[-Bianca-]

banner thanks to the lovely Jebony

We’ve been talking about her a lot lately in the AR thread and a few of us figured we’d branch out and show our girl the love only her own thread on FF can.

YTD/Career:




Linkage:

MariaWorld.net
Maria @ WTA Official Site
Maria-Sharapova.org

[-Bianca-]

Cute interview that was in the Post the other day:

THE HOT SEAT WITH MARIA SHARAPOVA By DANICA LO April 17, 2005 -- Last week, in a blowout party sponsored by Motorola and attended by 660 of her close personal friends, tennis star Maria Sharapova - who has more than $20 million in endorsements - celebrated her coming-of-age. The golden girl finally turns 18 on Tuesday. We caught up with Sharapova before her big soiree to find out what, exactly, makes one of the top-ranked tennis players in the world tick - and what her charmed teenage life is really like. Q: Did you know from the moment you first picked up a racquet that tennis would be your thing? A: I was just very competitive when I was younger. When I first picked up a tennis racquet, people - including Martina Navratilova - saw that, and they told my parents that I had a lot of talent. I think that tennis really brought out the competitive spirit in me and, after I began training, my talent picked up from there. If I weren't playing tennis, I probably wouldn't be playing any other sport. I guess you could say that tennis is the great love of my life right now. Q: Do you remember much about arriving in the United States from Russia to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy? A: I don't remember a lot, but I do remember coming to America and training a lot in Florida. I didn't see my mom for the first two years, because she was still in Russia. Q: I read that you were bullied a lot by other students. A: The other girls at the tennis academy were a lot older than me and, obviously, had different interests than I did at that age. I just didn't pay attention to it. I guess you could say I was pretty tough from the beginning. I was like, "Whatever." I remember being a big fan of Pippi Longstocking. She did whatever she wanted to do, and she just had a lot of fun with her life, even when things seemed really bad. She would always try to make things better. After my mother came over, when I was 9, I moved out of the dorms. Q: Everyone who interviews you writes "Maria is all about tennis." What are some of your other interests? A: Tennis is my No.1 priority, as always. But I'm very interested in fashion. That's something I'd love to pursue after my tennis career - I want to be a fashion designer and I want to have my own line. I've always been crazy for style and fashion. Ever since I was young, I've always wanted to look really cool. Q: Who's your favorite designer? A: I love Marc Jacobs. His clothes are so girly, but very classy at the same time. Wearing his clothes make you feel like a princess - and so cute! I haven't had the chance to meet him yet. Even though I've been invited to many of his shows, my tennis schedule always conflicts. Q: What do you do in your free time? A: I go shopping a lot - I like to call it retail therapy. New York has got to be one of the best shopping cities in the world. These days, I'm really into boutiques. I also love shopping in Japan because you can find different, unique pieces that no one else will have. The sizes are different there, so I can never buy shoes, but I love buying really cropped jackets - they're really cute over jeans. Q: You must have so many clothes! What do you pack when you travel? A: Traveling is really hard, because you can't take more than two suitcases with you. What I pack depends on where I go. But my must-have item this season is definitely my pair of Giuseppe Zanotti cowboy boots. Q: What about school? A: I'm enrolled in high school on the Internet - Keystone National High School. My favorite subject is biology, but I'm terrible at math. I really respect people who can do math, because I absolutely suck at it. English is really hard, but I do like literature a lot. I've also done a lot of electives - like art, music, sociology and health. Q: Do you ever feel like you're missing out? A: I've never really had the experience of being in a school environment, so it's hard to say that I miss something I never knew. Q: How do you meet people your age? A: I travel a lot and it's not easy to make friends now. I tend to stick with the close friends and family that I had before I was famous and popular, because I know that they like me for who I am. Q: How does your fame affect your everyday life? A: I usually have a bodyguard during tournament events, but on an everyday basis I just go out with my friends. It's not that bad yet. Q: You were in the March issue of Vogue. What was that like? A: It turned out to be a really cool shoot. It was a really rainy day in Los Angeles and we shot a bunch of different outfits, but they chose to run the picture of the green Prada dress and the Alexander McQueen shoes. I was looking out the window and the look was really natural. Q: What kind of advice can you give to other teenage girls? A: In your teens, you go through a lot of weird moments when you might not feel secure and might feel like everything's wrong in your life. Even though I've never felt really insecure, but there are times when I'm having a bad day, when nothing's going my way, and I'm like, "When's this going to end?" You just have to stay positive. Q: How do you relax and cheer yourself up on your days off? A: Usually through some retail therapy! Q: Do you have anything new coming up? A: My new perfume is launching in September. It's called Maria by Maria Sharapova. It's been one of the most fun processes of all - I designed the whole thing, from the bottle to the packaging to the scent. It's a light, floral, everyday fragrance. I wanted to make sure it was long-lasting. It's not something you smell and then want to step away from. And I have a new video game coming out - I-play Maria Sharapova Tennis. Q: Tell us one surprising thing about yourself. A: I'm naturally a lefty but I play right-handed tennis. I kick and throw with my left hand. I used to write with my left hand when I was younger, but now I write with my right. Age: 18 Height: 6 feet Favorite food: chocolate soufflé Favorite TV show: "The OC," "24" Favorite Perfume: Gucci 2 Rush, Marc Jacobs Favorite Movies: "Mona Lisa Smile," "Something's Gotta Give" Favorite Colors: Pink, Orange Dream dinner companion: Gwyneth Paltrow - "I've always found her to be very elegant. She has her own sense of style and she's not trying to be anyone else. She's always classy in her own way." - and Gisele Bundchen - "She has a great personality and a great body." What's on your iPod? I've been listening to Maroon 5 for the last few weeks.

