The Hindu : Sport : 2007 could be a defining year

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Sunday, Jan 14, 2007
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2007 could be a defining year

Nirmal Shekar

The glamorous Sharapova is happy with her preparations for the Open

— Photo: AP

GORGEOUS: Top-seeded Maria Sharapova, a big attraction both on and off the court, is determined to do well at the Australian Open beginning on Monday.

Melbourne: With question marks looming over the careers of many of her peers in the higher reaches of the women's game, 2007 could well turn out to be a defining year in Maria Sharapova's life as a tennis player.

If everything goes well for her, it could be the sort of year that the Russian diva can proudly look back on long years from now and say that she boldly seized her moment when she saw it — the sort of year when she'd much rather shut out the distractions and concentrate on her game.

Fat chance that this is likely to happen; even the most reckless of gamblers would not bet on it.

Interesting interaction

Sample this, a juicy slice of the offering at a press conference on Saturday featuring Sharapova, the women's top seed in the Australian Open championship beginning on Monday:

Question: You were a little bit so-so fashion-wise last year. You were a big hit at the U.S. Open.

Sharapova: Fashion-wise? I am not doing Baby Doll anymore. Baby Doll has gone out of the window.

Question: What do you have in store here this year?

Sharapova: It's a pretty classy dress. It's like lemon chiffon colour, bottom of the dress. It is a little high-waisted. I tend to pay a lot of attention to detail. It is so weird talking fashion with a guy in a tennis conference. A few giggles earlier, she was asked if she can imagine quitting the game at age 24, something that Kim Clijsters has said she was going to do.

For heaven's sake, this woman is still in her teens! Sharapova doesn't turn 20 until April 19, 2007.

But, given the many, many years of growing up in public — a time during which she has good-humouredly dealt with every conceivable trivia question that has come her way — Sharapova wasn't exactly shocked to hear questions about retirement.

Other priorities too

"It's hard to think when you are going to stop," said the two-time Grand Slam singles champion. "I am definitely enjoying what I am doing right now. But there are a lot of other things in life than tennis. I want to have a family. I want to try other things in my career."

In a way, Sharapova is already doing that, juggling two or three careers — tennis pro, surrogate fashion model, A-list celebrity — with a high mega-watt smile that, in another era in the past, might have steered history in a different direction.

Then again, goal No.1 next fortnight is to try and win the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. And Sharapova is happy with her preparation.

"I have been in two semis here and I am ready to take it to the next level," said Sharapova. "Confidence certainly helps. One of the other things which is most important is that I am healthy."

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