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** Masha News and Articles! ** Vol. 3

391K views 6K replies 244 participants last post by  tejmeglekvár 
#1 ·
Hi everyone :wavey:

Thought maybe we could use a thread here to post all the news, interviews, and articles we find on Masha. :)

I just got my new Tennis Week magazine and Maria is on the cover again (she was also on the March cover). :eek:

If they haven't been posted already, I'll scan in the pics and article and post them here later.
 
#566 ·
Moscow Times: Q&A: Sharapova's First Business Aims for the Sweet Spot

For her first truly independent venture outside of a tennis court, Maria Sharapova is relying on familiar tools: high heels, her cover-girl lips, and neon green tennis balls.

But she's not starting a designer-shoe or lipstick brand, nor is she opening a tennis school. Instead, the budding entrepreneur and four-time Grand Slam winner has turned these parts of her golden image into shapes for a line of premium, bite-sized chewy candy.

For someone known for her punishing ground strokes on the tennis court and elegant style on the red carpet, candy was not an obvious choice for a first foray into business. But all the pieces came together.

"When I moved to the United States, I was about 7 years old, and I went to a movie theater and found a huge collection of gummy candies," Sharapova said in a phone interview, speaking from Los Angeles on Saturday, a day after her 26th birthday. "I'd never seen anything like it in Russia. I was fascinated by the idea, and the first thing I thought was: 'I can't wait for my friends to see something like this!'"

"When the name Sugarpova came about in a meeting a few years ago, I felt like it was fun and young," she said. "Then I put candy and that together, and that's kind of how it started."

Colorful packages of the sweets, which come in 12 varieties including Flirty (pieces shaped like sets of full, pursed lips), Chic (gummy handbags and high-heeled shoes), and Spooky Sour (sugar-coated spiders) first went on sale in the U.S. last year and have since entered stores in five other countries, including Britain and Japan. Sharapova arrives in Moscow on Monday for an event at the high-end Lotte Plaza shopping mall to mark the start of sales in Russia.

Born in the Siberian town of Nyagan, Sharapova spent her early childhood in Sochi, which she described as "the most beautiful place in the world." She has relatives who still live in Russia and said the local market was on her radar for Sugarpova from the outset.

"I think Russians appreciate quality very much," Sharapova said. "We all know that they like brands and they like names, but at the end of the day, I think they're very good at differentiating what's a good product and what's not a good product."

Sharapova spoke in English with the faintest of Russian accents but with the openness and geniality Americans are known for.

Being a Sochi native and a Russian Olympian - at the 2012 Summer Games in London, she became the first female flag-bearer for the Russian squad and won the silver medal in women's singles - she is particularly excited about the 2014 Winter Games, and not just because she's proud that they'll be in her hometown.

"I remember coming here [to the U.S.] and people would ask me where I'm from, and I'd say, 'I'm from Sochi,'" she said. "No one had a clue in the world where that was, and I would say, 'Oh my gosh, you haven't heard of Sochi?'"

"You have the Black Sea and the mountains, and I was talking about this for so long. When we got the Olympics, that was the first thing I thought of: I'm so happy because I will no longer have to tell people what that city is all about. They'll have a chance to see it soon themselves."

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Why did you choose candy for your first business?
A: Over the course of many years, I've been really fortunate to work with and be a part of many collaborations, whether it's creating a collection for Nike or working with Cole Haan on shoes and bags or working on marketing ideas with TAG Heuer. So I've played a very small part in brands' overall performance.

But I realized that I wanted to own something where, in the end, I was the one making the decisions that came with a little pressure, or, not a little, but a lot! And I really wanted to own something that was financially mine as well.

It took over two years to work on and create, which is maybe a little bit longer than other brands, but I wanted to make sure that everything was done right in terms of what our products stood for.

Q: I've heard that you have a sweet tooth. What kinds of sugary treats are your favorite?
A: As a professional athlete, I've always had to find the right time for sweets. But those were the little rewards I would give myself. When I was younger, at the end of a practice, I would always ask my parents to buy me a little something sweet, like a lollipop back in Russia.

