Swede Thomas Johansson retires

Former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson is quitting professional tennis after more than 15 years on the ATP tour.

The 34-year-old Swede won nine singles titles and reached a top ranking of no. 7 in 2002.

However injuries forced him to take long breaks from the game in recent years.

“After a lot of thinking, I have now decided to step off the train and end my professional tennis career,” he said in a statement Friday.

“During the fall I had to go through yet another operation after a foot injury and a month ago I became a dad for the second time.”

Johansson said the biggest moments of his career were winning the 2002 Australian Open title and reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2005.

He was also part of Sweden’s Davis Cup-winning team in 1998 and won an Olympic silver medal in doubles in Beijing last year with Simon Aspelin.

Perhaps the recent success of his compatriot, Robin Soderling at this year's French Open convinced him that Sweden tennis has a new future.

(Via AP)

Boris Becker weds Lilly Kerssenberg

It doesn't matter who wear the pants in the family...

Instead of fleeing the paparazzi, former tennis champ Boris Becker, 40, and his bride Dutch model Lilly Kerssenberg, 30, have made the right decision by inviting the media to their wedding ceremony in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

She's lovely in this white tuxedo suit.

Among the guests who attended the less-than-private wedding ceremony were Prince Albert of Monaco, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and former cyclist Jan Ulrich, as well as Becker's two sons, Noah and Elias.

The newlyweds announced their plans to wed on a German chat show earlier this month.

Becker's eldest son Noah, left, and Elias, right, wait for the bridal couple in front of the Segantini Museum.

The Beckers wave as they set off for their reception together.

(Images via dailymail.co.uk)

A sneak peak inside Nicolas Kiefer's pants

Nicolas Kiefer retired with an abdominal muscle tear in the second round after down 1-6 against Jurgen Melzer at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle.

(Via Yahoo! Sports)

Justine Henin to make theatre debut in 'Stop Crying, Penelope!'

No wonder Justine Henin has no interest to go back to tour.

She's slowly and surely building up her career in the entertainment line.

In her next project, Justine Henin will make her threatrical debut in October with a role in the comedy "Arrête de pleurer Pénélope" (Stop Crying, Penelope!).

The production will tour in the French-speaking area of Belgium this winter.

The former world no. 1 has appeared in several TV productions since retiring from tennis, including a reality series called "The 12 Tasks of Justine Henin" and a cameo in the primetime French soap opera "Plus Belle La Vie."

(Via tennis.com)