Did you know that James Blake and John Mayer were very good childhood pals?

Tennis News reports that Venus Williams will appear on HBO’s very popular sports program called Real Sports with Bryan Gumbel. The program will air on May 12, 10 p.m. on HBO EAST.

People magazine reports that Andy Roddick has asked his girlfriend swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker to marry him.

It’s love - love for Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker – they’re engaged!

The tennis star is officially off the market after popping the question to Decker last Tuesday, sources, including Decker’s rep, confirm to PEOPLE.

On Roddick’s official Web site, andyroddick.com, a statement tells fans, “The couple wanted to tell their family and close friends first but good news travels fast. By the time Andy arrived in Miami for the Sony Ericsson Open, the tournament was bustling with the news.”

The pair, who have been dating since 2007, first met after Roddick, 25, asked his agent to track down a number for Decker, 20, a model who has appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

“With their hectic travel schedules, Andy and Brooklyn plan to enjoy their engagement and will wait to set a wedding date,” adds Roddick’s online statement.

(Photo by: Bauer Griffin)

Video of Andy Roddick’s pre-match press conference at Pacific Life Open. The girl is lucky that it was a pre-match press conference and not a post-match one. Andy has crashed out in straight-sets after he went down 6-4 6-4 to Germany’s Tommy Haas in the second-round.

If you have seen Serena Williams’ match against Jelena Jankovic (3-6, 4-6) , you already know that something was wrong with Serena. She didn’t move well, looked tired, frustrated, uninspired, and erratic. No fist pumping or “Serena-style-fired-up-staring” at the opponent. What was wrong with Serena? Was it mental? Was it physical? Both? During the match, the ESPN commentator Pam Shriver ran (literally) to talk to Serena’s camp to get some update on what’s happening. She was told Serena did have treatment to her right quad before the match, but nothing was serious. Serena’s explanation at the press conference, didn’t shed much light either as to what her problem was. But she was obviously not 100%. However, after reading her interview, it seemed to me the explanation was obvious.

You were quite listless in the first set there. Wasn’t an injury or a problem with movement?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was having some issues, but I don’t like to make excuses. We won’t discuss those.

Read more »

Nicole Vaidisova has denied reports of her alleged engagement and upcoming marriage to Radek Stepanek. Speaking with Chris Fowler on ESPN2, Vaidisova called the item a “rumor.” Mary Jo Fernangez also told on air that the Stepanek/Vaidisova marriage license application was a prank, though they are dating.

Nicole dear, it is not a rumor when Bradenton Herald reports that you have filed papers for a marriage license with Radek Stepanek, according to information received from the Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court. Prank, maybe, but a misguided one.

It continuously amazes me how celebrities sometimes think they can be invisible in this information age. Once the information is out, it is OUT. Take Serena Williams’ breakup blog post. She pours out her heart on the breakup of her relationship with her recent beau, and then deletes the post secretly hoping that it will magically disappear. You might think that when a person has been in a public eye for so many years, would have learned the rules of the game. Unfortunately or fortunately, there is no UNDO in cyberspace.

It is all about me, reads Serena Williams‘ bikini. Defending Australian Open champion shows off her trim and toned look in Perth. Six kilograms lighter thanks to a rigorous off-season training regime, Serena Williams is in her finest shape of recent memory. Physically, at least! As to her emotional state, Serena has reveled in her blog that she is nursing a broken heart and has found solace in a book called “Who Moved My Cheese.” Serena has previously been linked to director Brett Ratner, rapper Common and an actor named Jackie Long.

She writes in part:

You just start dating a guy. He likes you, you like him. You guys want to spend every second together. Read more »

Russian mafia’s attraction to the world of sports is nothing new. There are many examples how the Russian organized crime has successfully targeted top sports players, has socialized with them, and in some cases established businesses together. Most of these cases have involved hockey players, one of which is world famous Pavel Bure (Anna Kournikova’s ex-boyfriend/fiancé). However, after months of match-fixing allegations in tennis, AFP reports that US tennis legend John McEnroe expressed his concern that organized crime, such as the Russian mafia, could be infiltrating tennis. The outspoken former world number one believes that threats to tennis players or their families could be forcing them into throwing matches. Read more »

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.