Q: Are you able to harness your grit and determination from the tennis court in the business world?
A: There are very different kinds of businesses, and the one similarity between the candy company and tennis is the competitiveness. I want this to be the best gummy brand in the world. When I thought about the idea, I did a lot of Internet research on candies, and I asked my friends: "What's your favorite gummy candy?" They would never mention a brand name. They would only name, for instance, the shape, like "Oh, that round one" or "bears" or "little worms." I thought that was really interesting, because not one person told me a specific brand of candy, and I felt like there was a huge opportunity there.

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to do business in Russia?
A: We first launched Sugarpova in the States, but Russia was a big target of mine. I think Russians appreciate quality very much. We all know that they like brands and they like names, but at the end of the day, I think they're very good at differentiating what's a good product and what's not a good product. Maybe they'll buy it once when it's not a good product, but they realize it, and they're not going to be repeat customers.

So it was important that we didn't go out and try to push our candy into the country. It was the market from Russia that came to us and wanted our product because of how they saw it. We launched in the States and Australia, and then Russia asked for it.

Q: What advice would you give to young Russians interested in starting a business?
A: For me, it was important to create a story that was mine about my brand and what I wanted it to stand for, the qualities it represented. I think that's really important, because when you have an idea and you bring it into the world, you get many people's opinions on it, and it can represent different things in their eyes. But I think you have to carry your vision no matter what, through the good and the bad, especially when you're young and coming up.

I'm successful in what I do as a tennis player, but am I a candy connoisseur? Absolutely not. I had to learn through the process of creating the brand. I had to gain knowledge and experience to get myself to the position where I am now, where stores around the world want to carry my candy.

I had no idea that it would do so well in the beginning; I thought it would take a lot more time. But I think we were really helped by the fact that I knew what this brand represented: I wanted it to be a premium candy brand, from the quality of the products to the packaging and the way it's represented. It was special, and I wouldn't let anyone tell me otherwise.

Q: Being a prominent Russian and playing for the national team, do you feel pressure to help improve Russia's image abroad?
A: I've never really felt pressure, because I was born there and I'm very proud of where I come from. I still have a lot of family there, and I represent my country on a daily basis. I love so many different aspects of Russia, from the culture to the strength of the people and how they get through difficult situations; I think that's a really unique quality.

I'm surrounded by foreign people and Americans because I'm based in the U.S., because of my tennis. But when I'm home and I'm around my parents and when I speak to my grandparents, I still feel like Russia plays a very big part in my life and in my heart. And do I feel a responsibility to play for my country? Absolutely, even though I left at a very young age.

Q: Do you have any ideas for how the U.S. and Russia could improve ties?
A: I think that's so beyond what I do. I'm such a small part of that, and honestly, whatever I say doesn't matter at the end of the day for the millions of people who live in both countries.

Q: So I'm guessing that means you're not interested in getting into politics like your compatriot Marat Safin has in Russia?
A: Yeah, I stay out of that, too! I don't see that in my future. I'm much more in the creative design area than I am in politics.

Q: Who are your role models?
A: That's a tough one. I never really grew up having many role models, in or out of sport. When a little girl comes up to me and says, "I want to be just like you," I think, "Oh, that's great, but I think you should want to be better than me!" I admire people's strengths, and I admire people's actions that I believe are good or right, but I don't think one person is good at everything.

Q: Can you describe a challenge or problem you've faced in your life and how you solved it?
A: In my tennis career, my biggest challenge was a shoulder injury I went through when I was 21 years old. It is quite rare for a tennis player to have that type of injury and to have that surgery on the shoulder when you're that young. I was out of the game for nine months. That was a big challenge, because I had already won a few Grand Slams, and I could've quit the sport.

But I wanted it back. I wanted those great moments of winning a Grand Slam final. I wanted to experience that again. That really kept me going and made me realize what was important to me.
 
#567 ·
Pete Bodo about Masha on clay

Doing the Dirty Work

To borrow a familiar phrase, Maria Sharapova made her money the old-fashioned way last week in Stuttgart: She earned it. While she only needed to win four matches to secure the Premier-level title (as the top seed, Sharapova received one of the four byes), she had to fight tooth-and-claw through the three that preceded the final.

Sharapova is now a perfect 8-0 over the past two years in Stuttgart; her victims include Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka (back when she was No. 1), former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur, and former French Open champion Li Na.

