On the heels of Nadal's victory at the French Open, Ralph Lauren's namesake brand is launching a website initiative that hopes to appeal to lovers of the sport the globe over by teaching tennis skills via a virtual clinic. "Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. will mark the 10th anniversary of its Web site this fall and, to kick off the celebrations, will introduce another aspect of what it calls 'merchantainment'—just in time for the Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis championships," says Women's Wear Daily. Polo will debut features like "a one-hour interactive virtual Legends Clinic... featuring three-time Wimbledon champion [and former RL brand ambassador] Boris Becker answering live questions and unveiling a few game techniques," adds WWD. As for the merchandise on the site, "online visitors will also be able to buy Becker’s outfit during the clinic with a few simple clicks of the mouse." Who's next up to host?

And now, a brief break from Fashion Week. Let's talk fashion ... and sports! With the US Open selling a record number of tickets, tennis apparel is seeing a boom. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, tennis gear sales are up and hitting a higher growth rate in popularity than any other sport, with an 18.7% increase in participation in 2007. And according to WWD, this growth -- especially in women's -- means increased gear and apparel sales in addition to more court time. Case in point: Maria Sharapova's new Cole Haan line (Cole Haan Sporting), announced on the heels of her grievous abandonment of the miniskirt. "Mixing fashion and sport is an important trend that we see now," says prexy Jim Seuss. The line, scheduled to hit stores in February, offers 40 casual pieces for women, and 30 for men.

Now that Rafael Nadal has unseated Roger Federer as the number one seed, he's shifting into hot brand status, complete with a new look. Say goodbye to pirate pants and sleeveless tank. Since taking Federer at Wimbledon in July, the baseliner's management team is wasting no time in marketing his mojo in a brand new wrapper. "It is fair to say that it is more mature," says a Nike spokesman about his new toggery to be unveiled at the US Open. The company says that while the new outfits are more conservative, they will continue to reflect the Spaniard's colorful style.

Go for the tennis, stay for the food. Keeping with the tradition of delectable eats at the US Open, Tony Montuano of Spiagga fame is making a concession grand-slam with Wine Bar Food. The menu is filled with prosciutto and grana, shaved artichokes, burrata and flamed shrimp with ouzo, not to mention reds and whites from Italy. Go early and often, the Wine Food Bar closes when the Open does.

Now that the Olympics are done, and we're about to plunge into two weeks of political potshots, let's take a deep breath and relax with some tennis. The US Open kicks off today; back in June, I addressed the simmering battle of court togs between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. New York magazine is still writing about it, which is fine. But what's finer is the mag's historical timeline of tennis fashion. I like to think I know my tennis, but I was schooled -- in 1528, King Henry VIII built a court and commissioned the first known tennis uniforms.

Lacoste celebrated its 75th anniversary last week, and the occasion triggered some fond childhood memories: I called him Uncle Vin. And whether visiting him at his Palm Beach (Florida) house or back home in Rye (New York), one thing was certain -- I'd be walking away with new Lacoste tennis togs. And it was Uncle Vin, actually the uncle of my friend's mother, who introduced the iconic Lacoste knit shirts to America. According to the New York Times, in 1950, a friend of his, tennis player Billy Talbert asked Uncle Vin -- a.k.a. Vincent Draddy -- to look at some shirts designed by Rene Lacoste, the one-time French tennis star (Lacoste had been nicknamed ''the crocodile,'' and his shirts bore an embroidered likeness on the left breast).

You can almost hear the ratings fall. While Federer and Nadal battle it out over fashion and style, sad news has already swept over Wimbledon as word got out that Maria Sharapova will be trading in her trademark mini tennis skirt for -- sigh -- plain old tennis shorts. In the past she's pulled a few odd fashion moves (like diamond-encrusted sneakers), but this simple twist dampens one of her greatest fan assets: her long legs. Sure, Sharapova will be playing outfitted in Tiffany jewelry, though who really notices that sort of thing? "I'm going with the traditional shorts, believe it or not," Sharapova told the AFP. "I've never worn shorts at a Grand Slam. I'm gonna be debuting that. Call it menswear, obviously. It's kind of like a tuxedo look, very simple lines, classic." Yeah, classically lame!

As Wimbledon kicks off today, a style war is breaking out on the tennis courts pitting Roger Federer's traditional preppy style against Rafael Nadal's swarthy pirate look. "Roger is so distinguished-looking," one-time Wimbledon champion and BBC Wimbledon commentator Virginia Wade tells the Guardian. "So refined. His hair is always perfect, his clothes are always elegant." Nadal's look "is a little bit more of a rebel", says Wade.