She has an unenvious head-to-head record against Serena Williams but tennis' glam girl Maria Sharapova says rivalries not only light up the sport but also extract the best out of an athlete.
Serena Williams's motivating factor in her WTA Championships triumph on Sunday was to save her own sanity, the American said after beating Maria Sharapova in the final of the season-ending tournament.
Czech fourth seed Tomas Berdych bulldozed his way into the second round of the French Open by thrashing Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 7-5, 6-3 on Monday.
Famed for her on-court grunts, Maria Sharapova admitted she let out a loud yelp of unadulterated joy on New Year's Eve.
The world number two was not invited by team captain Shamil Tarpishchev after she pulled out of last week's semi-final against the United States citing a shoulder injury.
Justine Henin remained on course for a successful defence of her WTA Championships crown when she secured her place in the final with a spectacular win over Ana Ivanovic.
Roger Federer boasted of his fitness, Maria Sharapova felt a bit rusty and Andy Murray berated himself but all three eased into the second week of the Australian Open with third round victories at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
A competitive streak as hard as a diamond gave the 20-year-old the strength to stage a great escape at the French Open.
Maria Sharapova thinks she deserves to be number one despite the thrashing at Australian Open final.
IMAGES of the all the action from Day 2 of the Australian Open played at Melbourne Park on Tuesday
Maria Sharapova has committed herself to playing in Russia's Fed Cup first round tie against Spain in February, the World No 4 said.
When a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova lit up Wimbledon 10 years ago to win the title it was the launch pad to her becoming the world's wealthiest sportswoman and an international tennis brand.
If Maria Sharapova doesn't know who is Sachin Tendulkar, it's but OBVIO that she thinks cricket is a chirping insect outside her window. But that doesn't mean she can't learn. We suggest a few ways our Team India studs can introduce themselves to the iconic tennis star. Here we go:
If Maria Sharapova doesn't know who is Sachin Tendulkar, it's but OBVIO that she thinks cricket is a chirping insect outside her window. But that doesn't mean she can't learn. We suggest a few ways our Team India studs can introduce themselves to the iconic tennis star. Here we go:
Maria Sharapova sounded like the most prolific romantic of all the female tennis players by suggesting that she had many lovers on Valentine's Day.
It was the fourth-seeded Belgian's third Dubai and 25th career title.
The US Open champion has made herself available for Fed Cup team for the first time.
Serena Williams' tactic of staying in her hotel room and being "boring" appears to be paying off after the world number one and top seed swept past Sara Errani into the final of the Madrid Open on Saturday.
Olympic champion Andy Murray looked to build on his recent success by cruising past Alex Bogomolov Jr. and leading a parade of favourites into the second round of the US Open on Monday.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are not just playing for Olympic gold at Wimbledon. There's a career Golden Slam on the line, too.
Justine Henin-Hardenne fought from a match point down to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova and set up a clash with Maria Sharapova
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek cruised past Veronika Kudermetova in the semi-final of the Madrid Open to set up a second straight final showdown with world number two Aryna Sabalenka.
Maria Sharapova has been left out of Russia's Fed Cup first-round tie against Italy later this month because of her hectic tournament schedule
IMAGES from matches played on Day 7 of the French Open at the Roland Garros in Paris on Saturday
US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season, starts Monday, August 28, at Flushing Meadows in New York.
The inaugural International Premier Tennis League, which has borrowed its format from the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League, suffered a blow when two of the world's most-famous female players snubbed the event.
A summary of the matches from Day 9 at the French Open.
Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Andy Murray were the big names to win on Monday and advance to the quarter-final of the Wimbledon.
Photos from matches played Day 7 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday
Photos from Day 1 of the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park on Monday
Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic is engaged to marry Maria Sharapova after the Slovenian told reporters before an exhibition game on Thursday that the Russian former tennis world number one had accepted his proposal.
Serena Williams' career has been so astonishing that it could fuel umpteen movies
Swiss qualifier Timea Bacsinszky continued to swipe past the seeds at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday by dumping World No 4 Maria Sharapova from the hard court tournament with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory.
World number one Rafael Nadal set a new record of winning 50 consecutive sets on a single surface by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals.
The following is a timeline charting her rise to the top of the women's game:
Bollettieri founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in 1978. It was bought by the International Management Group in 1987.
The 20-year-old is on the longest unbeaten run in the women's tour since Serena Williams bagged 34 victories in succession in 2013.
Images from matches played on Day 4 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday
Iga Swiatek clinched her second French Open title after defeating American teenager Coco Gauff
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances