By Nick McCarvel

Emirates Flies Into French Open: Welcome aboard to Paris! Emirates Airlines, the Middle East-based global carrier, has been newly named the official partner of Roland Garros as of Tuesday, the company signing on for a five-year deal beginning at next month's tournament. Emirates called the move a "natural extension" of its tennis sponsorship portfolio, which also includes the Italian Open, the US Open, the BNP Paribas Open and the Rogers Cup in Canada. Branding for the airline will appear on courtside panels on Philippe Chatrier Court while a private lounge will be added on the grounds as well as courtside box seats and a welcome area in the RG Lab, a fan zone.
 
Swee-der Threads? This means that Tomas Berdych will be competing in downhill skiing in Sochi next February, right? Swedish-based H&M, who recently acquired the tennis star as its client (though the reviews of his kits have been so-so to say the least) will outfit the winter and summer Olympic teams for Sweden, marking a continued leap into sportswear (also: David Beckham's "bodywear" line for H&M) for the company. H&M, the second-biggest apparel retailer in the world, will design both the competition kits for Swedish athletes as well as leisure and training outfits.
 
Serena Strikes a Pose: The Internet blew up Tuesday with paparazzi images of Serena Williams posing for a photoshoot on Miami Beach. But what was it for, exactly? That's unclear. Williams was on the cover of Vogue for their Olympics issue last summer, so that's out of the question. Perhaps Vanity Fair? In any case, tabloid-happy The Sun said Serena struggled striking a sexy pose. We'll let you be the judge of that.
 
Milosmania: Forget hockey, Canadians are going gaga over tennis. Milos Raonic told reporters in Monte Carlo earlier this week that the support and coverage of Canada's Davis Cup win over Italy two weeks ago was a sign things are on the up for the sport in his country. "To get the kind of recognition we did as a team, and myself, has been pretty spectacular," Raonic said. "Getting pretty much every newspaper in the country the front page, giving us a lot of attention for tennis, which I think will help the sport grow, which is a very important thing to me." Throw in Eugenie Bouchard's blossoming career and you've got yourself a smash hit!
 
Quickest Hits
Legendary commentator Pat Sumerall, who called the US Open for years, is dead at 82. | Frenchman Benoit Pair, who refused to shake compatriot Michael Llodra's hand after the two got in a verbal argument on court in Miami last month, said he's pretty bummed out by the way things transpired. "I was very sad because of this," he said in Monte Carlo. But: "I don't want to change my personality." Oh, those stubborn Frenchies. | The New Zealand-Pakistan Davis Cup spat is officially longer than the Isner-Mahut Wimbledon match. Really, fellas? | The US Men's Clay Court Championships did a stellar job of capturing the traditional champions' jump into the River Oaks Country Club pool on video. Check out John Isner, John Peers and Jamie Murray all making a splash on the tournament's Facebook page. | How cool is technology in tennis? We can now track service direction, point of return contact and much, much more. You guys... that's awessssssome! | Cincinnati is reviewing its security policies in light of the Boston Marathon bombings, including the Western & Southern Masters event held in August. | "Hunky" Australian Adam Scott, who won the Masters over the weekend, is supposedly being sought after by everyone in the world - the marketing world, that is. ABC reportedly has reached out to his team to see if Scott with be on The Bachelor (sure, why not?). While his team wouldn't confirm that rumor, it did confirm he and Ana Ivanovic are done-zo. But didn't we know that months ago? | The rich and fashionable of Houston were out in force at last week's Clay Court Championships. Would we expect a different crowd?

(Photo Credit: http://www.thesun.co.uk)