Topic: The MARIA SHARAPOVA THREAD - Quotes, Facts, Reports, Anything!

[thalivest]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

[thalivest]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

[Chris1987]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

maria has a serious body. i would do her in a new york second. she is probably one of the hottest babes on the planet.

hey chris in your very best and objective estimation, how many slams can maria end up with?

she has 3 by 20 which is a great start. i firmly believe that she is a major threat this year at wimby and at the u.s. open. that could give her 5.

if she keeps improving and stays driven, she could end up with 12-15. what do you think?

Hi Herc, I'm still going for what I said, believed and hoped for when Maria was 16 years of age as at that time I said and hoped as well as believed that on day she could get to at least 10 Grand Slam title victories. I looked at all the greats of the games and Slam winners lists and came up with the thought that if  Maria won at least 10 Grand Slam titles she would be consider more than likely as one of the top 8 or so greatest female players of all time. A lot of people a couple of years after I made that prediction mocked it and said she would probably only gain a 2nd Slam if she got a cup cake draw and had to play no good players, but constantly I kept saying that Maria was a work in progression and that there was such much more to come from her and that she could still one day hit 10 Slams at least. Being just 20 now and having 3 different Slam titles already has only furthered my belief with that as I'll say it again there is still more to come from Maria, she's still got a lot more improvements she's going to make and it won't be for another 2/3 years we see Maria fully developed and at her peak, so as long as Maria avoids all the injuries and stays fit I'm saying at least 10 Grand Slam titles could come her way 

[Chris1987]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

[Chris1987]

Maria is one determined girl this year and on a real mission as it has just been confirmed that Maria will be playing both the upgraded to Tier 1 event in Doha, and then the following week the event in Dubai. Maria generally just plays the one of these first couple of years playing Doha and then instead choosing Dubai, but this year she's going for them both before having 10 days break before Indian Wells. Maria has big ranking points on offer this next couple of months as she missed both Middle East events last year with the shoulder injury and shouldn't have played either Indian Wells or Miami, going out before the quarters in both, with a very serious shoulder problem at the time.

After Fed Cup, Maria will play the following events: Qatar Total Open in Doha, Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

Doha will begin on February 18th and Dubai will begin the week after.  Maria didn't play either event last year and her best result in both was winning Doha in 2005 and reaching the final in Dubai in 2006.

Next will be the super Tier 1's at Indian Wells and Miami.  Both events run for 2 weeks back to back and Indian Wells begins on March 12th.  Maria's best results in both was winning Indian Wells in 2006 and reaching the final in Miami in 2005 and 2006.

Just can't wait until 20 days come and I'm already ticking the days off one by one with so much excitement and anticipation 

[thalivest]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

I was seeing your point up until Henin. Although never saw the match entirely saw highlights, and believe me MaSha did not beat her due to her movment, or even moved better than Henin. She won cuz she was dictating points and Henin did not have much of an opprtunity to move her around.

If the Williams sisters are healthy, focused and playing well they handle Sharapova, cuz they can match her power and are superior athletically. Serena and Venus can both serve well to control points and Venus can return as well. Henin was overpowered not out moved.

And as far as athletics, just be glad MaSha didn't get Graf in her prime. Believe me, it'd be something ugly!!!
And I don't mean MaSha's mug!!!!

[Chris1987]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

I was seeing your point up until Henin. Although never saw the match entirely saw highlights, and believe me MaSha did not beat her due to her movment, or even moved better than Henin. She won cuz she was dictating points and Henin did not have much of an opprtunity to move her around.

If the Williams sisters are healthy, focused and playing well they handle Sharapova, cuz they can match her power and are superior athletically. Serena and Venus can both serve well to control points and Venus can return as well. Henin was overpowered not out moved.

And as far as athletics, just be glad MaSha didn't get Graf in her prime. Believe me, it'd be something ugly!!!
And I don't mean MaSha's mug!!!!

That was exactly the point I was making thatlivest in the match vs Henin in particular. If Maria is striking the ball that well hard and with such concistency the movement doesn't come into it for one second, and thats what I was pointing out in my last post that Henin had absolutely no opportunity to get Maria on the move so the movement and making points as athletic as possible could never become a reality.
About the Williams sisters, Venus is like 28 now, and Serena's exit in Melbourne as defending champion didn't give a great indication of how she's likely to be challenging this year, and Serena also had 3 failed attempts last year to overpower Henin as Maria did so who knows where the Williams sisters are right now and how much they're likely to play, Srena was dealt with pretty comfortably by a somewhat injured Jankovic an the Venus serve is having an awful lot of matches where its not turning up and Venus was taking out in straights by Ivanovic so right now its hard to say with the Williams sisters.

