Hot Rod

Welcome everyone to the latest thread devoted to the very lovely and talented Maria Sharapova. Everyone is welcome to discuss all things that are Maria as long it`s not too dirty(lets keep it PG-13 for the younger posters) and negative toward Maria. We don`t put up with any Maria haters here.

Biography

Date of Birth: April 19, 1987
Birthplace: Nyagan, Russia (Siberian Region)
Residence: Bradenton, Florida and Manhattan Beach, California, USA
Nationality: Russian
Height: 6'2
Weight: 130 lbs. (59 kg)
Plays: Right-handed
Clothing: Nike
Racquet: Prince
Endorsements: Gatorade, Tropicana, Samantha Thavasa , Sony Ericsson, Parlux Fragrances, Canon, TAG Heuer, Honda Japan & Colgate-Palmolive

PERSONAL
*Coached by her father Yuri Sharapov and Michael Joyce
*Mother's name is Yelena
*Nickname is Masha
*Has a Pomeranian named Dolce
*Started hitting tennis balls at age four; at six, participated in exhibition in Moscow that featured Martina Navratilova
*Began training at Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA, at age nine (which required a two-year separation from mother due to visa restrictions and finances)
*Off-court interests include fashion, singing, dancing and movies (favorites are Mona Lisa Smile, Something's Gotta Give and Love Actually)
*In second year of high school and studies via an Internet school.
*Enjoys reading books in the Sherlock Holmes and Pippi Longstocking series.
*Prefers Russian and Thai cuisine
*Favorite dessert is French crepes with Nutella.
*Favorite drinks are orangina and virgin strawberry daiquiris
*Signed with IMG Models in November 2003

CAREER TITLES
Singles
2003: Tokyo & Quebec City
2004: Birmingham, Wimbledon, Seoul, Tokyo & WTA Championships
2005: Tokyo, Doha & Birmingham
2006: Indian Wells, San Diego, US Open, Zurich & Linz
2007: San Diego
2008: Australian Open, Doha, Amelia Island
Doubles
2003: Tokyo, Luxembourg
2004: Birmingham

HIGHEST RANKINGS
Singles: 1 (2005, 2007, and 2008)
Doubles: 41 (14/6/2004)

BEST GRAND SLAM PERFORMANCES
Australian Open: Champion
Roland Garros: Semifinals
Wimbledon: Champion
US Open: Champion

Maria in action on the court





and off it





Maria Sharapova.com

Hot Rod

Sure this thread is devoted to Maria, but we like to discuss some of her competitors who are pretty talented and beautiful in their own right. So here`s a little introduction to them and some friendships, partnerships and/or associations involving some of the ladies:



Maria Kirilenko
Country: Russia
Birthday: January 25, 1987
Turned pro: 2001
Nickname: Makiri
Career titles: 4 singles and 5 doubles(including Birmingham in `04 with Masha)
Record against Maria: 1-2
Others info: Masha`s best friend on the tour and widely considered to be one of the cutest players on the tour.
Maria KIRILENKO - Official website



Anastasia Myskina
Country: Russia
Birthday: July 8, 1981
Turned pro: 1998
Nickname: Nastya
Career titles: 10 singles(including the French Open in 2004) and 5 doubles
Record against Maria: 3-2(lost the last two meetings)
Other info: The first Russian woman to win a grand slam title and one of the more animated players on the tour with her fiery on court demeanor. A long time member of Team Russia, including their first Fed Cup championship teams in 2004 and 2005. Gave birth to son Zhenya on April 28, 2008



Vera Zvonareva
Country: Russia
Birthday: September 7, 1984
Turned pro: 2000
Career titles: 6 singles and 4 doubles(including the 2006 US Open)
Record against Maria: 3-5
Other info: Widely considered to be one of the most solid players on any surface on the tour. Won the bronze medal in singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the mixed doubles title at the US Open in 2004 with Bob Bryan and Wimbledon in 2006 with Andy Ram.
Vera`s official website



