CDGS22
Feb 20th, 2006, 09:49 PM
I found this on Peter Bodo's Tennis Blog...
"It wasn’t utter, total, nuclear, bi-partite humiliation, though. It turns out that Maria recognized Jon right off the bat and came over and asked if he was still writing for Tennis. They had a pleasant chat, and he learned that Yuri, The Man of Many Languages (who can forget that famous cry of “Vamos” issued at the Australian Open?) was off skiing in Austria, and Mrs. Sharapova was back in Los Angeles, uninterested in accompanying her daughter to Dubai. Maria was spending the night of the Crobar party in a New York hotel and leaving first thing in the morning for Dubai.
I wonder what the real deal is with Maria’s mom, Yelena. It isn’t just that she's not around a lot, it like she avoids Yuri like the plague. Not that the idea doesn't have merit, but doesn’t anyone else find it weird that you never see them together?
I asked Jon about this. He’s done a lot of work with Maria and her former coach Robert Lansdorp, and he could recall only one occasion when Yuri and Yelena were demonstrably in the same county (heaven forbid they ever show up in the same Players’ Box at a tournament). And on that occasion, Jon recalls that they didn’t exchange two words. Yelena just sat high in the bleachers beside some tennis court where a photo shoot involving Maria was in progress, while Yuri did his usual on-court meddling.
It's funny, a lot of tennis parents who were basically estranged from each other at least put on more of a front - for the sake of their kid(s) if nothing else. Really, to never be seen in the same box at one of Maria's many highlight moments?
It makes me feel sympathy for Maria. How could it not? Look at role of the basic tennis mom. She's a ubiquitious, reliable presence and source of emotional support, whether or not she's involved in the coaching (think Oracene Williams, Esther Seles, Melanie Molitor, Denise Capriati - the list is as endless as it is distinguished).
Girls typically want to please daddy above all other things, but it's usually mommy who provides the uncritical, non-judgmental support. So what does Maria get stuck with at so many critical moments in her career? Jet-setting ski bum and “Vamos!” shouter Yuri. No wonder you can see steel in this girl, and marvel at her frequent stand-offishness." :confused:
What do you guys think.
"It wasn’t utter, total, nuclear, bi-partite humiliation, though. It turns out that Maria recognized Jon right off the bat and came over and asked if he was still writing for Tennis. They had a pleasant chat, and he learned that Yuri, The Man of Many Languages (who can forget that famous cry of “Vamos” issued at the Australian Open?) was off skiing in Austria, and Mrs. Sharapova was back in Los Angeles, uninterested in accompanying her daughter to Dubai. Maria was spending the night of the Crobar party in a New York hotel and leaving first thing in the morning for Dubai.
I wonder what the real deal is with Maria’s mom, Yelena. It isn’t just that she's not around a lot, it like she avoids Yuri like the plague. Not that the idea doesn't have merit, but doesn’t anyone else find it weird that you never see them together?
I asked Jon about this. He’s done a lot of work with Maria and her former coach Robert Lansdorp, and he could recall only one occasion when Yuri and Yelena were demonstrably in the same county (heaven forbid they ever show up in the same Players’ Box at a tournament). And on that occasion, Jon recalls that they didn’t exchange two words. Yelena just sat high in the bleachers beside some tennis court where a photo shoot involving Maria was in progress, while Yuri did his usual on-court meddling.
It's funny, a lot of tennis parents who were basically estranged from each other at least put on more of a front - for the sake of their kid(s) if nothing else. Really, to never be seen in the same box at one of Maria's many highlight moments?
It makes me feel sympathy for Maria. How could it not? Look at role of the basic tennis mom. She's a ubiquitious, reliable presence and source of emotional support, whether or not she's involved in the coaching (think Oracene Williams, Esther Seles, Melanie Molitor, Denise Capriati - the list is as endless as it is distinguished).
Girls typically want to please daddy above all other things, but it's usually mommy who provides the uncritical, non-judgmental support. So what does Maria get stuck with at so many critical moments in her career? Jet-setting ski bum and “Vamos!” shouter Yuri. No wonder you can see steel in this girl, and marvel at her frequent stand-offishness." :confused:
What do you guys think.