A former US university football player has been charged with threatening Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova. We often hear and see the glamorous side of the celebrities. However, being famous also means you have to deal all kinds of sickos that are out there. ESPN has the story.

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists event at Skylight Studios on Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 in New York. And here is her casual look a day before. (AP)

Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva and former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo will meet in Friday’s quarterfinals here. Mauresmo is 8-5 in their lifetime series, but the Russian won their last meeting in Stuttgart last season. I am really excited to have a chance to see them here. I also really wanted to see Chakvetadze play, but she already lost her second round match.

Don’t forget to check out Amelie Mauresmo’s Luxembourg blog.  The 2008 Luxembourg titlist will make $35,000.

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.

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.

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.

Russians dominate.

WTA Top 10 Rankings (August 25, 2008)

1. Ana Ivanovic - Serbia - 3612

2. Jelena Jankovic - Serbia - 3515

3. Serena Williams - United States - 3341

4. Svetlana Kuznetsova - Russia - 3181

5. Maria Sharapova - Russia - 3131

6. Elena Dementieva - Russia - 3070

7. Dinara Safina - Russia - 3047

8. Venus Williams - United States - 2586

9. Anna Chakvetadze - Russia - 2230

10. Vera Zvonareva - Russia - 2117

In an interview with a Russian sport site, Olympics gold medal winner Elena Dementieva talks about getting an Olympic tattoo, dedicating the victory to her mother, and celebration her major win with friends and relatives in Moscow. Read the full Google-translated interview here.