That’s a Rival Slam, and it’s a fitting comment on how far Sharapova has come as a clay-court player—even if the indoor environment in Stuttgart gives an advantage to a precise game like hers.

Is this the same Sharapova who won Wimbledon at age 17 in 2004, but lost in her first two Italian Opens to Silvia Farina Elia and Patty Schnyder? The same player who had been to the semifinals of the French Open just twice in nine tries before she won the tournament last year? The answer to this clearly is “yes”—and “no.”

One of the more intriguing stories churned out by the WTA over the past few years is how Sharapova has morphed into perhaps the best clay-court player afoot, a transformation even more intriguing when you examine it in light of her record at Wimbledon.

In the past five years, Sharapova survived the fourth round at Wimbledon just once, in 2011, when she lost the final to Kvitova. So right now, the evidence fairly shouts that Sharapova is a better player on clay than on the grass she professes to love. As an aside, I’d add that Sharapova’s best chance—by far—of earning a much-needed win over Serena Williams at a major has for some years now been in Paris. Don’t for a moment think that hasn’t occurred to Sharapova, if not Williams.

A number of elements probably are at work in this radical makeover, starting with one that may not be so obvious. Sharapova was obliged to undergo shoulder surgery and miss ten months ending in May 2009. She has four major titles, but the only one she’s won since that lengthy hiatus was the French Open, in 2012.

I get the feeling that Sharapova consciously or unwittingly hit the “reset” button on her career during all that time off. She certainly returned to tennis with (quite naturally) greater maturity, an undiminished work ethic, a measure of doubt and anxiety that must have enhanced her determination, and perhaps even a new appreciation for chance to play professional tennis. All this suggests that she’s learned a thing or two about patience—and is there a greater virtue when it comes to doing the dirty work than getting good on clay?

Maturity is a complex issue and has many facets—not all of which are necessarily good. Tennis history is littered with players who just couldn’t sustain their youthful mastery as adult pros, either physically/technically (Donald Young) or mentally and emotionally (Andrea Jaeger or even Jennifer Capriati).

When it comes to her game, Sharapova has crossed the threshold to adulthood beautifully. But her body is different; she’s filled out and has greater strength, and that’s bound to have an effect. The Sharapova who won Wimbledon was a stick figure with excellent power, reach, and youthful flexibility. It might have been easier for her to win on grass back than it is now, now that she’s a 6’2” adult who’s wider at the hips and whose “official” weight in the WTA media guide is 130 lbs. (no comment).

This leads to that subtle conversation about the difference between fast and slow courts in tennis, and how surface speed works for or against different kinds of players. The discussion has changed somewhat in recent years, owing to the increasing paucity of surfaces that can be called anywhere even near “fast.” And one of the more significant changes on that front was the eradication of some of the properties of traditional (pre-millennial) grass courts.

Sharapova won her title at Wimbledon at a time when the courts were already “slower”—really, though, it was less about the speed of the ball off the surface than the height of the bounce. But the ball still comes off the turf quickly, and players are still subject to bad bounces (most of them undetectable to the spectator on hand, or at home). And that demands adjustments that not all players can make.

One of the big misapprehensions about Wimbledon is that it was always inordinately tilted toward “attacking” or, way back, “serve-and-volley” players. But that isn’t really true. What the tournament favored all along, and still does, is the mobile, flexible, quick athlete.

I don’t think anyone would suggest that Sharapova, whose mobility has always been mediocre, is quicker these days. Forcing her to hit while she’s rushed, or on the move, is still a good play against her. But the clay helps her in that regard. She’s one of the players who really benefits from the extra time a clay court gives to prepare and execute—even against an effective counter-puncher like Agnieszka Radwanska (Sharapova is 2-0 against the Polish baseliner on clay). At her best, when she can rip the ball into the corners or at extreme angles, Sharapova is afforded the time to take offensive and fully exploit her ability put the ball away on the red surface.

And finally, Sharapova has really shown tremendous discipline in having the guts to really go for her shots, something clay doesn’t invite you to do. Sure, it can be a cop-out to take a big cut and hope for a winner, but that’s not Sharapova. She builds a game plan around fearless ball striking, and half her energy seems to be spent resisting the pressure that constantly tempts a player to play it safe, to take a little off, instead of putting a little more on.

