Roddick and Sharapova deny romance

Wow, so now they are denying they are together, even though they reportedly vacationed together! Why deny this now, when the past few weeks have been "no comment"? Why not deny it then?

Maria Sharapova walked purposefully onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court in an elegant black Audrey Hepburn cocktail dress adorned with shiny crystal beads. Where was the party?

Andy Roddick wore a black collared shirt when he followed her onto the showcase court a little more than an hour later.

They say that after a while, couples tend to look alike. But Sharapova and Roddick would first have to consider themselves a couple. They denied that they were any more than friends who happen to travel in the same tennis circles.

But last night they were in the same place at the same time, playing very much alike — that is to say, fiercely and efficiently, blistering a combined 31 aces past their flat-footed opponents.

In her first-round match at the United States Open — moved from Tuesday night because of rain — the third-seeded Sharapova dispatched 17-year-old Michaella Krajicek, 6-3, 6-0, in 59 minutes. In his second-round match, the ninth-seeded Roddick eliminated Kristian Pless, a qualifier from Denmark, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3, in 91 minutes.

Perhaps they had somewhere better to be. It was, after all, Roddick’s 24th birthday.

“Is it his birthday?” Sharapova said after her match. “I had no idea.”

She left the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center before Roddick’s match ended, but not before responding to a direct question about whether she and Roddick were dating.

“You know what, I really don’t talk about my personal life,” she said. “When two tennis players know each other and are friends, and are known around the world, people are going to talk. That’s exactly what’s happening.”

Rodapova is far harder to photograph than, say, Brangelina. If they are not the It couple of tennis, then they are certainly the most intriguing “just friends” pair. They have reportedly been sighted in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and at the W Hotel in Midtown before the Open.

“We are not dating,” Roddick said. “I’ve said it a million times already, but you guys refuse to write it. We’re friendly. We’re in the same places. I think she’s a great girl. We’ll talk. You know, that’s about it.”

Their denials aside, there was a palpable buzz in the stadium last night. That is because their games are surging at the same time.

Although they have only one major championship each to go with their endorsements, they have won this summer, Roddick in Cincinnati and Sharapova in Los Angeles. NY Times