Finally about Graf, she's part of history now, we're in the present so that's not even on the mind and that matchup matters not one little bit, and Graf with the number of Grand Slam titles she won should b considered as somebody who could beat any player in the history of the game, but thing is she was the 1980s/1990s and not the 21st century so her game and athletic ability matters not one tiny bit now 

[Clay Death]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

maria has a serious body. i would do her in a new york second. she is probably one of the hottest babes on the planet.

hey chris in your very best and objective estimation, how many slams can maria end up with?

she has 3 by 20 which is a great start. i firmly believe that she is a major threat this year at wimby and at the u.s. open. that could give her 5.

if she keeps improving and stays driven, she could end up with 12-15. what do you think?

Hi Herc, I'm still going for what I said, believed and hoped for when Maria was 16 years of age as at that time I said and hoped as well as believed that on day she could get to at least 10 Grand Slam title victories. I looked at all the greats of the games and Slam winners lists and came up with the thought that if  Maria won at least 10 Grand Slam titles she would be consider more than likely as one of the top 8 or so greatest female players of all time. A lot of people a couple of years after I made that prediction mocked it and said she would probably only gain a 2nd Slam if she got a cup cake draw and had to play no good players, but constantly I kept saying that Maria was a work in progression and that there was such much more to come from her and that she could still one day hit 10 Slams at least. Being just 20 now and having 3 different Slam titles already has only furthered my belief with that as I'll say it again there is still more to come from Maria, she's still got a lot more improvements she's going to make and it won't be for another 2/3 years we see Maria fully developed and at her peak, so as long as Maria avoids all the injuries and stays fit I'm saying at least 10 Grand Slam titles could come her way 

3 by 20 is a blazing start. i thinks she gets 2 more this year.

[Victor]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

maria has a serious body. i would do her in a new york second. she is probably one of the hottest babes on the planet.

hey chris in your very best and objective estimation, how many slams can maria end up with?

she has 3 by 20 which is a great start. i firmly believe that she is a major threat this year at wimby and at the u.s. open. that could give her 5.

if she keeps improving and stays driven, she could end up with 12-15. what do you think?

Hi Herc, I'm still going for what I said, believed and hoped for when Maria was 16 years of age as at that time I said and hoped as well as believed that on day she could get to at least 10 Grand Slam title victories. I looked at all the greats of the games and Slam winners lists and came up with the thought that if  Maria won at least 10 Grand Slam titles she would be consider more than likely as one of the top 8 or so greatest female players of all time. A lot of people a couple of years after I made that prediction mocked it and said she would probably only gain a 2nd Slam if she got a cup cake draw and had to play no good players, but constantly I kept saying that Maria was a work in progression and that there was such much more to come from her and that she could still one day hit 10 Slams at least. Being just 20 now and having 3 different Slam titles already has only furthered my belief with that as I'll say it again there is still more to come from Maria, she's still got a lot more improvements she's going to make and it won't be for another 2/3 years we see Maria fully developed and at her peak, so as long as Maria avoids all the injuries and stays fit I'm saying at least 10 Grand Slam titles could come her way 

3 by 20 is a blazing start. i thinks she gets 2 more this year.

I think 10 is a bit much and so the to postive sounds. Maria is good. But theres a tough field in the WTA. Williams sisters, Henin etc etc.. You never know. You have to sit and wait and cheer for your favourite player!

[thalivest]

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

I was seeing your point up until Henin. Although never saw the match entirely saw highlights, and believe me MaSha did not beat her due to her movment, or even moved better than Henin. She won cuz she was dictating points and Henin did not have much of an opprtunity to move her around.

If the Williams sisters are healthy, focused and playing well they handle Sharapova, cuz they can match her power and are superior athletically. Serena and Venus can both serve well to control points and Venus can return as well. Henin was overpowered not out moved.

And as far as athletics, just be glad MaSha didn't get Graf in her prime. Believe me, it'd be something ugly!!!
And I don't mean MaSha's mug!!!!

