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

Sports Illustrated this week features Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on its cover, calling their five-set Wimbledon final is “the greatest tennis match ever played,” and “a four-hour, 48-minute infomercial for everything right and virtuous about tennis….”

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)

Though Novak Djokovic has failed to defend his title and lost in his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open, his publicity campaign is going strong. Following Roger Federer’s steps, Djokovic is featured in the April issue of the Men’s Vogue magazine.

(Photographed by Frederike Helwig at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Monaco, where Djokovic now lives and trains. Ralph Lauren Black Label blazer, $695, jacket, $225, and pants, $325; polo.com. Adidas shoes.)

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.

Serbian Novak Djokovic made a guest appearance yesterday on Jay Leno’s Tonight show. If you missed it, still can check it out on youtube.

Russian sports site Russia Today has conducted an exclusive interview with Rafael Nadal. World No 2 speaks about his future plans, breaking Bjorn Borg’s record and favorite female tennis players. (OK, I’ll save you time on this one. He likes Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin–that is the way they play:-)

The interview in Russian is here. The Google-translated English version is here.

Sports Business Journal is reporting that Nike is about to sign Roger Federer to a 10-year extension of its contract that “could be worth as much as $13 million a year.”

Rene Stauffer, the author of the book The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection (click to purchase) also reports in Swiss Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that Federer’s potential deal would be more than what Nike paid Andre Agassi.

According to SBJ “sources close to the deal differed on whether that money was fully guaranteed or in part depended on how well tennis’ top male player performs on the court. If the contract indeed reaches that amount ($13 million a year), the deal would make Federer one of the top-paid endorsers at Nike in any sport.”

Just for comparison, basketball’s LeBron James has a seven-year, $90 million deal and is one of Nike’s top athlete contracts. Read more »

My Dostoyevsky hero (aka Marat Safin) is out of the Australian Open. So much talent, so much passion, so much charisma…

…beaten 6-4 6-4 2-6 3-6 6-2 by Cypriot 15th seed Marcos Baghdatis in a thrilling second-round battle in Melbourne.

“Between the extended, attention-grabbing rallies, the thumps on the chest and the smashed rackets, it was quite a summit meeting for day four of a Grand Slam. But that was nobody’s fault but Safin’s. His ranking of 58 is not high enough for now to allow him the luxury of a seeding and the chance to work his way comfortably into the second week.

“I’m not going to give up straight away that I’m losing to Baghdatis,” said Safin, a Russian who will turn 28 later this month. “The year is pretty long, so I’ll have my chances, that’s for sure.” (Src)

(Photo: Reuters)