Daniela Hantuchová
Country: Slovakia
Birthday: April 23, 1983
Turned pro: 1999
Nicknames: Danka in eastern Europe and Dani in the English speaking countries
Career titles: 3 singles and 8 doubles
Record against Maria: 1-7
Other info: Looks a lot like actresses Mischa Barton and Kate Bosworth, was trained as a classical pianist and is one of five women to have the career grand slam in mixed doubles. A long time member of Team Slovakia, including their Fed Cup championship team in 2002. Named the WTA`s Newcomer of the Year in 2001 and Most Improved Player in 2002.
Dani`s official website



Nicole Vaidišová
Country: Czech Republic
Birthday: April 23, 1989
Turned pro: 2003
Nickname: Nikki
Career titles: 6 singles
Record against Maria: Hasn`t played each other to date.
Other info: One of the tallest players in the WTA at 6', also one of the most quick tempered players on tour and won her first title at the age of 15.
Nicole Vaidisova On-Line



Ana Ivanović
Country: Serbia
Birthday: November 6, 1987
Turned pro: 2003
Nickname: Anči
Career titles: 7 singles(Including the 2008 French Open)
Record against Maria: 2-3(Including the finals of the 2008 Australian Open)
Other info: Also one of the tallest players in the WTA at 6'1" and widely considered to be one of the most engaging and friendliest personalties on the tour. Named the WTA`s Most Improved Player in 2005 and 2007 and awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award 2007.
Ana Ivanovic.com



Jelena Jankovic
Country: Serbia
Birthday: February 25, 1985
Turned pro: 2000
Nicknames: J.J. and Jeca
Career titles: 7 singles and 1 doubles
Record against Maria: 1-4
Other info: One of the most outgoing personalities on the tour. Widely noted for her excellent fitness and strong all around game on all surfaces. Won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with Jamie Murray in 2007. Named the WTA`s Most Improved Player in 2006.
Jelena Jankovic.com



Tatiana Golovin
Country: France (born in Russia)
Birthday: January 25, 1988
Turned pro: 2002
Nickname: Tati
Career titles: 2 singles
Record against Maria: 0-5(including two tough matches in `06 in Miami and in the US Open)
Other info: Is a classmate of Masha from their days at the world famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and has remained good friends with her. Won the French Open mixed doubles title with compatriot Richard Gasquet in 2004. Named the WTA`s Newcomer of the Year in 2004.
Golovin Attitude.com



Flavia Pennetta
Country: Italy
Birthday: February 25, 1982
Turned pro: 2000
Career titles: 6 singles and 3 doubles
Record against Maria: 0-2
Other info: A long time member of Team Italy, including their Fed Cup championship team in 2006. Noted for her good play on clay and looks a lot like actress Shiri Appleby.
Flavia Pennetta.com



The Bondarenko sisters
Country: Ukraine

Alona
Birthday: August 13, 1984
Turned pro: 1999
Career titles: 1 singles and 3 doubles(including the 2008 Australian Open women`s doubles title)
Record against Maria: 0-2(two tough matches in Indian Wells and Amelia Island)
Other info: Noted for her strong resemblance to former pro Anna Kournikova and her sexy ad for K-Swiss.

Kateryna
Birthday: August 8, 1986
Turned pro: 2000
Nickname: Kat
Career titles: 1 singles and 2 doubles(including the 2008 Australian Open women`s doubles title)
Record against Maria: Haven`t played each other to date.
Other info: Began playing at age 4. Speaks Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, English. Enjoys dancing and hanging out with friends.

Team info: Became the second sister team to win a Grand Slam title with their victory in the 2008 Australian Open. Comes from a tennis playing family that includes older sister Valeria and mother Natalia, who coaches them. Noted for their fiery temperments, which causes some arguments on the court.
Bondarenko Sisters.com


The Russian Hottie Mafia



Team Czechoslovakia



The Sunshine Girls



The Starlets



The Cover Girls



The Sexy Serbs



The Dream Team

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on the other matches in Charleston. First of all Alize defeated Agnes Szavay 7-5, 6-4. Another good win for France`s cutest hottie. It`s great to see her make the semifinals for the second straight week. Later on, Jelena and Vera Z played each other for the second time in three weeks. This time Vera gets her revenge with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Jelena. Good win there for her. As for Jelena, it`s sad that her reign as champion is now over with. Hopefully she`ll take a break before heading for the red clay over in Europe. Also Elena and Victoria finished their quarterfinal match a few minutes ago and they upset the team of Chan and Chuang 6-2, 1-6, 10-2. Very good win for the ladies. They have really been playing well together in the last couple of weeks.

