COVER STORY: SEPTEMBER 2007

Maria Sharapova is sporting a new hairdo, which she calls a “tailored chic look,” and claims is the “shortest ponytail ever.” But she’s not long in the face and had a spark in her eye in San Diego after she was presented with a painting of her dog, Dulce, by the Children of Chernobyl Foundation, a group of kids who were visiting the Acura Classic and had a chance to talk with the Russian superstar.  Sharapova has had a difficult year, but nothing like many of the kids from Chernobyl, which after the explosion of a nuclear reactor in ‘86 has yet to recover. “To be involved in a project like this and knowing that it is so close to an area where I was born and I could have been affected, I’m fortunate I can breath out and give kids awareness that good things can happen,” the 20-year-old told IT. “In those areas, people are so negative because they think they are going to die in a few of months. It happened so long ago, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. So many kids are dying of lung cancer because it’s polluted and the radiation is terrible. One of my grandparents still lives in Gomil, Belarus, which is very close to one of the affected areas. I feel very fortunate. On a large scale, tennis is such a small dot. I’ve been through a lot emotionally this year, but there are kids in a lot worse positions.” As a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. Development Program and with her own foundation, Sharapova has raised and donated money to Chernobyl projects. But outside of providing funding and raising awareness, she’s adept at making personal contact with the youth who’re risk. “It’s like if your friend is in a bad mood because she broke up with her boyfriend,” Sharapova said. “All they need is good laughter, food and friends. It’s same thing for these kids — a little opportunity and a door opens. Those little smiles on their faces bring you tons of smiles.”

It hasn’t been a joyful season for Sharapova, off court or on. She has yet to win a title. In the three Grand Slams, she was blown out by Serena Williams in the Aussie Open final, beaten up by Ana Ivanovic in the French Open semis, and was taken down by Venus Williams in Wimbledon’s fourth round.  For a former No.1 and two-time Slam champion, that’s not good enough.

“When you are Grand Slam champion champ and achieve so much, people expect you to be up there and I expect it myself,” Sharapova said. “I know I’m capable of beating all the players and have done so before, so it’s a matter of doing it on a consistent basis...It’s been a up and down year for me. I’m riding the line and waiting for opportunity to set myself apart like I did last year.”

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In ‘06, she turned around her season during the U.S. Open Series, scoring her first big wins over nemesis Kim Clijsters in the Acura Classic final and then at the U.S. Open, dropkicking two others - Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin — who’d given her hell, to take the title.

Then, she was healthy, fleeter and without nagging injuries. Her legs didn’t tire easily, her upper body was strong and she able to combine high-octane offense with standout defense.  But after injuring her shoulder earlier this year, she hasn’t been able to sustain an ethereal level. Her serve has lost pop and with it, her confidence his gone down. But in returning to the summer swing where she had so much success, she might be able to string together enough wins to get her swagger back. She’s dealing with a minor foot injury and can’t seem to go two weeks without her shoulder aching, but she’s going to have to put it the pain aside if she’s to prosper in New York.

“When you are injured you don’t realize how happy you were to be healthy,” she said. “It sets a whole different bar, sets your mood, and sets your practice level. When something is bothering you start think of the future and what you need to do to get ready again.  After 10 good days of training, the foot thing came up and you can’t do anything. You’re stuck and instead of practicing, you’re on the massage table two more hours a day.”

Off court, she’s been pressed, too. In May, the mother of her coach, Michael Joyce, passed away, which was the first time as adult that she had to watch someone die and be in a supportive role.  And she got caught up in Russian Fed Cup maelstrom, which was partly her own doing.

She was named to the team twice this year, but on both occasions doctors advised her not to play. But few officials and players believed her and she was roasted for faking it and only pretending she wants to play so she could get a spot on next year’s Olympic Team. Some said the L.A. resident had become to Americanized and had no real interest in representing her nation of birth.

She says that she never told Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev that she would definitely play against the U.S, and only agreed to be tentatively be named to the team when Tarpishchev called her at Wimbledon.

“I’ve always been known to be honest,” Sharapova said.  “Why would I create fictional information? I take criticism good and bad and I respect it. I totally understand that my injury has created a big issue, but at the end of the day there aren’t a lot of top players who get far in Grand Slams and get ready and play Fed Cup. The scheduling is awful.”

Still, there are fences to be mended.

Nadia Petrova said that she, too, was begged on to the team and played hurt.  Anna Chakvetadze said she didn’t think that Sharapova will be on the team for the final. And to throw an additional wrench into the proceedings, Svetlana Kuznetsova told Petrova she wants back on the squad.  Neither Chakvetadze nor Petrova said that would have a problem if Sharapova were named to the team, but they weren’t exactly thrilled at the prospect either.

Sharapova gives folks a bewildered stare when asked why hasn’t chosen to play for the U.S, given that she’s lived in America since she’s been eight and almost all of her friends are American. She considers herself a Russian at heart, but her teammates still need convincing.

“I know my injury committed a huge problems,” said Sharapova.  “But what is most important is that we win. Whoever is playing the best should be chosen.”

Sharapova said that if you put it in a world perspective, these spats don’t matter.  She says that when she thinks about kids in Africa or kids from Chernobyl, her troubles seem insignificant.

But what is significant is perhaps her hair, and she may cut another few inches off her blonde mane.

“I like to change it up,” she said. “Maybe I’ll be Posh [Victoria Beckham] soon,” she said with a laugh.

With or without Posh’s asymmetrical “Pob” hairstyle, Sharapova is searching for the form that gave her the look of a dominant player last year. Any way she cuts it, she going to have to own the corners again if she going to fend off the fame’s powerhouses in New York.

 

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