To win that internal battle is a feat in and of itself, but it’s not the first—nor is it likely to be the last—battle that this Spartan competitor Sharapova will find a way to win.

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/04/doing-dirty-work/47286/#.UYDspUrhfTp
 
#569 ·
It's probably because there hasn't been much else going on in women's tennis lately. Azarenka has been hurt and out for a while, Li Na was out, Sloane Stephens has gone into a big slump since her breakthrough, Petra is back to struggling......

Generally, there hasn't been any player outside of Serena and Maria that has stepped up and become a story of late. So Bodo has no choice but to write a good story about Maria. I'm sure it's secretly killing him inside that he is forced to be positive about her. :lol:
 
#570 ·
Maximizing 'Brand Sharapova': The man behind Maria's millions




(CNN) -- She towers above him, but she can't do without him -- so much so they even email each other up to 75 times a day.

From the time they met 15 years ago, Maria Sharapova has been able to count on a man who has masterminded her rise to becoming the world's highest-paid female athlete.

"He knows everything that's going on. He knows where I'm going to be tomorrow, he knows where I am now," she told CNN's Open Court show.

"He" is Max Eisenbud, who first met the Russian when she was a 12-year-old tennis hopeful working with renowned coach Nick Bollettieri in Florida.

Then Eisenbud had a low-paying job liaising with young players' parents at the Bradenton academy that IMG bought off Bollettieri, but now he's Vice President of Tennis at the world's leading sports agency -- having made a fortune not only for Sharapova but also China's most bankable tennis star, Li Na, the No. 2 earner on Forbes' 2012 female athlete list.

"As an agent you just get lucky sometimes, and I'm just a really lucky guy," said the 41-year-old agent.

"I just really try not to mess it up!"

Deal maker

His lucky day came on July 3, 2004 when the 17-year-old Sharapova stunned Serena Williams -- and the tennis world -- in the Wimbledon final to win her first grand slam title.

With her model looks and youthful charm, blue-chip sponsors fell over themselves to get a piece of the action. Forbes magazine reported that Sharapova earned almost $28 million in the year up until June 2012 -- $22 million of that was from endorsements.

They might make something of an odd duo, with the glamorous Sharapova standing at 6 foot 2 inches and Eisenbud, a short, balding man from New Jersey, but as a business partnership they have the perfect synergy.

"We've just been very open and honest and real, and he's someone who says it like it is," said Sharapova, who like Eisenbud was born in April -- but 15 years apart.

"I think that's one of the greatest things that I appreciate in people, and he's done that from the very beginning. He understood the dynamic of me being the athlete, of working for me.

"Agents have much bigger jobs than just everyday life -- booking planes, looking into your agenda -- of course he's trying to make you money and make you big deals, but at the end of the day, he does everything for me.

"He has this old-fashioned calendar and just looks at every date. He knows my schedule, exactly when I'm flying to this tournament, when I'll be back, when we can fit this in.

"He knows my training hours so there are some things that I prioritize over others, and there are certainly some shoots creatively that I would like to do and he's like, 'We just don't have time for it', so I have to ax that out, but we usually agree on many things."

While Sharapova is comfortable on the red carpet and at celebrity parties, her manager is happier making deals.

"He's constantly looking at his BlackBerry ... if you need to get his attention, you should probably send him an email. That's the way I see our relationship," she said.

"He's very good at some things; others he's just absolutely hopeless at, like if you go to an event and you're on the red carpet, he has no idea what's going on.

"He's like 'Hey' and he's talking to all these people and you're like, 'OK, where am I going? Am I doing interviews? Or a step and repeat? What's going on?'

"That's not his forte. His thing is getting on the phone, getting deals done, getting the schedule together. All those business decisions, so there are things that I know I need to bring in other people for."

Super agent

Eisenbud sees his role as a juggler of commitments.

"I think I'm more of a facilitator, an organizer. I know when to bring things to her because she's in the middle of a tournament, and when she needs to stay focused some more, so it's not distracting her tennis," he says.