That was exactly the point I was making thatlivest in the match vs Henin in particular. If Maria is striking the ball that well hard and with such concistency the movement doesn't come into it for one second, and thats what I was pointing out in my last post that Henin had absolutely no opportunity to get Maria on the move so the movement and making points as athletic as possible could never become a reality.
About the Williams sisters, Venus is like 28 now, and Serena's exit in Melbourne as defending champion didn't give a great indication of how she's likely to be challenging this year, and Serena also had 3 failed attempts last year to overpower Henin as Maria did so who knows where the Williams sisters are right now and how much they're likely to play, Srena was dealt with pretty comfortably by a somewhat injured Jankovic an the Venus serve is having an awful lot of matches where its not turning up and Venus was taking out in straights by Ivanovic so right now its hard to say with the Williams sisters.

Finally about Graf, she's part of history now, we're in the present so that's not even on the mind and that matchup matters not one little bit, and Graf with the number of Grand Slam titles she won should b considered as somebody who could beat any player in the history of the game, but thing is she was the 1980s/1990s and not the 21st century so her game and athletic ability matters not one tiny bit now 

The Williams sisters I think hurt themselves more than MaSha. You look at Henin who is superior athlete than MaSha but can be overpowered. The Williams siseters have both...
1) Superior athletically
2) Possess the power to hang with MaSha and even overpower her

At Aus Open last year when Serena was fucused an playing well, MaSha got beat down. They'd played twice in 2007 and Serena won 24 of 29 games. If/when a female can bring both to the table, power and athleticism, your girl will be fighting an uphill battle.

For the Williams sister tennis may not be their 1st priority I don't know. But when they're on(particularly Serena),I'd have to take her over MaSha. She has the power, and is the better athlete, which not only helps her, but heurts MaSha.

[Chris1987]

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

I was seeing your point up until Henin. Although never saw the match entirely saw highlights, and believe me MaSha did not beat her due to her movment, or even moved better than Henin. She won cuz she was dictating points and Henin did not have much of an opprtunity to move her around.

If the Williams sisters are healthy, focused and playing well they handle Sharapova, cuz they can match her power and are superior athletically. Serena and Venus can both serve well to control points and Venus can return as well. Henin was overpowered not out moved.

And as far as athletics, just be glad MaSha didn't get Graf in her prime. Believe me, it'd be something ugly!!!
And I don't mean MaSha's mug!!!!

That was exactly the point I was making thatlivest in the match vs Henin in particular. If Maria is striking the ball that well hard and with such concistency the movement doesn't come into it for one second, and thats what I was pointing out in my last post that Henin had absolutely no opportunity to get Maria on the move so the movement and making points as athletic as possible could never become a reality.
About the Williams sisters, Venus is like 28 now, and Serena's exit in Melbourne as defending champion didn't give a great indication of how she's likely to be challenging this year, and Serena also had 3 failed attempts last year to overpower Henin as Maria did so who knows where the Williams sisters are right now and how much they're likely to play, Srena was dealt with pretty comfortably by a somewhat injured Jankovic an the Venus serve is having an awful lot of matches where its not turning up and Venus was taking out in straights by Ivanovic so right now its hard to say with the Williams sisters.

Finally about Graf, she's part of history now, we're in the present so that's not even on the mind and that matchup matters not one little bit, and Graf with the number of Grand Slam titles she won should b considered as somebody who could beat any player in the history of the game, but thing is she was the 1980s/1990s and not the 21st century so her game and athletic ability matters not one tiny bit now 

The Williams sisters I think hurt themselves more than MaSha. You look at Henin who is superior athlete than MaSha but can be overpowered. The Williams siseters have both...
1) Superior athletically
2) Possess the power to hang with MaSha and even overpower her

At Aus Open last year when Serena was fucused an playing well, MaSha got beat down. They'd played twice in 2007 and Serena won 24 of 29 games. If/when a female can bring both to the table, power and athleticism, your girl will be fighting an uphill battle.

For the Williams sister tennis may not be their 1st priority I don't know. But when they're on(particularly Serena),I'd have to take her over MaSha. She has the power, and is the better athlete, which not only helps her, but heurts MaSha.

I'll say one thing thalivest 'Forget 2007, as that was a year with a constant shoulder prblem and a year where Maria didn't have a serve at all' take Sampras' serve away from him and he wouldn't have got close to 14 Slams and as possibly th greatest player ever. Then after looking at 2007 closely you've got to consider and look at all the improvements Maria's made in the offseason. Never before has she served so well, hit groundshots so consistently and even defended and finished off at the net so well. No she's not got the athletic ability of a Henin or Venus/Serena, but still at 20 she's developing all aspects of her game and right now undoubabl is hitting the hardest combined with the consistency of any of those players. And anyway if the Williams keep bombing out before they get the chance to meet Maria this year then we'll never know the 08 outcome.

