It’s true: Maria Sharapova is in a relationship with Sasha Vujacic.

A few days ago Matt Cronin tweeted about Sharapova dating the Lakers player, and the picture of them holding hands proves it was not only a gossip. (via Forty Deuce)

Just weeks after showing off her naked body in ESPN The Magazine’s first "Body Issue", Serena Williams stripped down as "The Athlete" and one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year.

Billie Jean King explains why Serena was chosen:

When most people would falter, she is able to raise her game a level, and that’s what you look for in champions. I feel confident she will win more major singles titles than my 12. And that makes me very proud.

Serena is now safe to do whatever she wants to, she finished the year ranked No.1, won two Grand Slams and the Sony Ericsson Championships during the 2009 tennis season. (source: Down the Line)

Italy followed up their 2-0 score on Saturday with two more victories on Sunday to beat the United States 4-0 in the Fed Cup final and claim their second Fed Cup title.

On Saturday Italian Flavia Pennetta beat American Alexa Glatch 6-3 6-1, and Francesca Schiavone overcame Melanie Oudin 7-6(2) 6-2. The decisive victory came on Sunday when Pennetta earned an insurmountable 3-0 lead by defeating Oudin 7-5 6-2 in front of home crowd on the clay courts of the Circolo del Tennis Rocco Polimeni.

The doubles rubber was played, and even the world No.1 in doubles Liezel Huber couldn't help the Unites States win at least one match. Huber and Vania King lost to Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 4-6 6-3 11-9.

Italy had also won Fed Cup title in 2006. (photo via Fed Cup)

Aravane Rezai won the biggest title of her career playing against Marion Bartoli in an all-French final of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali.

Of course, injuries where not avoided this time either, with top seed Bartoli retiring in tears because of a left quadriceps strain after losing the first set 7-5. Rezai had actually rallied from a set point down at 3-5 in the opening set.

"I'd prefer to win in a different way, but it's tennis, a lot of different things happen," said the 22-year-old Rezai after winning the showcase of the up-and-coming stars of women's tennis. (via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

This is unbelievable, 20-year-old Yanina Wickmayer received a one-year suspension and it happened in the Belgian's breakthrough year in which she reached the US Open semifinals as an unseeded player, won her first two WTA Tour titles (Estoril and Linz) and cracked the Top 20.

The reason for the suspension: Wickmayer failed to report her whereabouts to anti-doping officials three times. However, the world No.18 denied any wrongdoing and is planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Wickmayer voluntarily withdrew from the ongoing Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions because of the punishment. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Professional athletes caught doing drugs are usually penalized and ordered to seek drug addiction help and treatment.

According to Matt Cronin's tweet Maria Sharapova is now dating Slovenian-born Sasha Vujacic, the #18-wearing guard for the LA Lakers. So, Charlie Eberson is history now? Hey, their relationship didn't even get the chance to be confirmed.

Sasha resembles Charlie a bit! Don't you think? (source: Down the Line, photo of Sasha via Life.com)

World No.1 Serena Williams earned $6.5 million in 2009, which is the largest amount of prize money ever earned in women's tennis during a single season.

Williams won two Grand Slam titles in 2009 – Australian Open and Wimbledon – and finished the successful year in style by earning the season-ending No.1 ranking and winning the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Previously, Justine Henin held the record with her slightly under $5.5 million earned in 2007.

Serena Williams' career prize money is now at record $28.5 million. (source: ESPN, photo by our reader Jacob)

When I saw it on ESPN that "WTA Tour says withdrawals down" I was very confused, especially in the light of the last tournament, the Sony Ericsson Championships, which was all about injuries.

The Championships saw Caroline Wozniacki suffer from severe leg cramps, Serena and Venus Williams had their left legs strapped, alternate Vera Zvonareva's nose was bleeding and she pulled out after playing just one match, Victoria Azarenka also retired, top seed Dinara Safina retired with a serious back injury, and remember only ten singles players took part in the Championships (eight + two alternates).

Still, WTA Tour chairwoman and CEO Stacey Allaster states that the innovative scheduling system introduced in 2009 proved to be "a fantastic success". She said the Roadmap increased attendance at Premier tournaments by 11% and decreased player withdrawals by 34%. In addition, prize money was increased by 34%, despite the global economic crisis. (photo via Sony Ericsson Championships)

This is a bit old news that I didn't have time to report earlier: Dinara Safina has entered the Brisbane International, a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, despite the serious back injury which forced her to pull out of the Sony Ericsson Championships and threatened her participation in the first Grand Slam of the year.

"The Brisbane International will be the perfect tournament to get some tough match practice in the lead-up to the Australian Open. I am looking forward to the challenge and I cannot wait to get there," said Safina who handed Serena Williams the year-end No.1 ranking by withdrawing from the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Safina joins Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Ana Ivanovic in a very strong women's field at the Brisbane International. (source: ESPN, photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Serena Williams defeated defending champion Venus Williams to win the Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2009.

Serena beat her older sister Venus for the second time at this year’s Championships and faced no break points en route to a 6-2 7-6(4) victory in the season finale. The match was not spectacular, as most of the meetings of the Williams sisters are. Both players had heavy strapping on their left legs, which was just the appropriate ending to the injury plagued tournament.

Serena, who will end the season ranked No.1, earned $1.55 million in Doha after finishing the tournament undefeated. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)