"I think that's kind of my skill. We do probably anywhere between 30 and 75 emails a day between us, so sometimes we don't even need to talk on the phone. She just sets the vision and I'm just able to try to do my best to try and follow her vision."

From clothing and cosmetics to her latest foray -- a self-funded candy line -- Sharapova has a strong business strategy.

"If I didn't want to play tennis again, I'd have enough money to live for the rest of my life but I do respect the money that I've made because I didn't grow up having a lot of money," said Sharapova, whose parents fled their native Belarus soon after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, just before she was born.

Her father accompanied her to the United States in 1994, taking low-paying jobs before she enrolled at the $35,000-a-year IMG academy on a scholarship, aged nine.

"My family never had it, so I'm always very respectful for every single dollar that I make to this day. I really came from nothing," she said.

"I was living a normal, average, everyday life back in Russia and we had a dream and I had a talent and we moved to the U.S.

"Of course I'm so lucky and fortunate to have and earn great money but at the end of the day, we did earn it with my parents and their hard work and their sacrifices and all the hours on the court."

Eisenbud may work with other players -- he has a group of young hopefuls as well as Li -- but he says Sharapova will always be his focus.

He's been there from her early highs, to the lowest of the lows when it seemed a shoulder injury would end her career back in 2008.

"I've been with her so long, to see her smiling on the court, there's nothing better," he said, with Sharapova this year winning the Indian Wells title in March and last Sunday beating Li in the Stuttgart final to retain her title.

"It's pretty hard for me. I know too much information that other people don't. I know what's on the line, where we are with different things and what wins would mean, so I get a little nervous."

With Li also earning big deals, Eisenbud is akin to football's "super agents" such as Jorge Mendes, who works with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho.

"Rather than competing against one another, Sharapova and Na actually provide Eisenbud's business with much greater global coverage," British sports business expert Simon Chadwick told CNN.

"There is a degree of overlap in that they are both global tennis stars, whom the general public are aware of. This poses issues of clarity, focus and targeting for Eisenbud.

"However, as brands, they are significantly different propositions, which means that they are likely to appeal to different groups of people in different countries around the world."

Life after tennis

It was last year's French Open success that really crowned Sharapova's comeback, having been written off after a long struggle to rebuild her career following that shoulder operation.

"That was emotional, I definitely had a lot of tears," Eisenbud recalled.

"I was with her when she had the shoulder surgery, I was there when she woke up, I saw her first rehabs, I saw all the tough times, I heard all the journalists writing her off, Pam Shriver saying she'll never win a grand slam again, all the people just 'never never never.'

"If I'm seeing it I'm sure she's seeing it, so when she was able to win that -- get on her knees and win that French Open -- that was just a lot of, 'I told you so' and 'don't count me out.'

"Here's a great champion that had all the money in the world, all the glory, all the titles, but she wanted to come back and win, and it just says a lot about her."

But the injury did turn Sharapova's thoughts to life after tennis, and the resulting launch last year of her "Sugarpova" candy was her first independent business project.

"There's a lot of downtime on the tour and she uses it a lot," Eisenbud said. "She's involved in everything she does, she's not a silent owner -- she runs and drives everything that she's doing and I just try to implement it while she's on the court.

"Everything we've been doing now for the last couple of years has been thinking about life after tennis. We didn't want her career to end and then all of a sudden start thinking about it.

"I think Sugarpova will be a huge business for her after tennis. She'll be getting into a lot of different things -- cosmetics, fragrance, clothing -- so I think it's just the beginning right now for her."

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/01/s...tm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=cnni_headlines
 
#573 ·
http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2013-05-02&article=42705

Bulgaria’s Best Tennis Players Receives a Porsche Car from Beloved
Russia’s tennis players Maria Sharapova presents the Porsche she won at the Stuttgart tournament to Grigor Dimitrov

(Sofia, May 2) – Bulgaria’s best tennis player, Grigor Dimitrov, received an expensive and quite precious gift from his beloved – Maria Sharapova.
Maria Sharapova gave the blue Porsche she won from the tournament in Stuttgart to Grigor Dimitrov, Swiss newspaper Blick broke the sensational news.
It is a question of a Porsche Carrera 911 4S, which price starts from US$ 88,000. The car can run at 299 km p/h and it reaches 100 km p/h for 4.5 sec!