[Chris1987]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

maria has a serious body. i would do her in a new york second. she is probably one of the hottest babes on the planet.

hey chris in your very best and objective estimation, how many slams can maria end up with?

she has 3 by 20 which is a great start. i firmly believe that she is a major threat this year at wimby and at the u.s. open. that could give her 5.

if she keeps improving and stays driven, she could end up with 12-15. what do you think?

Hi Herc, I'm still going for what I said, believed and hoped for when Maria was 16 years of age as at that time I said and hoped as well as believed that on day she could get to at least 10 Grand Slam title victories. I looked at all the greats of the games and Slam winners lists and came up with the thought that if  Maria won at least 10 Grand Slam titles she would be consider more than likely as one of the top 8 or so greatest female players of all time. A lot of people a couple of years after I made that prediction mocked it and said she would probably only gain a 2nd Slam if she got a cup cake draw and had to play no good players, but constantly I kept saying that Maria was a work in progression and that there was such much more to come from her and that she could still one day hit 10 Slams at least. Being just 20 now and having 3 different Slam titles already has only furthered my belief with that as I'll say it again there is still more to come from Maria, she's still got a lot more improvements she's going to make and it won't be for another 2/3 years we see Maria fully developed and at her peak, so as long as Maria avoids all the injuries and stays fit I'm saying at least 10 Grand Slam titles could come her way 

3 by 20 is a blazing start. i thinks she gets 2 more this year.

3 Slams in a year, I bloody hope so! I'll never stop smiling if that becomes a reality 

[Chris1987]

Maria suits green 

All my male friends thinks she "fit" - 

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

maria has a serious body. i would do her in a new york second. she is probably one of the hottest babes on the planet.

hey chris in your very best and objective estimation, how many slams can maria end up with?

she has 3 by 20 which is a great start. i firmly believe that she is a major threat this year at wimby and at the u.s. open. that could give her 5.

if she keeps improving and stays driven, she could end up with 12-15. what do you think?

Hi Herc, I'm still going for what I said, believed and hoped for when Maria was 16 years of age as at that time I said and hoped as well as believed that on day she could get to at least 10 Grand Slam title victories. I looked at all the greats of the games and Slam winners lists and came up with the thought that if  Maria won at least 10 Grand Slam titles she would be consider more than likely as one of the top 8 or so greatest female players of all time. A lot of people a couple of years after I made that prediction mocked it and said she would probably only gain a 2nd Slam if she got a cup cake draw and had to play no good players, but constantly I kept saying that Maria was a work in progression and that there was such much more to come from her and that she could still one day hit 10 Slams at least. Being just 20 now and having 3 different Slam titles already has only furthered my belief with that as I'll say it again there is still more to come from Maria, she's still got a lot more improvements she's going to make and it won't be for another 2/3 years we see Maria fully developed and at her peak, so as long as Maria avoids all the injuries and stays fit I'm saying at least 10 Grand Slam titles could come her way 

3 by 20 is a blazing start. i thinks she gets 2 more this year.

I think 10 is a bit much and so the to postive sounds. Maria is good. But theres a tough field in the WTA. Williams sisters, Henin etc etc.. You never know. You have to sit and wait and cheer for your favourite player!

Very tough ask and a mark that not many ever get to so the field will be very tough to get 10 Slams off but 3 for 20 is a perfect start and I fully believe Maria can get to that sort of mark, she's one determined young lady and is improving month by month so another 7 I feel is fully within her reach if she  stays healthy 

[thalivest]

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

I was seeing your point up until Henin. Although never saw the match entirely saw highlights, and believe me MaSha did not beat her due to her movment, or even moved better than Henin. She won cuz she was dictating points and Henin did not have much of an opprtunity to move her around.

If the Williams sisters are healthy, focused and playing well they handle Sharapova, cuz they can match her power and are superior athletically. Serena and Venus can both serve well to control points and Venus can return as well. Henin was overpowered not out moved.

And as far as athletics, just be glad MaSha didn't get Graf in her prime. Believe me, it'd be something ugly!!!
And I don't mean MaSha's mug!!!!

That was exactly the point I was making thatlivest in the match vs Henin in particular. If Maria is striking the ball that well hard and with such concistency the movement doesn't come into it for one second, and thats what I was pointing out in my last post that Henin had absolutely no opportunity to get Maria on the move so the movement and making points as athletic as possible could never become a reality.
About the Williams sisters, Venus is like 28 now, and Serena's exit in Melbourne as defending champion didn't give a great indication of how she's likely to be challenging this year, and Serena also had 3 failed attempts last year to overpower Henin as Maria did so who knows where the Williams sisters are right now and how much they're likely to play, Srena was dealt with pretty comfortably by a somewhat injured Jankovic an the Venus serve is having an awful lot of matches where its not turning up and Venus was taking out in straights by Ivanovic so right now its hard to say with the Williams sisters.

