Diamonds and sports mix well - they provide a unique combination of glitz and glamour, especially when worn by successful sports stars to parties and other off-court events. But where the noble game of tennis is concerned, diamonds mix even better. Recently, major league tournaments have added diamond-set trophies to their attractive prize lists.

The most famous is the Proximus Diamond Games, a professional tennis tournament held since 2002 during the beginning of February in Antwerp, Belgium.The Diamond Games offer a very special trophy: probably the most expensive tennis racquet in the world - a golden racquet decorated with diamonds for the player who wins the tournament three times in five years. The racquet's value is estimated at 1 million Euros.

Had American Venus Williams entered the tournament in 2006, she might have won this unique prize, as she won the 2002 and 2003 games, but she pulled out two days before the start of the competition. Belgian Kim Clijsters claimed the winner's title in 2004, but since her recent announcement of withdrawal from professional tennis, there is minimal chance of her winning the diamond-set racquet. The player to finally win the trophy was Frenchwoman Amélie Mauresmo, in 2007. She received the racquet after winning the tournament for a third year in a row.

Another event celebrating the sport of tennis with shining diamonds was the Australian Open. The tournament sent the Grand Slam's American winners James Blake and Serena Williams back to the US in 2003 with a pair of champagne-colored, diamond-studded tennis balls worth $50,000 apiece.

So sports and diamonds definitely mix well - especially when it comes to tennis. Other sports might be well advised to consider adopting this trend, and offering diamond-set basketballs, baseball bats, etc. A move like this could do wonders for players' motivation!

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