The blue Porsche has been spotted in Grigor Dimitrov’s garage.
"I am not a car collector but my boyfriend is mad at cars,” Sharapova stated after winning the Stuttgart tournament on Sunday.

Grigor Dimitrov has stated many times he loves fast cars. This gift is the most serious proof that Maria Sharapova is in love with Grigor.
Maria Sharapova wins the Stuttgart tournament for a second successive year and due to this she now has a new nickname - Porscharapova.

In fact, several days ago she signed a contract for a first global ambassador of Porsche in the world.
 
#586 ·
He'd better be not as fast in the bed as his new car :lol:

But this tabloid's rumor is more likely to be pure B.S.
 
#588 ·
Tabloids crack me up. All you had to do was look back at last year's Stuttgart title and the fact that it took several months before Maria received her Porsche after winning. She even put up a picture of it arriving, on her Facebook page.

There's no way that blue Porsche she had her photo-op in the other day was the very car she drove off in and then supposedly gifted to Grigor.

At the very least, Maria can pass down the used Porsche from last year to Grigor when her new one arrives. I don't think he's been with her long enough to earn the opportunity to get a new sports car. You have to WORK FOR IT Grigor! :lol:
 
#590 ·
Maria Sharapova

MADRID, SPAIN

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations in Stuttgart.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Thank you.

Q. You looked great there. Are you feeling on top of your game for the clay season?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm feeling like there is still some room for improvement. I had a really good week, obviously successful, but I had to pull through a few really tough matches out there which I think really helped me and put me in good form in the final, which is obviously the most important match of the tournament.
But overall, yeah, I'm quite happy with how I progressed there, and looking towards the next couple weeks are still really important weeks of preparation, as well as big tournaments for us.
So, yeah, it's nice to be back here. Hopefully I go a step further than I have in Madrid.

Q. You went back to Russia last week.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah.

Q. How was it going back?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It was chaos. It was really nice to be back for just a couple days, but it was such a quick trip. Yeah, I rarely go back there, but it's such a nice welcome when I do.
I sometimes forget how‑‑ I don't know what I mean to the sport there and in general. It was nice to have that sort of reception back in my home country and see a lot of fans.
I mean, the event that we had for Sugarpova was incredibly successful. It blows my mind way every time I see that type of reception because I consider myself quite normal and not so recognizable at times.
When I'm there it's a whole different ballgame.

Q. When is your next Sugarpova launch?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: That's a good question. I think in Paris. Yes, at Colette.

Q. Did you already practice here? What do you think of the quality of the courts? Is red better than blue?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I have. I've been practicing here for a few days already. Well, I think we all know that last year was a very hopeful experiment and it didn't turn out so well I think for ‑‑ not for the tournament or for the players as well.
I think everyone kind of learned their lesson and we're back to normal now. Yeah, it feels pretty good. I think it's quite heavy right now. I think also the conditions have been quite cold and muddy, so it's feeling a little bit thick.
I think over time it's going to become a little bit faster.

Q. You could go back to the No. 1 spot at the end of this tournament. Do you think about that, or do you just want to play your game game by game?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't want to think about it too much, because it also depends on the results of other players. Of course, I will do my best to get as far as I can and control what's in my hands.
As far as how other players do, it's not in my control. I try not to worry about it too much.

Q. How do you feel about playing here in Spain, in Madrid?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm very, very happy. I haven't had really good success at this tournament, but in general I love playing in Madrid. I like playing in the altitude. You know, I was quite successful in the Championships here for a couple years when they had it.
But, yeah, my goal is obviously to do better. I think the quarterfinals is the furthest I've got in this tournament. Certainly my goal is to go further this time.

Q. If it's possible, this is nothing to do with tennis. I just asked Azarenka. Which is your greatest fear? Snakes? Dark? Heights?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't like the dentist too much, which is probably not really great considering I have a candy line. (Smiling.)
But, yeah, I don't like insects either, like bugs that don't look very pretty or have legs that don't necessarily need to be there on their bodies.
So things like that.

