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Serena Williams Wears Million-Dollar Diamond Necklace To A Press Conference

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping, Sports


We've documented Serena Williams's love of diamonds before but the tennis champ topped herself this time, showing up at a post-match press conference in a diamond necklace worth $2.5 million.

Williams wore the 427-diamond necklace after her first round win over Australian Samantha Stosur at the Sydney International tournament. Williams had met with a jewelry designer in Sydney over the weekend who offered her the pricey piece to wear during a match.

She decided not to play with the necklace because she was too concerned about what would happen to it but decided to wear it to the press conference instead.

Boris Becker's Ambitious Plans for Tennis Resort

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services

Tennis star Boris Becker has been busy making big plans over on the luxurious Al Marjan Island: he's building a mega-resort that's being touted as one of the area's most ambitious ever. The Boris Becker Beach Resort and Tennis Academy will offer two ocean front exposures and 2.5 million square feet of luxury holiday homes, high end resort and spa facilities, a five star hotel, and of course a world-class tennis academy 50% owned by Becker himself.

A couple of interesting facts: the academy and resort will be partially solar powered, the design is meant to represent a sea turtle when viewed from the air, and it's all scheduled to be finished by 2010.

Asia Muhammad Plays with Diamond Tennis Racket at the U.S. Open

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Sports


Tennis player Asia Muhammad made her professional debut at the 2008 U.S. Open and she did it with a bit of personalized flair: she played her matches with a diamond-encrusted tennis racket.

The sparkling racket, created by jeweler Michael E. Minden, featured her first name initial in 0.50 carats of diamonds on the handle. How much to get one of your own? Well you have to supply your own racket (or other sports equipment) and then it's just $1,750 for one initial or $3,400 for both.

Bally Women's Arkel Tennis Tote

Filed under: Handbags, Sports

Tennis season's not over yet! Why not help the economy and get yourself a fresh, new bag for the fall? Bally's bright pearl orange Arkel bag is made of patent calf with a patent leather-trimmed twill lining. It measures 15.5" H x 18" W x 4.5" D and has a 6.75" shoulder drop. The top is open for ease of putting in and taking out your tennis wear and accessories, and the zippered exterior pocket holds your tennis racket. Made in Italy, dust bag included: $1,095. (But you can get it at Endless for just $492.75, with free overnight shipping.)

Maria Sharapova And Canon To Give Away Diamond Cameras

Filed under: Gadgets

Tennis star Maria Sharapova and her cute white dog Dolce are starring in another campaign for the Canon Powershot cameras. As part of the promotion and in anticipation of the U.S. Open, Canon will be giving away five diamond-encrusted cameras in each color that the camera is offered in. Sharapova will debut the five diamond-covered Canon PowerShot Elph cameras during an invitation-only event at "Canon Center Court" on Aug. 20 at South Street Seaport. The cameras are worth around $12,000 each and the contest will run from August 20 to October 20 on the Powershot website.

Point Breeze, Nantucket's New Private Club and Residences

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services, Real Estate Developments


The Matthews Hospitality Group has announced via press release that two model residences in its Point Breeze development are open for viewing. Half of the 29 private residences within walking distance of Nantucket's cobbled downtown are already under agreement. (Because Nantucket real estate, like the island's timeless preppy togs, simply defies market trends.) Each owner will receive complimentary membership to Point Breeze's "ultra-elite" club, which features world-class spa, fitness center, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, five-star dining and concierge service. Nantucket property owners and frequent visitors can join in the fun by becoming members of the Club at Point Breeze.

A one-bedroom condo in the historically-inspired development starts at $1.5 million. The company has also broken ground on a similar project on Palm Beach Island, meaning your summers and winters are now covered.