Finally about Graf, she's part of history now, we're in the present so that's not even on the mind and that matchup matters not one little bit, and Graf with the number of Grand Slam titles she won should b considered as somebody who could beat any player in the history of the game, but thing is she was the 1980s/1990s and not the 21st century so her game and athletic ability matters not one tiny bit now 

The Williams sisters I think hurt themselves more than MaSha. You look at Henin who is superior athlete than MaSha but can be overpowered. The Williams siseters have both...
1) Superior athletically
2) Possess the power to hang with MaSha and even overpower her

At Aus Open last year when Serena was fucused an playing well, MaSha got beat down. They'd played twice in 2007 and Serena won 24 of 29 games. If/when a female can bring both to the table, power and athleticism, your girl will be fighting an uphill battle.

For the Williams sister tennis may not be their 1st priority I don't know. But when they're on(particularly Serena),I'd have to take her over MaSha. She has the power, and is the better athlete, which not only helps her, but heurts MaSha.

I'll say one thing thalivest 'Forget 2007, as that was a year with a constant shoulder prblem and a year where Maria didn't have a serve at all' take Sampras' serve away from him and he wouldn't have got close to 14 Slams and as possibly th greatest player ever. Then after looking at 2007 closely you've got to consider and look at all the improvements Maria's made in the offseason. Never before has she served so well, hit groundshots so consistently and even defended and finished off at the net so well. No she's not got the athletic ability of a Henin or Venus/Serena, but still at 20 she's developing all aspects of her game and right now undoubabl is hitting the hardest combined with the consistency of any of those players. And anyway if the Williams keep bombing out before they get the chance to meet Maria this year then we'll never know the 08 outcome.

Yeah she had shoulder problems in 2007, but didn;t Serena hand her her ass twice before they happened????
Oh yes Sampras relied on his serve, but there really wasn't apoint in his game one could consistently attack and know you'd get results. With Sharapova, if you can get her moving(though she's improved) she's not as effective as when she's stationary, or moves by her own verition.

Now I don't see many players who can get her moving(Williams sisters inconsistent and not in peak form, Henin unless she's playing well can be overpowered), but if they can, that's(MaSha's movement, and lack of effectivenes when moving) is a liability for her.

[Chris1987]

She needs an ass, throw in some hips, breasts, some shape. But then I'd still have to look at that mug. 

Nah Maria's got the perfect shape to win tennis matches and to play to her strengths on the court, and thats the all important aspects, and even then she's still perfect for me both on and off the court 

If that's what works for you. But not me. I can't even call her a butterface, cuz she not pretty in the face at all!! Perfect shape for her strengths, you do know that hon can't move. Stationary she's a problem, get her moving and it's wrap!!!!

If I were coaching any female vs MaSha I'd tell them the same thing someone told Sampras before his 1995 US Open F vs Agassi........
"Play as many athletic points as possible".

Certainly works for me as it didn't do Maria any harm in Australia and I think she's got a great shape and is unbelievably pretty. Her shape is for sure perfect for her serve and her groundstroks and her movement is never going to be Olympic class but she's improving that drastically and she was perfect for her mach vs Henin 

Also its fine telling your player to play as many athletic points as possible, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Australia striking the ball so hard, deep and consistently then you've got no real chance or opportunity of dominating the points. Maria was taking charge right from the serve or on her opponents serve from th return and when thats the case with such ball striking, confidence, belief and consistency then the points on on Maria's terms and no ones getting athletic points in, just ask Justine 

I was seeing your point up until Henin. Although never saw the match entirely saw highlights, and believe me MaSha did not beat her due to her movment, or even moved better than Henin. She won cuz she was dictating points and Henin did not have much of an opprtunity to move her around.

If the Williams sisters are healthy, focused and playing well they handle Sharapova, cuz they can match her power and are superior athletically. Serena and Venus can both serve well to control points and Venus can return as well. Henin was overpowered not out moved.

And as far as athletics, just be glad MaSha didn't get Graf in her prime. Believe me, it'd be something ugly!!!
And I don't mean MaSha's mug!!!!

