Life happens when you are not on the court ALL the time. Blogs are reporting that Maria Sharapova dates  Charlie Ebersol, the son of NBC sports chairman Dick Ebersol and actress Susan Saint James. According to New York Daily News, Sharapova joked that “my boyfriend will probably outbid you” before putting herself up for auction at the Bryan Brothers’ All-Star Tennis Smash charity event last weekend. However, one lucky guy won a date with the Russian tennis star - for  $10,000. Charlie first received media attention when he and his father survived a 2004 charter plane crash that took the lives of two crew members and Charlie’s younger brother. Since then, Charlie has become a film producer, collaborating with Ashton Kutcher on the documentary Ithuteng (Never Stop Learning). The film debutes on HBO on Dec. 3.

Have you ever wondered what American Andre Agassi and Argentine David Nalbandian have in common?  Both famous tennis players are of Armenian origin.  Nalbandian began playing tennis at age five when his Armenian grandfather built a cement court in his backyard in Cardoba, Argentine. Agassi’s father is also Armenian who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran. Agassi’s middle name, Kirk, is after Armenian American tycoon Kirk Kirkorian, who hired Agassi’s father Mike to work in one of his casinos. Later they became good friends.

David Nalbandian plans to visit his ancestrial homeland Armenia in early October, where he will give a master class and play an exhibition match with Armenia’s top tennis player Harutyun Sofyan.

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has announced a scholarship program for the students from the Chernobyl-affected areas of Belarus. The program with the total funding of $210,000 is a joint initiative of the Maria Sharapova Foundation and UN Development Program. The scholarships will be granted to 12 talented Belorussian students, and will cover their education costs for four years. “I’ve always dreamed of making my own contribution to restoring the region I have a personal connection with,” said Maria Sharapova, whose parents lived in Gomel. “Providing young people with an opportunity to get higher education is part of the efforts meant to create a better future for the affected region”.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is moving back to Russia from Spain after ending her professional relationship with her coach Stefan Ortega. Her new coach is former tour star Olga Morozova. Kuznetsova, who will reside in Moscow, said that the move would also make it easier for her to train in St. Petersburg, where his father Alexander owns a huge sport center. However, her official profile still lists Monte Carlo as her residence. Many top athletes choose Monte Carlo as their place of “residence” due to its tax heaven status.

From Publishers Weekly:

At least three publishers are currently vying for the rights to a book by nine-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams; offers are reportedly approaching $1 million and Suzanne Gluck at William Morris is said to be planning on meetings with the top three bidders. The memoir by Williams, who just won her third U.S. Open last week, will include elements about race and her faith; according to two publishers who passed on the 30-page proposal given the expected steep price tag. Sample chapters included one on a searing experience she had at a tournament a few years ago, and another on her trip to Africa. Veteran collaborator Dan Paisner, who’s worked on books with Montel Williams, Ed Koch, George Pataki and Whoopi Goldberg, among others, is co-writing.

Serena’s sister Venus sold a book to Dawn Davis at HarperCollins’s Amistad imprint in July just after beating Serena to win her fifth Wimbledon title; The Coach Matters: Life Lessons Beyond the Playing Field is slated to be published in summer 2010, so readers may be in for another battle of the sisters.

Tennis stars are making headlines and … money not only on court  but also (read mostly) off court.

•  Maria Sharapova joins Cole Haan Sporting line. (On the Baseline)
• American Sam Querrey signed two deals while at U.S. Open, with Olympus and Zappos.com. Querrey joins fellow tennis player John Isner as the only professional tennis players with endorsement deals with Olympus. (Olympus)
• Russian Anna Chakvetadze reportedly is planning to sign an apparel deal with Fila.  (Sports Business Journal)
• Adidas plans to launch a tennis racket next year and wants Novak Djokovic to be the endorser. (Sports Business Journal)

Russia’s tennis boss Shamil Tarpischev has announced his team  for the upcoming Fed Cup final tie against Spain. Though traditionally Russia has the best selection pool when it comes to Fed Cup, it seems Russia’s captain had to be satisfied with a second-string team. World number 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova will lead the team comprised of world number 10 and Beijing bronze medalist Vera Zvonareva, 56th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova and number 71 Elena Vesnina.

Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina are somewhat exhausted after their recent sucesses in Olympics and US Open, Anna Chakvetadze can’t find her form after the horrific robbery attack, and Maria Sharapova is out with a shoulder injury.

“This is the best team we could assemble at the moment. Dementieva and Safina have a real chance to become world number one so we have to give them a break,” Tarpischev said.

As a person who calls Luxembourg my current home, I am particularly thrilled about this one. Qualifier Gilles Muller from Luxembourg has put his tiny country on the tennis map. Muller is the first player from Luxembourg to reach the last eight of a grand slam when he stunned number 5 seed Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10) at the U.S. Open. New York Times covers the story. Muller’s full interview is here.

The 130th-ranked Muller will play Roger Federer in the quarter-finals. GO Luxembourg! You can do it!

Venus and Serena Williams will face off Wednesday to see who advances to the semifinals at the U.S. Open. Here is their head to head score: