Maria Sharapova The Princess of Tennis
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Showing posts with label Maria Sharapova. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maria Sharapova. Show all posts
Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Maria SharapovaTennis superstar Maria Sharapova is hoping that her week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will provide the springboard to set her firmly back on the road to the top of the game.
Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free is looking forward to welcoming Sharapova back to Dubai after a lengthy absence from the tournament.
“Maria is one of the true champions of the game and is highly sought after by every tournament in the world” stated McLoughlin. “We are thrilled that she is now free of her injury troubles and is able to join us once again at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” he added.
The glamorous Russian has struggled to recapture the form that took her to number one in the world and three Grand Slam titles, after a serious shoulder injury took her off the WTA tour for nine frustrating months and dropped her out of the world’s top 100. But although she has struggled since returning to the game she is happy to be playing at all.
“My body feels the best it has in a long time and I am confident that my results will keep improving. I am playing Fed Cup and then Paris before coming to Dubai, so I have a nice schedule coming up,” said Sharapova.
Last season was a successful one for the world’s highest earning woman athlete, as she won titles in Memphis and Strasbourg and reached the final of three further events in Birmingham, Stanford and Cincinnati. Now she is ready to take a further step back to where she knows she belongs.
“My ambitions are still very much there. I’ve been a competitive girl ever since I was pretty much born. I love the sport. Whether it’s a loss or a win, I try to move on from that and build on it,” she said.
As for Sharapova’s thoughts on Dubai, the Russian star reckoned: “I am looking forward to playing in Dubai again. It is such a great city and I have some really good memories from playing there.
“I remember many years ago doing a shoot at an indoor skiing facility. That was really cool. I think it was the first indoor skiing place in the world. I loved it.
“I have never had the chance to visit Dubai just for fun unfortunately, as we have such busy schedules during the season, but after my career it will definitely be on my list,” she added.
Sharapova will face the strongest possible challenge as she seeks to go one stage further than she did on her previous trip to Dubai in 2006, when she defeated Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport before falling in the final to Justine Henin.
She joins a field that includes an incredible eight of the world’s top 10 players, including number one Caroline Wozniacki, French Open winner Francesca Schiavone, Australian Open finalist Li Na, Russian number one Vera Zvonareva and top Australian Samantha Stosur.
“Dubai has a long history having all the top players, so I am not surprised that they have another great field,” she said.
Tickets to see Sharapova in action are still available through www.timeouttickets.com and at the Dubai Tennis Stadium box office. And fans will have plenty to look forward to.
“I think my fans will see very much the same Maria, someone who is going to fight for every point and have a nice Nike outfit on,” said the popular Russian.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is held under the patronage of His Higness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Play begins on February 14 with the WTA Tour event and continues with the ATP tournament from February 21 that includes Australian Open and reigning Dubai champion Novak Djokovic, four-time Dubai winner Roger Federer and Australian Open finalist Andy Murray.
Maria Sharapova Sexy Tennis Stars
Maria SharapovaNew York, USA - Maria Sharapova insists she's more about substance than style, and now she has a second Grand Slam title to prove it. Her strokes as piercing as her shrieks by the end, the third-seeded Sharapova beat No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 Saturday night to win the U.S. Open final.
Sharapova burst onto the tennis — and endorsement — scene by winning Wimbledon in 2004 at age 17. She'd come close to adding more major championships since but went 0-5 in Slam semifinals — until this tournament.
When Henin-Hardenne, a finalist at all four majors this year, slapped one last forehand into the net, Sharapova dropped to her knees and covered her face, then rose and trotted to shake hands. Then Sharapova hopped up and down, looking for the first time all night like any other teen.
She climbed into the stands, losing her way briefly until being helped by an usher, for hugs with her father and her hitting partner, who've been sending her signals during matches about when to drink water or eat bananas.
But Sharapova needed very little help on court against Henin-Hardenne, a five-time major champion who would have returned to No. 1 in the rankings with a victory.
In the men's final Sunday, No. 1 Roger Federer will be bidding for his ninth career Grand Slam title when he takes on No. 9 Andy Roddick, aiming for his second.
In contrast to Henin-Hardenne, in more traditional tennis attire topped by a white ballcap, Sharapova wore her night-match getup, a black, cocktail dress-type number replete with a sparkled collar, accessorized with silver shoes and dangling earrings. Sharapova says the look is inspired by "Breakfast at Tiffany's," but the guess here is Audrey Hepburn never had a sponsor's swoosh on her outfit.
Sharapova makes about $20 million a year from endorsement deals, and she signed a "lifetime" contract with her racket maker shortly before the U.S. Open began.
In the final's second game, a man's voice came from the sellout crowd of 23,712, screaming the tag line from Sharapova's oft-played current TV ad: "I feel pretty!"
In the commercial, that tune is sung by various people as Sharapova walks out onto court for a match. The punch line: Sharapova swings her racket and lets out one of her trademark shrieks.
Those high-pitched screams were muted at the start of the match, but within a few games, Sharapova was wailing as loudly as ever. Not that Henin-Hardenne was silent, punctuating points won by letting out, "Allez!"
Sharapova won the coin toss and elected to receive, then went out and stood right at the baseline while Henin-Hardenne hit practice serves at the end of the warmup session. Picture Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter getting to take batting practice against Red Sox starter Curt Schilling — it just doesn't happen in other sports.
Perhaps Sharapova noticed something, because she immediately earned two break points in the match's opening game. Henin-Hardenne saved both, then broke for a 2-0 edge with the aid of two double-faults by Sharapova.
But Sharapova broke right back — one free point came on a double-fault — and in the process came up with the shot of the evening: a half-volley drop winner to close a 10-stroke exchange.
After her own early loss of serve, Sharapova buckled down in that regard: She didn't face a break point the rest of the match.
Pretty impressive against a player of Henin-Hardenne's caliber. The Belgian entered the night leading all women in matches won (54), Grand Slam matches won (25) and tournament titles (five).
Henin-Hardenne finally succumbed to Sharapova's power and relentless shotmaking. At 3-3 in the third set came the final, key break of serve, after Henin-Hardenne led 40-15. She missed two backhands and double-faulted; after saving one break point, she set up another by sailing a forehand long. Under pressure from Sharapova's groundstrokes, Henin-Hardenne dumped a forehand into the net, making it 4-3. Sharapova yelled "Come on!" and jogged to the changeover.
"Come on!" from someone born in Siberia? Well, Sharapova has made her home in Florida since she was 7. After trying to call someone with her cellphone while waiting for the trophy ceremony, Sharapova leaned forward in her chair and said, "This is crazy!"
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Sharapova began climbing the ranks in the World Tennis Association (WTA), earning her first tournament title in Japan in 2003. Her crowning moment came in 2004, when she won Wimbledon at a mere 17 year of age, solidifying a consistent spot in the top five. Off the court she is known for her looks. She often takes modeling jobs and works on her endorsements, the likes of which include Motorola, Canon and Honda Japan. The attractive six-foot-tall blond often draws comparisons to fellow Russian tennis-pro-turned-model Anna Kournikova, but her skills on the court are what set the two apart.
In just the past two years she has become the poster child for women's tennis. Billboards promoting the sport feature giant images of Sharapova as "Maria Mania" sweeps the globe. She has become the top-draw in the sport, ushering in a new era of rising stars and helping to broaden the field after years of Williams sisters' dominance. 2005 finds Sharapova on pace to take in over $20 million, most of which will come from her endorsements--the most recent a three-year $6 million deal with Colgate-Palmolive. But it is tennis where her focus lies. She carries with her a streak of 17 straight wins on grass heading into Wimbledon 2005, where she will defend her 2004 championship at the prestigious event.
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Tennis fans in Auckland will have the chance to get up close to Maria Sharapova before and during her time at the ASB Classic.
The Russian star will be the biggest name to play in the Auckland WTA tennis tournament and her presence in the country won't just be followed by those passionate about tennis.
On Thursday, December 30, it's hoped Sharapova and other players from the Classic will take part in a speed serve event and autograph session at the Viaduct in Auckland in the afternoon.
This is likely to be the only activity Sharapova will undertake outside the tennis stadium. But she will be doing autograph sessions during the tournament as well as meeting sponsors.