The Terracotta Warriors of Tennis

Filed under: Sports


I hadn't heard of this project until the PR people showed me pictures but apparently it made news last month, the ATP has commissioned French sculptor Laury Dizengremel to create terracotta models of eight top tennis players in the style of the ancient Chinese Terracotta Army which is on display at the British Museum in London. The sculptures are being made for the Masters Cup in Shanghai which will take place in late November. Warrior statues of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have been commissioned and five spots are still still up for grabs in the field, The original Terracotta Army was created to be buried with the Emperor of Qin in 210-209 BC and 8,099 figures have been unearthed around the Emperor's tomb.

Toss Designs Tennis Racket Covers

Filed under: Sports

Tennis racket covers, much like golf bags, can be overly bulky for the purpose, especially if you are just a casual player. Toss Design's Tennis Racket Covers, pictured here in their signature dot pattern, are lightweight and easy to carry. They are made out of quilted nylon, with solid colored exteriors and polka-dot linings, and adjustable shoulder straps. The covers come in green, pink, black and orange (and giraffe, for those who like animal prints!) and measure 30"L x 13"W. The covers, no matter which color you decide on, are just $40 each.

Where to Watch the Big Game in Luxury

Filed under: Sports

The World Series is over and most of the Bowl games are barely on the horizon, but one thing that is just as important as who is playing is where you are going to be when you watch the game. Forbes Traveler has picked out the best skyboxes in North America. Their slideshow even gives you a sneak peek inside each and every location. Here is the list of the top spots, the price (per season unless otherwise indicated) and their home teams and, if you end up having to change team allegiances to get in to the top boxes, remember that your friends will forgive you as long as you invite them up, too.

  • Luxury boxes at The Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays ($32,000 a game)
  • The Pool Zone at Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,900 per game, pictured)
  • Suites at FedEx Field, Washington Redskins ($75,000 to $200,000)
  • Platinum executive suites at Air Canada Centre, Toronto Maple Leafs ($287,000 to $465,000 )
  • The Lofts at Cardinals Stadium, Arizona Cardinals ($65,000 to $125,000)
  • President's box at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, host of the U.S. Open ($12,000 to $25,000 per session)
  • Luxury boxes at Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots ($325,000)
  • Suites at Bank of America Stadium, Carolina Panthers ($59,000 to $100,000+)
  • Luxury box suites at Busch Stadium, Saint Louis Cardinals ($105,000 to $185,000)

Andre Agassi Partners Up With Exclusive Resorts

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

agassiAndre Agassi and Steffi Graf may be retired from tennis but they are certainly not kicking back. In addition to the resort they are working on in Idaho and their furniture line, they have also recently announced that their Agassi Graf Development company will be working with Exclusive Resorts, the destination club headed by Steve Case. The company will co-develop luxury resort real estate, design Agassi-Graf Tennis and Fitness Centers, and enhance the tennis and fitness experiences at the Exclusive Resorts destination residences.

The early 2007 grand opening of the Exclusive Resprts Poro-Poro resort in Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica, will be a benefit for the Agassi Foundation. Selected Foundation donors will have the opportunity to meet and play tennis with Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf. They still have time for a little tennis after all.

Ralph Lauren Outfits Wimbledon

Filed under: Apparel

Ralph Lauren is the first official outfitter of Wimbledon, with a five year contract to design the outfits for all the on-court umpires, judges, ball boys and girls. The uniforms will certainly be more stylish than anything previously seen on the courts. The officials will wear navy blazers with cream piping and cream pants or skirts. The ball boys and girls outfit consists of a navy polo with navy shorts or skort and an optional navy warm-up suit. All of the clothing will feature a newly designed Ralph Lauren/Wimbledon crest.

Lauren will also be releasing a Wimbledon-inspired collection to be sold at company stores around the time of the tournament.

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Will Agassi Buy Borg's Old Trophies?

Filed under: Auctions

A while back we mentioned the sad fact that Bjorn Borg has decided to put his five Wimbledon trophies and two rackets up for auction at Bonham's in June. Now it is being reported that another tennis great, Andre Agassi, is hoping to buy them.  Agassi told reporters that he would like to put together a consortium to buy the sports memorabilia which could bring in around $520,000. Agassi wants to make sure that the trophies end up in a museum or some place that would honor their place in tennis history.

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