So in all it was a good day for the most part in Charleston and Estoril. The only negative about the day was Masha`s tough loss to Serena Williams. Tomorrow is semifinals in Charleston. In the first singles semifinal, Alize will take on the always dangerous Serena Williams. I have to be realistic about this match. I don`t like Alize`s chances against Serena. Still i hope that she will go out, play hard and give it her best shot. Then Vera Z will go up against compatriot Elena Dementieva. After that match, Elena and Victoria will take on Ai Sugiyama and Katharina Srebotnik. Meanwhile over in Estoril, Makiri will go up against Team Czechoslovakia member Klara Zakopalova in her semifinal match. Then a little later, she and Flavia will go up against the team of Jugic-Salkic and Senoglu in the women`s doubles finals. I hope that all of our remaining favorite hotties will do well tomorrow.

Anyway here are some pics from today`s matches.








Don`t worry about it Masha. We still love you.










Good effort Jelena. Keep your head up.




I can`t get enough of seeing Makiri with so much confidence and spunk.

Hot Rod

First of all let me start our by wishing Masha a Happy 21st Birthday today! In fact here`s a little birthday tribute to her.


Here`s Masha and her parents back in the day.


Masha the Tennis Princess with one of her junior titles.


Here she is after winning her first career title.


I can`t forget about the doubles title in Birmingham in `04 with Makiri.


Her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, which help launched Mariamania.


Her second one at the US Open in `06.


The third one at the Australian Open recently.


Masha the covergirl.


And a true friend



I hope that Masha has a lot of fun on her birthday today. BTW i have something special for her later on. Also i`ve just saw that Masha will be on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday. So i hope everyone will remember to watch it.

Meanwhile back on the court, Makiri played her semifinal match against Klara Zakopalova eariler today and won it 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Another good win for Makiri. It was a tough one for her, but she really showed a lot of toughness and spunk in pulling it out. Meanwhile in the other semifinal match, the very hot Iveta Benasova, who continued her surprising run with 6-2, 6-1 rout of Maret Ani. Very good win there for Iveta. It`s great to see her making a nice run like this. So tomorrow it will be another all hotties final(the 5th of the year). This time it will between Makiri and Iveta. Both ladies has been playing very well this week after struggling for much of the year. I think that we could be in for a pretty good match in the finals tomorrow.

Anyway here are some pics from Makiri`s match.




Makiri showing everyone what a fighter she is.


Great job Makiri.

The Daywalker

Woohaa, great intro, Sir. And a big happy birthday to our #1 girl on her 21st birthday. It is weird that i feels like she is only 21 years old, as she's been in the spotlight for so long and unlike many others, only on the positive side.

Hot Rod

Yeah i feel the same way too. It seemed like yesterday Masha was the new young sensation in the WTA and now she`s firmly established as the leading star of the tour.

Earlier today in Estoril, after a little rest, Makiri went back to the court for the doubles final with Flavia, where they won it 6-4, 6-4. Great job by Makiri and Flavia of capping off a great week with a title win. They really worked very well together throughout the week. Their win today is the fourth hotties title in doubles this year, joining the Bondarenko sisters` title wins in the Australian Open and Antwerp and Elena`s big title win at Indian Wells with Fed Cup teammate Dinara Safina. I`m very pleased that the hotties domination is extending into doubles.

Meanwhile in Charleston, Alize played the always tough Serena Williams in the first singles semifinal match of the day and unfortunately was defeated 5-7, 3-6. Alize got off to a good start, going up 4-1, but unfortunately much like Masha yesterday, she couldn`t quite close the deal in the first set. Her forehand was all over the place at times and she let her emotions get the best of her. Still i`m pleased with Alize`s showing. She made a nice run in getting to her second straight semifinal and looked good at times today against Serena. I think that Alize is a dark horse to watch out for at Roland Garros. The other semifinal match is currently on going with Vera Z up 6-3, 4-5. The match is tight as expected. Hopefully Vera can pull it out.

