Black Tennis Pros

 (People Magazine) - Tennis champion Rafael Nadal is reportedly off the market.

The athlete is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Mery Perelló, according to Hola! Spain.

A rep for Nadal declined to comment to PEOPLE, and the 32-year-old has not publicly addressed the reported relationship news.

Hola! reported that the couple got engaged in May while they vacationed in Rome, Italy. The outlet claims that Nadal and Perelló will get married this fall on Spanish island Mallorca.

Read full article here .

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Height: 5'9"
Weight: "I don't step on scales."

People:  When did you realize you're not built like most athletes?

I was 17, playing in the U.S. Open and this one lady said, "You need to wear a better bra." That's when it clicked for me that I was really curvy. A DD chest is not what you normally see in the locker room.

People:  What do you get the most compliments on?

It's all about my butt.  I like Brazilian-cut bikini bottoms in the back. Some people think its too small, but I'm like, "Whatever."


People:  Are you insecure about any areas?

Sometimes my stomach poufs out a little bit, and I feel like my legs aren't as tight as I like them to be.

People:  How do you feel when you're photographed on the beach in your bikini?

In the beginning it was weird, but I'm okay with it. I represent ladies who want to be healthy and not starve themselves.

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Los Angeles - Tennis star Serena Williams is recuperating at home after suffering an embolism and an additional 'unexpected scare' with a hematoma, according to a spokeswoman. Williams says, 'This has been extremely hard, scary, and disappointing.'

The return to the Grand Slam stage by Serena Williams, who hasn't played in a tennis tournament since winning her fourth Wimbledon last July, will take much longer now after the 29-year-old star underwent emergency medical treatment in Los Angeles this week, less than 10 days after doctors had hospitalized her for a blood clot in her lungs.

It was not immediately known what triggered Monday's treatment of a hematoma -- an area of bleeding -- at Cedars-Sinai, something first reported Wednesday morning by People magazine. She is now recuperating at home.

Late Wednesday, however, it was learned that Williams also had been hospitalized 10 days ago for a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot.

"She was first hospitalized for two days, Feb. 19 and 20," Jill Smoller, Williams' longtime publicist, told The Times. "She'd just gotten to Los Angeles." Williams owns homes in Florida and Los Angeles.

That hospital stay coincided with a tweet by Williams on Feb. 19 in which she said, "My day could not get any worse."

Williams' career, which includes 13 Grand Slam titles, is now on hold indefinitely.

Last week, she told the New York Post that she expected to return to the game in time for the French Open in May. Now she has to hope she can be well enough in time for Wimbledon, which begins June 20.

A statement released Wednesday afternoon by a Williams spokesperson said, "Serena did indeed suffer from a pulmonary embolism last week, and the hematoma was another unexpected scare. Thankfully everything was caught in time. With continued doctor visits to monitor her situation, she is recuperating at home under strict medical supervision.

"Says Serena, 'Thank you everyone for all of your prayers, concerns, and support. This has been extremely hard, scary, and disappointing. I am doing better, I'm at home now and working with my doctors to keep everything under control. I know I will be OK, but am praying and hoping this will all be behind me soon. While I can't make any promises now on my return, I hope to be back by early summer. That said, my main goal is to make sure I get there safely.'"

Williams has been out of action since shortly after Wimbledon when she cut tendons in her right foot in an accident that she said was caused by stepping on broken glass at a restaurant. That required two foot surgeries and until last week she wore a walking boot to restrict movement.

In fact, it was only late last week that Williams was told she would no longer need the boot. On Sunday she wore high heels to Oscar parties.

It is possible that clotting around her foot injury contributed to the embolism, said Dr. Ralph Brindis, president of the American College of Cardiology.

A pulmonary embolism usually originates in a vein in the leg, breaks loose and travels to the lung. Typically, a person develops a pulmonary embolism when he or she has risk factors -- these can include pregnancy, use of oral contraceptives, smoking, clotting disorders or obesity -- and then remains sedentary for a period of time, allowing blood to stagnate in the leg and form a clot. People who take long airplane trips are at particular risk.

Typically, doctors administer anticoagulant drugs such as Coumadin to prevent additional clotting. Williams may be on such medications for several months, doctors said.

In some cases, large emboli are also initially treated with clot-dissolving agents. Brindis said that such agents can cause bleeding, which could explain the hematoma.

Dr. Mark Adelman, chief of vascular and endovascular surgery at New York University's Langone Medical Center, said that Williams' lungs should heal completely. He estimated that for anywhere from six to 12 weeks her doctors would not want her to play tennis at all. After that, Williams might be able to play at a high level, but because the anticoagulants will put her at additional risk of bruises and bleeding, she'll want to avoid getting hit hard during play.

We will be in prayer for Serena and wish her a speedy recovery.

(Read full article at L.A. Times)

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