Forbes has just released the list of top-earning celebrities under 25. The top four slots of the 20 Under 25 list went to athletes. Basketball superstar LeBron James landed at #1 ($27 million), followed by NFL rookie Reggie Bush ($24 million), Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova ($23 million) and golf prodigy Michelle Wie (19 million). The rest of the list was dominated by actors and entertainers.

According to Forbes, the 20 Under 25 list of the Top-Earning Young Superstars examined earnings from June 2006 to June 2007. They included salaries, winnings, endorsement deals and royalties.

Sharapova, Serena Among “Most Searched” on Yahoo!

According to Yahoo!, Sharapova is not only rich but also “most searched.” Yahoo! has announced the Top Trends in Search of 2007 based on the billions of searches conducted by millions of Yahoo! searchers around the world. Top sport-related searches show that Maria Sharapova was very hot this year, and Serena Williams’ win at the Australian open, after a series of injuries, also made her a favorite of Yahoo! searchers. Maria took the second spot (after NASCAR:-), and Serena was the fifth. GO GIRLS!

Visit Maria Sharapova’s section on the site to see all the other TOP lists that Masha made. Has anyone seen Sharapova’s Pepsi commercial in the U.S. or Europe? Is it for Japan-only?

Gossip sites are reporting that U.S. tennis star Serena Williams is dating rapper and actor Common (real name is Lonnie Rashid Jr.). The new couple was spotted at Venus Williams’ new EleVen fashion line launch party.

The 35-year-old Common, who was linked to singer Alicia Keys, hit the charts on the number 1 spot earlier this year in the American music charts with his CD “Finding Forever.” You can currently see Common in the movie thriller American Gangster. You can check out Common’s new video “I want you” on YouTube. The video also features Alicia Keys and Kanye West.

The world’s highest-paid female athlete Maria Sharapova keeps her schedule busy without playing tennis. According to Variety Magazine, the Russian tennis star, who is still recovering from shoulder injury, is aiming at adding “television producer” to her resume.

“Sharapova has partnered with writer Jacob Epstein to lob a sports-themed drama toward the CW net. Project will be set inside the world of professional women’s tennis — a topic Sharapova, currently ranked fifth among the world’s female players, knows a thing or two about.”

An interesting thing to look out for in the new drama is the guest star appearances. For example, Serena Williams has done some TV acting, and Andy Roddick has hosted the Saturday Night Live. Would be fun to watch!

Technorati Tags: Maria Sharapova, Russian Tennis Player

(Via Eurosport) - The world number seven Russian Anna Chakvetadze has booked the sixth place in the season ending WTA Tour Championships.

“I’m so excited to play in my first Sony Ericsson Championships. 2007 has been an amazing year for me, having reached the Top 5 in the world, and I am looking forward to finishing strongly in Madrid,” said the 20-year-old Russian.

Chakvetadze joins Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams in the season-ending tournament in Madrid, which takes place from November 6-11.

With two places remaining Australian Open finalist Maria Sharapova and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams are clinging to the seventh and eighth places in the WTA Race.

For Anna Chahkvetadze’s complete profile visit WTA site.

Not a “fan-favorite” day in Zurich Open.

French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo, who I like very much, was upset by unseeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in the second round of the Zurich Open.

World number four Ana Ivanovic also suffered a shock 6-3 6-1 defeat to Tatiana Golovin from France.

Another fan favorite Jelena Jankovic, seeded third in Zurich, was defeated in straight sets 6-4 6-4 by Czech Nicole Vaidisova.

Recent Kremlin Cup champion Elena Dementieva forced to retire with an injured left thigh after trailing Italian Francesca Schiavone. Dementieva’s withdrawal ended any chance the Russian had of qualifying for the season-ending WTA Championship in Madrid, Spain.

On Tuesday Serena Williams retired with a right adductor injury after losing the first nine games to Swiss Patty Schnyder.

Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams have qualified for the WTA tournament on Nov. 6-11. Five other players are still eligible for the remaining three spots.

(Source: Reuters, Zurich Open)

I came across this photo on Vtoraya Podacha. It was taken at the Kremlin Cup party. Serena and Kuzy look very lovely, but some of you might wonder who that dude is:-) That dude, with a “new Russian,” look is Yevgeny Kafelnikov–a former world number one tennis player from Russia. Where is Kafelnikov (or Kalashnokov as he was known among reporters) now? Without officially declaring his retirement, this “stubborn Russian nut,” the assessment of his former coach, has given up tennis to become a professional poker player.

If you want to learn more about Kafelnikov, check out this story published by The Independent. It is a little bit old, but still an interesting read. It is expected that Yevgeny will officially announce his retirement at the next Kremlin Cup.

P.S. What’s up with that Gladiator haircut? Why is it so popular in Russia?:-)

(Via On the Baseline) - Now you know who is more intense.

Elena Dementieva of Russia rallied from a set down to beat Serena Williams on Sunday for the title at the Kremlin Cup. Dementieva played exceptionally well (even Serena admitted it) and managed to get away with only six double-faults, a low number for a three-set match and for Elena particularly. Dementieva’s win will bring her back to top 10. Great present on her birthday. Elena is turning 26 on Monday.

Happy birthday!

Technorati Tags: Elena Dementieva, Serena Williams, Kremlin Cup

Who is more intense? Who is going to win? I loved those photos

(Kremlin Cup) Fourth-seeded Serena Williams overpowered top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 6-1 to reach her first Kremlin Cup final on Saturday. She will play another Russian Elena Dementieva who crushed compatriot Dinara Safina 6-1 6-0.

(Photos: ASAP Press via Tennis and Business)

“What souvenirs did your sister Venus ask you to bring from Moscow?”

“Just the trophy.”

At a press conference in Moscow, eight-times grand slam champion Serena Williams said she was extremely motivated and was ready to reclaim the world’s number one ranking.

“I definitely think I’m ready for it. I’m ready to dedicate myself. I’m excited by the fact that I have so much motivation.

That’s why I was so upset at the U.S. Open. I’m really motivated now, my whole attitude has changed.”

[…] If I didn’t believe I could be number one again I wouldn’t be out here trying. Will I? If I dedicate myself and do the work, I will. And I’m ready. But I’m not going to stop doing what I do. I’m stubborn. That’s a flaw that I have.”

While she accepted that she was very frustrated after the loss at the U.S. Open, she didn’t offer any apologies.

“I want to know what I said that was such a problem.” “It was what it was.”

A lot has been said and discussed about Serena’s attitude during the post-match press conference after losing to Justine Henin. What I really disliked is when she said “I really don’t feel like talking about it, to be honest. It’s like I don’t want to get fined. That’s the only reason I came (laughter). I can’t afford to pay the fines because I keep losing.” You hear these words and then you see Serena’s HP commercial on TV, reflect on her nearly 18 million dollar career prize money, (and I am not talking about the endorsements) and something seems to be wrong.

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After earlier reports that tennis world No 4 Maria Sharapova and her camp had decided to skip this year’s Kremlin Cup, now Russian media report that after all Sharapova will be playing in Kremlin Cup.

Sharapova was forced to pull out of the Kremlin Cup with an injury last year and was beaten by compatriot Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals in 2005.

Other confirmed participants are world No. 1 Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo of France and a number of leading Russian players, including world No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova and defending champion sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze. According to Lenta.ru, Serena Williams is also planning to participate. She has requested a visa and hotel reservation, local tour organizers said.

Kremin Cup is a $1.34 million Tier 1 indoor tournament in Moscow. It will be held at Moscow’s Olympic sports complex from Oct. 6 to 14.

(Sources: Lenta.ru, Reuters.com)