Anyway here are some pics from today`s matches.






Alize starting to feel the pressure of the match


and in the end has the same look of frustration that a lot of our favorite hotties has had facing Serena Williams.


Makiri and Flavia with their new additions to their trophy cases. Bravo ladies.


I hope the ladies will save that wine for when they get together with us down the road.

Hot Rod

Eariler today Makiri completed her great week in Estoril with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Iveta to win the Estoril Open Women`s singles title.



What a great job by Makiri of playing another very good match to get her third singles title of her career and first one on clay to go along with her fourth doubles title. I`m so proud of her for playing well and showing the toughness and spunk we`ve been wanting to see from her for a while. This is the perfect start to the clay court season for her. As for Iveta, it was a good run while it lasted, but Makiri was the better player today. Still she shouldn`t hang her head. She played well this week in making a very good run to the finals. It`s great to see another member of Team Czechoslovakia making another good run to the finals for the second straight week. Hopefully this will inspire Dani and Nikki to get their act together and improve on their play. I hope that Makiri and Iveta can built on their great runs in Estoril for the rest of the year. It`s great to see them do well after struggling for much of the year. BTW Makiri`s title sweep in Estoril is the first one by one of our favorite hotties since Masha did the same thing in Birmingham back in `04, where ironically Makiri was a part of it, teamming up with her buddy to win the doubles title.

Later on in a few minutes, Vera Z will take on Serena Williams in the finals of the Family Circle Cup. This is Vera`s third final of the year, which is tied with Masha for the most finals appearances by our favorite hotties this year. Obviously this is a very tall task for her in facing the always dangerous Serena, who has beaten Masha and Alize in the quarterfinals and semifinals in the last couple of days. However like i`ve said before, Vera is one of those players outside of the top 10 that is capable of beating a lot of the top players. So there`s a glimmer of hope for her. I really hope that she`ll go out, play hard and do her best in the finals at Charleston.

Anyway here are some pics from Makiri`s latest triumph in Estoril.










I love seeing Makiri with that really feisty look.


Another addition to the trophy for her.


Looks like someone is a little envious there.


She look so cute in this pic.

Hot Rod

Well Vera Z couldn`t make it a perfect hottie title sweep this weekend as she was defeated by Serena Williams 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 in the final of the Family Circle Cup. Vera was pretty competitive for much of the match. In fact she was up 2-1 in the third set after breaking serve, but unfortunately things went downhill from there on. Vera pretty much faded in the last part of the match and got pretty flustered mentally during that time. So the third time wasn`t the charm for Vera today as she falls to 0-3 in finals this year. She has played very well this season in reaching at least the quarterfinals, but just hasn`t been able to get that elusive title win, with her previous attempts foiled by her having to withdraw before the final in Auckland due to injury and losses to Masha and Serena Williams in the finals at Doha and Charleston respectively. I really feel that Vera is due for a title sooner or later.

Meanwhile in other news, Dani will be out for at least three weeks due to her injured right heel, which she has been struggling with since last year's tournament in Luxembourg. She will use crutches to get around during that time and then will undergo medical tests after that to see if she can resume playing. This is a very tough thing to be happening to Dani. I hope that she will take her time coming back so that her heel will get well enough for her to get back on the court soon.

Anyway here is a video of Makiri and Flavia having some fun during the award ceremony after they won the women`s doubles title in Estoril yesterday and some very hot pics of Flavia and Iveta to boost the morale here.

The Daywalker

It wasn't loading right at first, so I was only going to say "I'd love to lick Iveta's stomach" but then I saw Flavia and... holy crap dude.

Much love to Makiri for pulling out the win, it's good to see her in the winners circle. Iveta shouldn't be too envious, if she needs consoling, she's got a line waiting to make her smile again

Hot Rod

I`m also available to consul Iveta as well. After all i can`t resist those Czechoslovakian hotties.

Also i`m glad that you love the very hot pic of Flavia. I was scanning around the web for some offcourt pics of her and low and behold i came across that pic, which is one of the sexiest pics i`ve seen any of our favorite tennis hotties taken. I have a couple of dress shirts that Flavia can wear after some certain hot activities.

BTW don`t forget that Masha is going to be on the Late Show later tonight. I can`t wait to see her on there again. Of course i hope that Dave won`t hit on her too much. You know how he can get with beautiful women like Masha, not that i don`t blame him. Still he needs to obey the No Fly Zone with her.

Anyway here is a pic of Masha in New York City eariler today.

The Daywalker

I wasn't able to stay up to watch Letterman cuz I work pretty early, but I was able to catch it on YouTube YouTube - Maria Sharapova on Late Show w/ David Letterman Apr 21 2008

Masha was looking great and as expected, towered over Billy Crystal.

Wingster

thanks for that
and happy 21st to her

Hot Rod

Yeah Masha was looking smoking hot on Letterman. Dave was obviously smittened with and in awe of her. I`m glad that i got to watch it.

Welcome back Wingster. Glad to see back here. If you`re wondering about Ana, she`s going to return to action this weekend in Fed Cup respresenting Serbia in their tie against Croatia, which i will talk more about later.

In the meantime here are some pics from Masha`s appearance on The Late Show.

Hot Rod

I just want to wish Dani and Nikki a happy belated birthday. I forgot to do that yesterday, but it`s better late than never. Anyway here is a birthday tribute to the two leading stars of Team Czechoslovakia.
















I hope that Dani and Nikki had a great birthday.


Here`s a new pic from the party in Miami as an added bonus. Look at Anna.

Hot Rod

Fed Cup resumes tomorrow and it will involve some of our favorite hotties.

First of all Team Russia will be playing Team USA in the semifinals over in Moscow. The team will have a different look with Svetlana Kuznetsova as the top player in Masha`s place via a predetermined agreement. Also Vera Z is also aboard, replacing Dinara Safina. Of course Anna and Elena will be returning. Even without Masha, Team Russia should be fine, especially since Svetlana Kuznetsova is very good and Team USA consists of younger, mostly inexperienced players who are playing instead of the Williams Sisters, Lindsay Davenport and Ashley. I think Team Russia should win this weekend`s tie pretty easily. In fact i would be surprised if they lost a match.

Meanwhile in the World Group playoffs, Italy will take on Ukraine in one of the ties, with the winner qualifying to play for the Fed Cup next year. This tie noteworthy in that it will feature two of our favorite new hotties, Flavia and Alona. Now that would make for a very hot match both on and off the court. As for the tie, i think that Italy is obviously the favorite due to their experience, but the Ukrainian ladies will be coming in with a lot of youthful energy. I think that they need to split the singles matches and have it come down to the doubles match, which means turning it over to the always formiable Bondarenko sisters to have a chance of winning. Also in the World Group playoffs, Alize will be with the French team in their tie against Japan, but unfortunately isn`t scheduled to play unless one of the other players are unable to play. I hope that she gets on the court, whether if it`s singles or doubles. She has been playing very well lately and deserves it.

The World Group II playoffs will have a few more of our favorites. First of all Serbia will be taking on Croatia and they`ve brought out their big guns, Ana and Jelena, who will obviously bring a lot of excitement and hottness to the tie. Obviously barring any kind of disaster the Serbs should win this tie. Also Slovakia will be going up against Uzbekistan(I didn`t know they played tennis in that country). Obviously this tie has lost a lot of luster with Dani unable to play due to the heel injury, but fortunately for the Slovaks, they`ve got Domi playing in the tie, which they should also win.

I hope that some of our favorite hotties who will be playing in this weekend`s Fed Cup matches will play hard and have a lot of fun this weekend.

Anyway here are some pics from the press conferences and practices to get us ready.






Flavia hard at work getting ready for this weekend`s matches


and having a little fun too.


It`s nice of her to show us some love with this nice pic.


It`s great to see Ana and Jelena teaming up again. Their teammates are pretty cute.


I wanted to give Vera a call before practice. Obviously she likes the roses.




It`s nice to see Anna having some fun.


I want to throw in these nice pics of Domi and Iveta. They look so good together.