The finishing touches are being put together for the details of Sharapova's time in New Zealand, with tournament director Richard Palmer saying the world No18 and her representatives have been happy to help out with promotional activities.
"We started off with nothing and we've been able to stretch it out to a couple of sessions with sponsors and an autograph session or two, so that's pretty good," Palmer told Sunday News.
"It depends on how she's going in the tournament and how she's feeling but we could approach her to do other things, although she's not obliged to."
Palmer, who was also tournament director in 2001 when Anna Kournikova came to the Classic, says the build up to January dwarfs what happened nine years ago.
"It's bigger than Kournikova, there's no doubt about that," he said.
"There have been some weird people coming out of the woodwork with reasons they should meet her.
"People have been ringing me with things they think they should be able to do with her. There have been some weird and wonderful ones."
Part of the security team at the tournament will be solely focused on Sharapova and will be with her throughout her time in New Zealand.
"That's something we've done before with players and it depends on how comfortable they feel as to whether the security backs off a bit," Palmer said. "They'll be discreet, if necessary, or up front.
"She might decide after a day or two she doesn't need security with her for some things.
"Obviously, we're not going to be taking any risks because of her profile and given some of the weird phone calls and emails I've had from people who think that they should meet her, we have to be very careful with this sort of thing."
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Tickets for the tournament are selling fast but are still available.
Meanwhile, two of the wildcards for the Classic will go to New Zealanders Marina Erakovic and Sacha Jones.
Other New Zealanders will be in the qualifying tournament, which is already looking like containing a couple of hidden gems.
Germany's Sabine Lisiki is expected to make the trip to Auckland. Lisiki made it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last year but lost a large chunk of her ranking points over the back half of this year because of an ankle injury to take her down to 175 in the world from a career high of 22.
Compatriot Anna-lena Groenefeld, who made it to No14 in the world in 2006 is also expected to enter qualifying for the Classic.
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The Russian star will be the biggest name to play in the Auckland WTA tennis tournament and her presence in the country won't just be followed by those passionate about tennis.
On Thursday, December 30, it's hoped Sharapova and other players from the Classic will take part in a speed serve event and autograph session at the Viaduct in Auckland in the afternoon.
This is likely to be the only activity Sharapova will undertake outside the tennis stadium. But she will be doing autograph sessions during the tournament as well as meeting sponsors.
The finishing touches are being put together for the details of Sharapova's time in New Zealand, with tournament director Richard Palmer saying the world No18 and her representatives have been happy to help out with promotional activities.
"We started off with nothing and we've been able to stretch it out to a couple of sessions with sponsors and an autograph session or two, so that's pretty good," Palmer told Sunday News.
"It depends on how she's going in the tournament and how she's feeling but we could approach her to do other things, although she's not obliged to."
Palmer, who was also tournament director in 2001 when Anna Kournikova came to the Classic, says the build up to January dwarfs what happened nine years ago.
"It's bigger than Kournikova, there's no doubt about that," he said.
"There have been some weird people coming out of the woodwork with reasons they should meet her.
"People have been ringing me with things they think they should be able to do with her. There have been some weird and wonderful ones."
Part of the security team at the tournament will be solely focused on Sharapova and will be with her throughout her time in New Zealand.
"That's something we've done before with players and it depends on how comfortable they feel as to whether the security backs off a bit," Palmer said. "They'll be discreet, if necessary, or up front.
"She might decide after a day or two she doesn't need security with her for some things.
"Obviously, we're not going to be taking any risks because of her profile and given some of the weird phone calls and emails I've had from people who think that they should meet her, we have to be very careful with this sort of thing."
Ad Feedback
Tickets for the tournament are selling fast but are still available.
Meanwhile, two of the wildcards for the Classic will go to New Zealanders Marina Erakovic and Sacha Jones.
Other New Zealanders will be in the qualifying tournament, which is already looking like containing a couple of hidden gems.
Germany's Sabine Lisiki is expected to make the trip to Auckland. Lisiki made it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last year but lost a large chunk of her ranking points over the back half of this year because of an ankle injury to take her down to 175 in the world from a career high of 22.
Compatriot Anna-lena Groenefeld, who made it to No14 in the world in 2006 is also expected to enter qualifying for the Classic.
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