Q. I would like to know what is your favorite place to go on holidays?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Somewhere warm, somewhere with a beach and sun and good alcohol.
Yeah, I usually prefer the warmer destinations compared to the cold ones. I'm not very good with layers. It's a big disaster when I have to put lots of coats on. I'm not a big skier or snowboarder, so I tend to go to places where it's very easy and relaxing with a beautiful view and good company.

Q. Can I just ask you what you think of the new Strong is Beautiful campaign?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, it's actually not that new. It's been around for a while.

Q. First time I've seen it.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Really? I feel like I've seen it for a year and a half now.

Q. Do you think it's true that women are getting stronger? Is it a part of tennis that's coming forward?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't think it's about the fact that we're strong physically that is what makes us beautiful. What we do on a daily basis is very strong both physically and mentally. We know we're women, and it's nice to have a feeling power when we do something and do it quite well.
We have that strength behind us. Yeah, absolutely think that's true.
 
#591 ·
Great interview til that hell Strong is Beautiful question :lol:

"Is it true that women are getting stronger?" :sobbing: :help:
 
#600 · (Edited)
New interview from Madrid. Who speaks Spanish?

“Un mundo sin opiniones sería muy aburrido”

Maria Sharapova (26 años, Niagan, Rusia) es la tenista más guapa del mundo. El tópico oculta a la competidora voraz, a la empresaria inteligente y a la jugadora capaz de superar las decepciones más dolorosas. La rusa está en España, donde juega el Mutua Madrid Open (hasta el 12 de mayo), con un objetivo: recuperará el número uno si mejora en una ronda la actuación de la estadounidense Serena Williams o gana el torneo. Para llegar a tan privilegiada posición, Shazza ha vivido una infancia llena de soledades —a los siete años dejó atrás a su madre para mudarse a EEUU con su padre— y una carrera rebosante de aristas. La tenista que se sienta en un sofá blanco para atender a EL PAÍS ha superado dificultades que la separan de la edulcorada imagen que transmiten de ella los ejecutivos del márketing. Al ganar Roland Garros en 2012, completó el Grand Slam, la conquista de los cuatro grandes; superó sus complejos (“me siento como una vaca sobre hielo”, dijo de su tenis en arcilla); y culminó con la plata olímpica su vuelta a las pistas tras una lesión de hombro que la hundió hasta el número 126 mundial.

Pregunta. Agallas. Inteligencia. Belleza. ¿Cuál de esas tres cosas la definen mejor?

Respuesta. Sin duda, lo primero, las agallas. Soy una persona muy competitiva. Eso es lo que me ha hecho una atleta de éxito. Esas agallas son las que me han traído el resto de cosas que tengo en mi vida, en mi carrera. Soy muy competitiva en la pista y muy relajada fuera de ella, me dejo llevar.

P. ¿También en los negocios? Ha lanzado su propia línea de golosinas y solo su contrato con una marca deportiva le reporta 80 millones de dólares (61 millones de euros).

R. No, ahí soy muy competitiva. Utilizo las cualidades que tengo en la pista para mis proyectos empresariales.

P. Penó una lesión de hombro que retiró a otros. Preguntó a compañeros que la habían sufrido y ninguno le dio esperanzas. ¿Cómo vivió esos meses sin competir?


R. Fueron tiempos duros. Antes de la lesión, ya había tenido mucho éxito. Aunque entonces solo tenía 21 años, más de 20 meses es mucho tiempo para estar alejada de las pistas. Cirugía de hombro. Muchos éxitos previos. Una junta todo eso y se da cuenta de que es afortunada, y también de que tiene muchas excusas para no continuar. Excusas para decir: “Fin. Acabado. He conseguido muchas cosas ya, tengo suficientes para el resto de mi vida”.

P. ¿Por qué no puso punto y final? ¿Qué ocurrió?

R. Que no pensé ni un solo momento en dejarlo. Amo este deporte. Sabía que tenía dentro muchos más años de juego. La pasión para jugar. Esos días difíciles me hicieron darme cuenta de una cosa: de lo que realmente amo en mi vida.

P. En Madrid puede volver al número uno. Serena Williams, que le ha ganado los últimos 11 partidos, todos desde 2004, ocupa ahora el trono ¿Qué tiene ella que a usted le falte?

