UP FRONT... ->> - THE MODEL PRO...With DEUCE magazine making its debut in North America last week, the talk in the locker room is all about James Blake's modeling shoot. In a piece entitled "A Cut Above" Blake models clothes by many of the world's top fashion designers, and it hasn't gone unnoticed by his fellow professionals. "The guys are already making comments on that," said Blake. "The jokes are out there, and they're already giving me nicknames. The Spanish players are calling me 'Modelito,' and some are calling me 'GQ Guy.'" But for this rising young American star, it's all well-meaning banter and a side job as a model is something Blake would like to pursue. "It's things like this that make tennis funÖso when opportunities like this arise, you're never going to turn it down. I really liked the DKNY suede jacket, and I was asking whether they would miss it if I took it. But it was only a test model and they needed it back, so I would have been in big trouble if it disappeared. I liked it a lot so I went out and bought one." ->> - GAMBILL VISITS THE HOME OF THE KING...After reaching the semifinals of both singles and doubles in Memphis, JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL found time to sneak in a trip to Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion. Following his three-set win over RAINER SCHUETTLER, Gambill sped offsite at 3 p.m. for the stately mansion of the King, which closed at 4 p.m. Making the cross-town trip just in time he convinced the Graceland officials to keep the house open for a few additional minutes while he and his pals took in the decor. "My mom and dad always loved Elvis, so I've heard his music most of my life," said Gambill. "I think my favorite part was the Jungle Room. I'm about to start building a home in Spokane, Washington and I'd love to steal that furniture. But I'd probably leave behind the shag carpet." Gambill, whose favorite Presley song is Suspicious Minds, has been to the swank pad three times before, but took additional notice of Elvis' Trophy Room. "That's where you see how big his impact was...all those gold records and wild suits. He was definitely the King." ->> - UNDER THE KNIFE...GUSTAVO KUERTEN underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip on Tuesday. In a statement released by Kuerten, he said: "I had the surgery and it was a great success. I am resting now and I ask everyone to respect my quietness at this moment. Thanks for your cooperation and concern." TOURNAMENT TALES ->> - IN ACAPULCO...ATP CEO MARK MILES presented Acapulco Tournament Director LISETTE TREPAUD with an ATP Award of Excellence - 2001 Americas Region on Tuesday. The Abierto Mexicano Pegaso, which relocated from Mexico City last year, received the award for Best New Facility. The center court stadium has been further improved this year to hold 8000 fans...NICOLAS LAPENTTI was among several players to take a high-speed boat ride on Wednesday. Lapentti, MARIANO ZABALETA, DAVID NALBANDIAN, GALO BLANCO and ALBERT MONTANES took a 30-minute helicopter ride to the "Shot Over" power boat location. ->> - IN DUBAI...British No. 1 TIM HENMAN has proved his weight in gold time and time again over the last few years. And during his visit to the Dubai Tennis Championships this week, Henman served up a tray of gold worth $250,000 on the Dubai Duty Free shop floor at the Dubai International Airport. It was a busy day for Henman, who also met with assistant tournament director Salah Tahlak at a traditional Arabian tent before checking out some of the Mercedes and Porsche carsÖYOUNES EL AYNAOUI took time out from the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open to try his hand at wakeboarding in the surfing pool at the Wild Wadi water theme park in Jumeira, Dubai. COACHING CAROUSEL...PETE SAMPRAS has begun working with USTA coach Jose Higueras, the man who helped take Jim Courier to the year-end No. 1 spot in 1992. Higueras replaces Tom Gullikson, who began a trial period with the 13-time Grand Slam champion in December. MEDIA MONITOR...With some of the Spanish players calling James Blake "Modelito" after his shoot in DEUCE, former ATP employee David Law looked at some more nicknames on the ATP circuit for the UK's BBC Online. In an article called "What's in a Name?" Law spoke to "The Beast" MAX MIRNYI. Writes Law: "A mild-mannered, softly-spoken 24-year-old off the court, the Belarussian is more than happy to be known for his fierce nature on it. 'I don't mind a bit that I'm called the 'Beast',' said Mirnyi. 'It's a good presence to have and I believe it can have an intimidating effect on my opponents.'...At the US Open in 2000, they had a field day when Mirnyi reached the mixed doubles final with Anna Kournikova. 'They called us 'Beauty and the Beast',' said Mirnyi. 'Everyone relates to her as this sex symbol, and there she was with this big bear sitting next to her. Every time we went into the press room they would say, 'a question for Beauty, and now maybe the Beast can answer.'" DEUCE MAKES DEBUT...DEUCE, The Official Magazine of the ATP, hit the newsstands last week and is available for purchase online now at ATPtennis.com. It will be distributed at all North American ATP tournaments this season and sold at selected tennis pro shops and retailers including Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton and Books-a-Million. "DEUCE provides an in-depth look at men's tennis and many of the personalities on the ATP circuit," says Larry Scott, ATP COO and President of ATP Properties. In DEUCE, the superstars of world tennis are profiled by the biggest names in tennis journalism. Goran Ivanisevic invites Richard Evans to his home in Split to bask in his Wimbledon triumph while Tim Henman goes head-to-head with British journalist Barry Flatman in an exclusive interview. Sally Jenkins examines the dynamics of the Andre Agassi-Pete Sampras rivalry and you'll find profiles on Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Roger Federer. NEW PRESS SECTION ON ATP WEB SITE...The Press and Media section on ATPtennis.com has been given a new look for 2002, with easy-to-access ATP Champions Race, ESP and Prize Money standings, together with By the Numbers stats, ITW and ATP Insider archives, Media Guide downloads and Media Links. Check it out at: www.ATPtennis.com/en/media. SAY WHAT... "I think I worked a little harder for the one in Memphis. My arm didn't feel overly live." - Andy Roddick after hitting a 142mph serve in San Jose just a week after doing the same in Memphis. "My goal is certainly to make the Masters Cup and I've missed out the last couple of years, pretty close. The way the Race works you need to take advantage of those five other [International Series] tournaments and I've done well this year. Every week is a good opportunity and this week is no different." - Tim Henman in Dubai on his main objectives for 2002. "I don't feel old out of the court - I feel old when I'm pulling hairs out of my ears." - Andre Agassi after the three-set workout in San Jose.

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