[The Daywalker]

Maria and I need to sit down, cuddle watch 24 with some buttery popcorn.

[-Bianca-]

Hehe.

[Jebony]

First of all for opening this thread!

Thanks for the interview.

Q: What kind of advice can you give to other teenage girls? A: In your teens, you go through a lot of weird moments when you might not feel secure and might feel like everything's wrong in your life. Even though I've never felt really insecure, but there are times when I'm having a bad day, when nothing's going my way, and I'm like, "When's this going to end?" You just have to stay positive.

I almost forgot how I felt when I was 17!

Q: How do you relax and cheer yourself up on your days off? A: Usually through some retail therapy!

We have that in common, I guess!

My new perfume is launching in September. It's called Maria by Maria Sharapova.

Interesting...


Okay, so when did you guys see/notice Maria for the first time? I don't think I had heard of her since last year's Wimbledon... or maybe I did but since I usually don't pay a lot of attention to names until I actually SEE the people carrying them


I'm bringing over the icons I made:

feel free to snag away!

[maita]

Woohoo!! :woohoo: A Maria thread! Thanks for starting it Bianca!!!

Maria and I need to sit down, cuddle watch 24 with some buttery popcorn.

Chris! Haha! You wish!

Jeb Cool new icons!! Snagging them all for future use. And the banner is

[crazymike4]

Thanks for opening a Maria thread. Snagged a few of the icons. I think Maria and Serena Williams are the two most competitive women on the WTA tour.

[-Bianca-]

I'd throw Kimmy in there too, with Masha and Serena. She's been outstanding this year in her return and the women are just now really hitting the clay.

Okay, so when did you guys see/notice Maria for the first time? I don't think I had heard of her since last year's Wimbledon...

I started actively following her after Wimbledon last year... but I heard of her a few years earlier at the USO. Even though she lost the match I saw, you could tell she was going to really break through soon.

[maita]

Originally Posted by Unfamous Loser I'd throw Kimmy in there too, with Masha and Serena. She's been outstanding this year in her return and the women are just now really hitting the clay.

ITA. Kimmy has just been so good since her return. Two titles in a row and beating Maria , that's proof that she's doing so good.

Originally Posted by Jebony Okay, so when did you guys see/notice Maria for the first time?

Wimbledon of last year actually. Commentators kept on talking about her and when I finally saw her play, I thought she was really good and yea, she's pretty.

[Jebony]

crazymike4 you're welcome!

I'd throw Kimmy in there too, with Masha and Serena. She's been outstanding this year in her return and the women are just now really hitting the clay.

I agree! They're strong competetion for Lindsay I can't wait for the WTA ranking that says "Maria Sharapova #1". I was so happy when I read that she climbed up to #2, now it's just one more step

Kimmy has just been so good since her return. Two titles in a row and beating Maria , that's proof that she's doing so good.

It is. I've got to admit that I didn't expect such a fast and successful return but it's good to finally see some more women that will do anything to get Lindsay off of #1 (not that I don't like Lindsay or anything but well...)


I'd love to see her play in Berlin in May Unfortunately though, it's the "week of my crazy schedule" (i.e university, internship, work, my friend's birthday party)


Oh, I made my first Maria wallpaper... it's nothing special, I just played around with some backgrounds, filters, colors and brushes


800x600
btw: sorry for the brush overload...

[maita]

Originally Posted by Jebony I can't wait for the WTA ranking that says "Maria Sharapova #1". I was so happy when I read that she climbed up to #2, now it's just one more step

Oh, me too!! I can't wait! I'm pretty sure she'll be there soon.

Originally Posted by Jebony Oh, I made my first Maria wallpaper... it's nothing special, I just played around with some backgrounds, filters, colors and brushes

It's really nice! It's my WP right now.

[maita]

Some of my fave Maria pics

[Jebony]

It's really nice! It's my WP right now.

Thanks! Yeah, it's my current desktop, too! I will make more soon though, so check back for more prettiness!

Thanks for sharing the pics with us! The 4th one is gorgeous! I'm sure her smile makes men go weak in their knees

I would steal most of her off-court outfits if I could :


Click!
Click again!

This is one of my favorite pictures:

[-Bianca-]

Originally Posted by Jebony http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/JuliaThorne/unbenannt92.jpg

I like her hat.

[Jebony]

Yeah, she's so pretty!

You know, I just realized that we started this thread just at a time in between... I mean, Maria's next tourney will be Berlin on May 2

Hm... we seriously need something to talk about