Federer buys vacation home

Looks like Roger Federer is putting his $40 some-odd million to good use. He has reportedly bought a vacation home in the eastern canton of Graubünden, wherever that is - Switzerland, I guess.

The home is located near the village of Lenzerheide, south of Chur. Roger also has a condominium in Dubai and in March moved to the town of Wollerau.

Wednesday's Aces

Nadal, Federer, Nalbandian, Davydenko, Andy Murray, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Gilles Simon and James Blake all posted wins today in Paris.

With his win today over Igor Andreev, Gilles Simon now has one foot in the door of next week’s Masters Cup in Shanghai, while Wawrinka and Ferrer’s losses put them out of the running. Blake and Tsonga need to reach the final here if they are to overtake Simon.

Stanford Championship in Dallas

Here are some pictures I took at the Stanford Championships in Dallas
this past weekend. If you have the chance to go to one of these, you should. They are smaller venues with small crowds, the players are great and you have plenty of access to get autographs or take pictures with your favorites.

Anna Kournikova was the main draw this weekend. The crowd was fairly small during the 1st match, then near capacity to watch Anna play a set of mixed doubles, yep only one set. She played with Thomas Enquist against some local players no one has ever heard of. After that, everyone left and the crowd was small again for the night matches.

Jim Courier and Thomas Enquist advanced to the finals, each with a 3-0 record.

Buzz on the Courts - Week Ending 10-26-08

- Roger Federer defeats David Nalbandian to take Basel final.

- Robin Soderling captures 3rd career title beating Julien Benneteau to win Lyon.

- Andy Murray wins St. Petersburg title 2nd year in a row.

Michael Chang Marries

Hall of Famer Michael Chang and former Stanford standout Amber Liu were married Saturday, Oct. 18 at Lake Hills Community Church in Laguna Hills, California.

The reception and dinner took place at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point, California.

Boris Becker Makes Outback Champions Series Debut Today in Dallas

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker will make his debut on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit at The Stanford Championships, to be played October 22-26 on the campus of SMU in Dallas, Texas. Becker will be competing in his first tournament in the United States since he played in the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla., in 1999.

Tickets for the event are available now and can be purchased by calling 877-332-TIXX (8499). Ticket prices start at $12. Full ticket and event information can be found at http://www.championseriestennis.com/.

Agassi and Perry Rogers part ways

Andre Agassi and his longtime agent-manager Perry Rogers have ended their business relationship effectively immediately.

Rogers, who was president of Agassi Enterprises Inc., had served as agent, manager and lawyer to Andre for the past decade-and-a-half overseeing all business and marketing operations of Agassi Enterprises, Inc.

The split seems amicable and looks to revolve around recent business deals that did not pan out. Mixing business and friendship is certainly hard to do - I hope these two can remain friends.

Read the complete article here.

Murray e-Murr-ges Victorious!

Andy Murray celebrates winning the Madrid Masters title with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Gilles Simon. This is Murray's 4th title of 2008 and 2nd Masters shield.

The most exciting part of this tournament was definately the semifinal matches where we saw each player add some much needed depth to the men's game and lay the foundation for an exciting 2009 season.

(Image via Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images)

Who'd a Thunk it? #1 and #2 out of Madrid.

Murray vs. Simon in Final

























I didn't think Andy Murray would pull this one out but he kept his cool and overcame a lop-sided first set to take Federer in 3. Murray won the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Looks like Federer is extremely vulnerable these days. That being said, you can't win everything all the time and maybe not being #1 will take some of the pressure off. He's still the man to beat in my opinion.

Possibly the next PHENOM, Gilles Simon played a brilliant 2nd and 3rd set to get past a tired looking Nadal 3-6, 7-5, 7-6. Simon served for the match at 6-5 but was broken by Nadal to send it to the breaker.

Not too many can hang with the "never-say-die" Nadal but Simon did just that. Match point came when Nadal sent a forehand long which was called good, but overruled by Simon's challenge, clinching the victory. Thank God for Shot Spot!

I'm gonna give the final to Murray but it should be an entertaining matchup.
(AFP /Getty Images)

Andy does the Full Monty

File this one under "I hope it's not true."