R. La fuerza física. También hay un hecho claro: ella es capaz de coger la línea y, con consistencia, disparar un tiro que es 30 kilómetros por hora más rápido que el del resto de chicas. Eso le da mucha confianza y le aúpa a través de partidos que duran dos o tres horas. En el tenis femenino es un plus muy positivo.

P. Suele contar que le tiene miedo al dentista. ¿Da más miedo el dentista o Serena Williams gritando al otro lado de la red?



R. La primera vez que jugué con ella pensé: “Guau, esta chica es muy fuerte físicamente”. Cuatro meses después la gané en la final de Wimbledon (2004). Eso quiere decir que me llevó poco tiempo darle la vuelta en mi mente a la impresión que me había causado aquella primera vez. Descubrir a una jugadora como ella, que es un reto, solo te hace salir a la pista y entrenarte más fuerte. Jugadoras que son un reto solo te hacen mejor tenista.

P. ¿Qué significaría para usted volver al número uno?

R. Honestamente, ya he ocupado ese puesto varias veces. Mis metas han cambiado. Cuando eres una tenista júnior, el sueño es ser la número uno de los júniors. Cuando te conviertes en profesional, serlo de los profesionales. Ahora tengo 26 años. Me han pasado muchas cosas. Ya no soy una júnior. Ahora mismo importa el gran esquema [ganar títulos grandes]. Si soy la número uno, genial, pero eso no depende de mí solo. También depende de otras personas, no está en mis manos. No me gusta centrarme en cosas que están fuera de mi control.

P. Su currículo es envidiable. ¿Le decepciona que quien no siga el tenis solo se quede con la cara que aparece en los anuncios?

R. No. He hecho un gran trabajo encontrando el equilibrio en mi carrera. Me gusta ser la tenista que lucha en la pista y busca cumplir sus metas. Sin embargo, al final del día, eso no es la vida. Lo será durante unos años más, pero después de eso se abre un capítulo completamente diferente. Las opiniones de la prensa siempre han sido parte de lo que he hecho. Las aprecio. Sin ellas, no habría un conocimiento global de lo que hago yo y del tenis en su conjunto. Nunca me ha molestado, ni lo hace. Cuando leo cosas así, simplemente paso la página. Un mundo sin opiniones sería muy aburrido.

P. Quizás ser madre esté entre sus planes de futuro.

R. Sí.

P. Ahora que sabe cuánto cuesta llegar a lo más alto, ¿llevaría a sus hijos por el mismo camino que le llevaron sus padres a usted?

R. No lo sé. Para mis padres hubo una cosa acerca de mí que funcionó como un despertador: había mucha gente a mi alrededor que pensaba que tenía talento, algo especial. Ninguno de los dos sabía mucho de tenis. Apostaron. Se sacrificaron: tenían una vida normal y podían haberla mantenido. No tuvieron ego. Pudieron vivir una vida normal en Rusia, pero decidieron cambiarla radicalmente y ayudarme a convertirme en una figura del deporte. Eso es muy poco egoísta. Si pudiera darle eso a mis niños, seguramente solo sería un porcentaje muy pequeño de lo que mis padres fueron para mí: tenis u otra cosa… es difícil decir qué será lo que ellos elijan.

P. ¿Cuál es el mejor consejo que le ha dado su padre?

R. El tenis no es un esprint, es un maratón.

P. Si tuviera que compararse, ¿a quién se parece más su estilo? ¿Nadal o Federer?

R. ¡Necesitaría que me crecieran unos cuantos músculos antes de que usted pudiera considerarme un Nadal! En estilo de juego estoy tan lejos de él como la Tierra de Plutón.

http://deportes.elpais.com/deportes/2013/05/04/actualidad/1367689856_629514.html

I translated these ones

What is the best advice you have given your father? Tennis is not a sprint, it's a marathon:oh: Those 3 setters in row

Maybe being a mother is in their future plans?Yes
 
#603 ·
yeah sometimes i wonder from where they pull such stupid questions :bowdown: :haha:

i remember once they asked her if she's gonna ask na li to promote sugarpova when she decides to go to china :bowdown: :spit:

but she always put the right anwers and confuses journalist :haha:
 
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