Tennis stars and their pets

When Serena Williams won the Madrid Masters women’s singles, it wasn’t her trophy but her ‘trophy dog’ – the adorable little Chip – who got the most attention.
Turns out, Serena isn’t the only tennis player who can’t stay apart from her better doggie half, whether on the field or off it. Here are some other sports pooches to awww at!
Andy Roddick and Billy Jean
The English bulldog, who’s namesake is tennis legend Billie Jean King, is a natural poser.Andy’s wife Brooklyn Decker revealed on Twitter that Billie was smiling a 100-watt smile in the pic below since he was excited about Andy’s retirement!
Andy Murray’s dogs – Maggie may and Rusty
When they aren’t being ridiculously cute while wearing Andy’s Olympic medals or fighting over his socks, these border terriers serve as a bonding factor between the tennis player and his girlfriend Kim Sears. Just like Djokovic’s Pierre, the two have their own Twitter account. And get this – the two cuties even have their own passport so they can travel with Murray and were recently granted VIP access to players-only areas at the Miami Open, besided being issued ‘official credentials’!
Serena and her pooches
Besides Chip, the Yorkshire Terrier, Serena has two dogs – Jackie (right, on a bicycle trip with Serena) and Lorelei (posing above in a flowery dress for a Twitter photo-op). She’s admitted in recent interviews that she takes the dogs everywhere she goes, including matches.
Novak Djokovic and Pierre
This poodle has shared a Vogue magazine cover with Djokovic, besides having his own Twitter account, where he plots “world domination”. So attached is the tennis player to Pierre that he was said to be devastated when Pierre was denied entry to the UK during Wimbledon in 2011. Don’t worry, he got in the end.
Maria Sharapova and Dolce
Being an Olympic silver-medallist’s pooch has its pluses. And that doesn’t just include a fancy name like Dolce de Leche. It also means a ticket to stardom, with some mutt called Beowolf playing your role in an ad film with Sharapova.
Venus Williams and Harold
Both the Williams sisters not only have a soft corner for their dogs, but are attached by the hip to their mutts. Harold even works out with Venus. She gushed about the pooch during a 2010 US Open promotional clip, “You’re out there on your own and you need a friend who’s there for you – wins, losses – and who really cares for you. I’ve recently found that someone, and that’s Harold. Whether I win or lose, Harold doesn’t know. He doesn’t even like tennis. He just waits for me to get off the court.”