Not to be outdone by Raphael Nadal's recent naked butt shot, Andy Roddick joined Elton John at Atlanta's tennis event to fight AIDS (Advanta WTT Smash Hits) and auctioned off what was to be an hour session of private tennis tutoring.

In an attempt to get a higher bid, Andy said he'd take off his shirt during the session. That got the bid up to $11,000! Then, he said he'd do the lesson FULLY nude. That got him a final bid of $15,000 from one female fan.

Seriously, does this give a new meaning to the term "racket and balls."

Becker, Courier and Martin Headline Outback Champions Series in Dallas






The Stanford Championships come to Dallas October 22-26 on the campus of Southern Methodist University.

Boris Becker leads the field, competing in his first tournament in the United States since 1999. Jim Courier, Wayne Ferreira, Karel Novacek, Todd Martin, Thomas Enqvist, Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias round out the field.

Anna Kournikova will also compete in mixed doubles exhibition matches scheduled for Saturday. Tickets for the event are available now and can be purchased by calling 877-332-TIXX (8499). I'll be there - tickets are cheap.

Boris Becker to build Luxury Resort

The Boris Becker Beach Resort and Tennis Academy will be built in the United Arab Emirates on the Al Marjan Island. The sprawling 2.5 million square-foot project offers a rare dual ocean-front advantage, with the estate stretching from one end of isle's shore to the next.

This recreational and residential master-development includes premier holiday homes, world class luxury resort and spa facilities, a five star hotel, and a world-class Tennis Academy.

Becker who holds a 50% partnership in the Academy, and part ownership in the rest of the Resort will play a significant role in the design of the Tennis Academy. The world class structure will feature 6 tennis courts with rebound-ace surfaces.

Nadal Drinking Game

I made up a new drinking game and it’s super simple.

Step 1: Fill a shot glass with your favorite adult beverage. Jack Daniels works good.

Step 2: Drink a shot every time Nadal picks his butt.

Try this tomorrow during the Gasquet match. You’ll be loaded in no time. Bottoms up!

Grand Slam for Children




















Andre Agassi's 13th Annual Grand Slam for Children benefit concert was held at the Wynn casino October 11, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Foundation has focused on serving some of the neediest children in Las Vegas, by building and supporting the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club and other beneficiary organizations for at-risk youth. Now, the Foundation's mission is to transform education across the United States. The event has raised $70 million in it's last 12 years.

The event was attended by Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Donny Osmond, Emeril Lagasse and The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson among others. The event included performances by Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow, The Killers, Lifehouse, Ray Romano, David Spade and Natasha Bedingfield.
(Images via Getty)

Bite Me!



























Here goes Raphael Nadal biting another trophy. This one symbolizes his ranking as World No. 1 since August 18, 2008 and was presented at a ceremony celebrated during the Masters Series of Madrid.

I know it's his "thing" but does anyone else out there secretly wish one of these trophies would break off and start choking this guy. Sinister, I know.

Buzz on the Courts - Week Ending 10-12-08

- Igor Kunitsyn defeated Marat Safin 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 to win the Kremlin Cup.

- David Nalbandian spanked Robin Soderling to capture the If Stockholm Open.

- Leyton Hewitt to make comeback at Sydney International in January.

- Bob and Mike Bryan jam with the Counting Crows in Tampa, FL.

- Max Mirnyi earns his International Law degree.

- Jonas Bjorkman wins his 1000th career doubles match.

On court this week: Master's Madrid

Andy's Crib




















Check out Andy Roddick's New York condo in the Gramercy Park neighborhood.

The pad boasts 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, high ceilings, exposed brick and southern exposures. Asking price $1,195,000.00.

Roddick's fiance, model Brooklyn Decker is based in NY. He also owns a home in Austin, TX.
(Image via realestalker.blogspot.com)

Buzz on the Courts - Week Ending 10-05-08

- Tomas Berdych thrashes Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1, 6-4 to take the Japan Open.

- German Mischa Zverev and Mikhail Youzhny of Russia capture the Japan Open doubles title.

- Dmitry Tursunov defeats Paul Henri Mathieu to take L'Open de Moselle 7-6, 1-6, 6-4.

On court this week: Kremlin Cup, Stockholm Open, TennisTrophy Austria