Bleacher Reporter has an article discussing why Russia’s Maria Sharapova is so popular with fans.  Sharapova has been consistently ranked as one of the most searched atheletes online. The article gives four major explanations with which I mostly agree. I have added the fifth reason  to explain mostly her popularity with sponsors:

1) Sex appeal. No comment here. Whether we agree or don’t, like or don’t like. Sex sells. Period.)

2) Successful tennis career. With three grand slams, 24 WTA titles and $16 million in prize-money, Sharapova continues to be a top-5 player. She is no Anna Kournikova. Her next mission is to win the Olympic Gold this year.

3) High-profile personal life. She is engaged to NBA player Sasha Vujacic for about two years already. However, Maria has managed to keep her personal life private. Good for her.

4) Nice personality.  She was likable when she won the Wimbledon in her late teens, and she’s still likable now, especially after taking a career break to recover from injuries.

5) Intelligent businesswoman. Not many talk about her intelligence, but make no mistakes. Maria is smart. At age 24, she remains the top-earning female athlete in the world. She renewed her Nike deal in 2010. The new eight-year contract is worth up to $70 million. She receives royalties from her own tennis line and a line of bags and shoes through Cole Haan. She has endorsements with Canon, Prince, Tiffany, Tag Heuer and Land Rover. Of course she has agents and business advisors, but I have seen  many interviews and appearances of her, where she exactly says what she is supposed to say. Nothing more, nothing less. When Nike signs an eight-year multi-million dollar contract, they must have some trust in the person who is going to represent them. She is not going to surprise us with Tiger-Woods-style lifestyle, or she is not going to have Serena-style outbursts on the court. Maybe it is somewhat dull, but I would call it simply “smart.”

In this interview Maria Sharapova talks about how she feels going up against Petra Kvitova in the next semi-final match.

Q.  How do you feel going up against Kvitova in the next match?MARIA SHARAPOVA:  It will certainly be tough.  I’ve lost to her the last couple of times ? obviously the big one in Wimbledon where she played really well.  I think she’s the one to beat right now, playing the best tennis in her career.  Coming off of so many wins last year, I’m looking forward to the matchup.  I don’t like losing so many times in a row.  So I’ll certainly be going out there and trying to play my best.

 Q.  Out of that Wimbledon final, what do you take from that?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Yeah, she played quite deep and hard, served extremely well.  The chances that I had, she just came up with better shots in that match.  She was certainly the better player.  Yeah, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and see how that goes.

 Read the full interview here.

Oh David… David…David Nalbandian lost to John Isner today 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-8 at the 2012 Australian Open. The match was full of drama and controversy.  Here is a nice summery of what happened.

And here is David’s post-match interview:

Q.  It’s never nice to lose in very controversial circumstances, but clearly it was a pretty dispiriting end to the match for you.  

DAVID NALBANDIAN:  Yeah.

 Q.  What do you make of the umpire’s decision in that 8All point? 

DAVID NALBANDIAN:  I asked for HawkEye and he make an overrule.  Because the lineman call out.  He overrule it.  Was a lot of noises, so I asked what happened, because the lineman called out.

He told me he overruled it.  And I say, Okay, I see the mark.  I say challenge.  Not a big deal.  He don’t want to do it. Read more »

If for some reason you have no access to a TV channel that broadcasts the Australian Open 2012, try to find a live online free channel on this site. Enjoy the show:-)

The most handsome parliamentarian or what!!!!!??? Yes, his name is Marat Safin.

(Photo: Tribune de Geneve)

Two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin has been elected to the Russian Parliament, the Duma. In an interview with ATP, the charismatic Russian tennis star said:

“I could go and make commercials left and right and pretend like I am a celebrity, but that is not me. This is a completely new life, a new way of thinking, new way of doing things that’s nothing to do with tennis or sports at all. But the two things definitely have one thing in common and that is that you need to have a character.”

Oh yes, you do have that, Mr Safin! Good luck in your new adventures.

(Photo: Getty Images)

It is not a surprise that I am a big fan of David Nalbandian. Yesterday’s New York Times had a nice article about him, and his obsession and dedication to Davis Cup. You may read the article here. On Friday, Argentina’s Juan Monaco will play Rafael Nadal in the opening singles as Argentine tries to win their first title in four finals. Four-time champion Spain is going for a third victory in four years.

It looks like after her July wedding to a Russian hockey player Maxim Afinogenov, retired Russian tennis star Elena Dementieva didn’t waste much time in finding a new career. Dementieva will be hosting a TV show on a Russian hockey channel KHL. The show entitled Kukhnya (”Kitchen” in Russian) will be looking at the game of hockey from female perspective and will be featuring hockey players in their personal lives. Here is a video clip from the show.

(Photo: Sovietski Sport)

In a press conference at China Open, Marat Safin said that his sister Dinara Safina had finished her tennis career. He further explained his comment: “She has injured her spine two years ago her at China Open. She has tried a comeback, which only made things worse. Now she needs to take care of her spine, to be able to walk  and lead a normal life. She will continue her rehabilitation, but she will no longer play tennis. It is impossible.”  In response to another correspondent’s question if his statement is an official announcement of her retirement, Marat said: “She will make the official announcement herself. But as her brother, I think, it is simply impossible to come back.”

TennisInfoBlog wishes all the best to Dinara in her future endeavors.

(Source: tennis.ru)

(www.un.org) 1 September 2011 – Tennis ace Novak Djokovic, currently ranked number one in the world, will serve as a National Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in his native Serbia, where he will promote children’s rights and access to early childhood education.The announcement by UNICEF comes as Mr. Djokovic, 24, competes at the US Open in New York, where he is trying to capture his third Grand Slam title of the year.“Novak Djokovic is a natural fit for UNICEF,” said Rima Salah, acting Deputy Executive Director. “He cares deeply about the welfare of Serbian children, bringing the same passion and enthusiasm for his career on the court to addressing issues affecting children.” Read more »