heidi Klum has designed an official US Open t-shirt to be sold at the 2008 US Open.

The limited edition Heidi Klum t-shirt is part of the USTA’s wide-ranging green initiatives at the 2008 US Open and will be sold at the Octagon, the US Open store located in Louis Armstrong Stadium, on USOpen.org and at US Open SoHo.

The design will be printed on a 100% organic cotton t-shirt. Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment.

Klum – who, along with husband Seal, is an avid tennis fan -- used her children’s crayons to sketch colorful butterflies, turning the body of each butterfly into a tennis ball. Instead of designing hard lines or using digital art, she made her designs feel organic and home-made, leaving her scraggly lines.

Once the butterflies were complete, the creative team at the USTA took the 11 versions of butterflies Heidi drew and placed them into Heidi’s intricate template. The front of the t-shirt was later polished off with Heidi’s handwritten “US Open 08,” using a heart in place of the zero. The use of a drawn heart is a trademark element of Heidi’s signature.

“I think it’s important to keep our environment healthy and I really believe everyone, even in small ways, can take a proactive approach to keep the environment in the best shape possible,” said Heidi Klum, supermodel, executive producer and host of Bravo’s series Project Runway.

"I was so honored to be asked to design this shirt. I hope people will like it and, by purchasing it, do something positive for the environment.”

A portion of the profits from the Klum t-shirt will benefit Unisphere, Inc., the non-profit organization that maintains and preserves Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

(Via U.S. Open website)

US Open Soho Store Opens in Downtown Manhattan

New Yorkers or those of you heading to the U.S Open this week can look forward to get your hands on the U.S Open branded apparel at the USTA first-ever pop-up store in New York City.

Through a multi-platform partnership with Team Retail Solutions, a leading event merchandise management company, US Open Soho will build awareness for the US Open and provide access to exclusive US Open merchandise for fans who cannot attend the event.

US Open SoHo will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, beginning August 22 through September 10. The store will be located at 129 Prince Street, on the corner of Prince and Wooster, in New York City’s SoHo shopping district. One of the featured products at US Open SoHo will be the new US Open Breakpoint DVD board game which includes footage and images from some of the most memorable moments in US Open history.

Additionally, the store will carry a vintage Tad Davis clothing line capturing the spirit of the 40th anniversary of the Open Era and co-branded US Open products by Under Armour.

Heidi Klum, as part of the USTA’s wide-ranging green initiatives at the 2008 US Open, has designed a limited edition official US Open t-shirt that will also be sold at US Open SoHo.

In conjunction with the store’s opening, two special appearances and autograph signings are scheduled featuring Hall of Fame tennis journalist Bud Collins on Sunday, August 24 at 5 p.m., and American tennis star (recently featured in the Playboy magazine) Ashley Harkleroad on Tuesday, August 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Other autograph signings will be announced throughout the week.

(Images via U.S. Open website)

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Celebrates 35th Anniversary

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour marked the historic 35th anniversary of its founding on Sunday evening at a star-studded benefit celebration at the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center at the Sports Museum of America in New York City.

The event, co-hosted with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), featured current and past stars of the game, with proceeds benefiting the Women's Sports Foundation, a groundbreaking organization dedicated to equal play and inspiring girls to be active and take part in sports.

Billie Jean King, Peachy Kellmeyer, Chairman and CEO of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Larry Scott, Chairman and President of the United States Tennis Association Jane Brown Grimes attend the WTA Anniversary Party.

The evening included a special lifetime achievement award to Peachy Kellmeyer, Senior Vice President of Tour Operations, who played an integral role in the growth of the sport from its beginnings as the Tour's first employee in 1973.

Bethany Mattek (L) and Jelena Jankovic attend the WTA Anniversary Party.

Nadia Petrova attended the party too.

Larry Scott, CEO of the Tour, said: "It has been wonderful to host this fantastic event that has brought the best of women's tennis together to celebrate the historic achievements on the past 35 years in our sport. For the Tour to be able to host this celebration in a building dedicated to the advancement of women in sport, the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Centre, named after the pioneer of women's tennis, is fitting and telling of how far the sport has come."

It's been some time since we seen Mary Joe Fernandez.

King said: "Thirty-five years ago we had a vision and today, because of the hard work, dedication and compassion of many women and men, we are celebrating a reality. The Women's Tennis Association has grown from a dream that came to life at a meeting in a London hotel to a major force in sports and entertainment."

Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and former world No.1, said: "As a player it's inspiring to think about all of the amazing women who were not only incredible athletes, but also social pioneers for women's rights and equality. As athletes we are proud of how far the sport has come both on and off the court, and feel a responsibility to carry the mantle of our founder, Billie Jean King."

From 1973, when 63 players met in the Gloucester Hotel, London to form an association seeking equality, recognition and respect, with King anointed as President, there have been a number of significant milestones in 35 years:

1973 - WTA founded. US Open offers equal prize money. "Battle of the Sexes" between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. 50 million watch the game on TV. King wins in straight sets.

1977 - Season-ending Championships are held in Madison Square Garden for the first time. They remain there for the next 23 years.

1982 - Martina Navratilova passes $1 million in prize money in a single year, the first woman to do so. She jumps ahead of Jimmy Connors as the sports all-time money leader.

1987 - Steffi Graf takes the No.1 ranking from Navratilova. She holds it for 187 consecutive weeks, more than any man or woman in the history of tennis until the emergence of Roger Federer.

1988 - Graf achieves the "Golden Slam", winning all four Slam titles in a single year and winning gold at the Seoul Olympics.

1990 - With 60 events in 18 countries, the Tour offers $23 million in total prize money. The season-ending Championships boasts the first ever $1-million tournament and the first women's five-set match in 89 years between Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini.

1991 - Monica Seles becomes the youngest player to take the No.1 ranking, aged 17 years and three months.

1997 - Martin Hingis becomes the newyoungest player to take the No.1 ranking, aged 16 years and six months.

2002 - Venus and Serena Williams become the first sisters to be No.1 and No.2.

2003 - Kim Clijsters becomes the first woman to earn $4 million in a season.

2005 - The Tour signs a landmark $88-million, six-year sponsorship agreement with Sony Ericsson, the largest sponsorship in the history of tennis and women's professional sport. Record sponsorship deals are also announced with Whirlpool and Dubai Duty Free. Equal prize money is agreed at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami and the Dubai Duty Free Open in Dubai.

2006 - Landmark global partnership struck with UNESCO to further gender equality and promote women’s leadership.

2007 - With Wimbledon and Roland Garros' historic decisions to award equal prize money, an over 30 year campaign for equality comes to a successful conclusion, and there is equal prize money at all four Grand Slam events for the first time in the history of tennis. The Tour passes its landmark Roadmap plan bringing the most sweeping reforms to the Tour's circuit structure in the sport's history. The Tour signs historic back-to-back $42 million deals with each of Doha, Qatar and Istanbul, Turkey to host the year end Sony Ericsson Championships for each of 2008-2010 and 2011-2013 respectively.

2008 - The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour opens an Asia-Pacific HQ in Beijing, China.

(Images by Brad Barket/Getty Images for WTA, Text via sonyericssonwtatour.com)