That was exactly the point I was making thatlivest in the match vs Henin in particular. If Maria is striking the ball that well hard and with such concistency the movement doesn't come into it for one second, and thats what I was pointing out in my last post that Henin had absolutely no opportunity to get Maria on the move so the movement and making points as athletic as possible could never become a reality.
About the Williams sisters, Venus is like 28 now, and Serena's exit in Melbourne as defending champion didn't give a great indication of how she's likely to be challenging this year, and Serena also had 3 failed attempts last year to overpower Henin as Maria did so who knows where the Williams sisters are right now and how much they're likely to play, Srena was dealt with pretty comfortably by a somewhat injured Jankovic an the Venus serve is having an awful lot of matches where its not turning up and Venus was taking out in straights by Ivanovic so right now its hard to say with the Williams sisters.

Finally about Graf, she's part of history now, we're in the present so that's not even on the mind and that matchup matters not one little bit, and Graf with the number of Grand Slam titles she won should b considered as somebody who could beat any player in the history of the game, but thing is she was the 1980s/1990s and not the 21st century so her game and athletic ability matters not one tiny bit now 

The Williams sisters I think hurt themselves more than MaSha. You look at Henin who is superior athlete than MaSha but can be overpowered. The Williams siseters have both...
1) Superior athletically
2) Possess the power to hang with MaSha and even overpower her

At Aus Open last year when Serena was fucused an playing well, MaSha got beat down. They'd played twice in 2007 and Serena won 24 of 29 games. If/when a female can bring both to the table, power and athleticism, your girl will be fighting an uphill battle.

For the Williams sister tennis may not be their 1st priority I don't know. But when they're on(particularly Serena),I'd have to take her over MaSha. She has the power, and is the better athlete, which not only helps her, but heurts MaSha.

I'll say one thing thalivest 'Forget 2007, as that was a year with a constant shoulder prblem and a year where Maria didn't have a serve at all' take Sampras' serve away from him and he wouldn't have got close to 14 Slams and as possibly th greatest player ever. Then after looking at 2007 closely you've got to consider and look at all the improvements Maria's made in the offseason. Never before has she served so well, hit groundshots so consistently and even defended and finished off at the net so well. No she's not got the athletic ability of a Henin or Venus/Serena, but still at 20 she's developing all aspects of her game and right now undoubabl is hitting the hardest combined with the consistency of any of those players. And anyway if the Williams keep bombing out before they get the chance to meet Maria this year then we'll never know the 08 outcome.

Yeah she had shoulder problems in 2007, but didn;t Serena hand her her ass twice before they happened????
Oh yes Sampras relied on his serve, but there really wasn't apoint in his game one could consistently attack and know you'd get results. With Sharapova, if you can get her moving(though she's improved) she's not as effective as when she's stationary, or moves by her own verition.

Now I don't see many players who can get her moving(Williams sisters inconsistent and not in peak form, Henin unless she's playing well can be overpowered), but if they can, that's(MaSha's movement, and lack of effectivenes when moving) is a liability for her.

Firstly no, both times Maria was beaten she was struggling hugely with the shoulder and it first flared up in the Quarter Finals of Melbourne vs Chakvetadze and continue until late Octobr, although first time it wasn't as bad as Miami. It started to really get bad and pretty serious around Indian Wells, and those 4 weeks she shouldn't have played, as it was pretty terrible and threatening to Maria's long term prospects, those weeks at Indian Wells and then Miami where Serena beat Maria were some of the worst weeks of Maria's career for sure.

Then I totally agree Maria's weakness is her movement but at least she's working hard on improving that and so much more often than now  is getting to balls she would never have gotten to a year or so ago, and is defending so much better. Yes if opponents get Maria on the move that's where they can look to wins points, but if Maria plays 7 matches as she did in Melbourne, 3 being against top 4 players now, one against a former top 5 and one against a former world number 1 then that was a pretty good selection of players to do that to Maria but all failed badly because if Maria can eep hitting the ball as she did so consistently then its going to take something unbelievably special to beat her right now, even so from the Williams sisters and with all the questions marks over them for the time being the prsent and futures looking very bright. The movement is the weakness, it'll keep improving as thats Maria all over but its up to somebody to play the match of their life if they're going to get Maria on the move if she plays as she did in Australia.

[Chris1987]

Rookie Sharapova makes Fed Cup debut
The draw has neen been made for this weekend's World Group 1st round tie in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas between Israel and Russia with the order of play as follows.

Shahar Peer (ISR) v Dinara Safina (RUS)
Tzipi Obziler (ISR) v Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Shahar Peer (ISR) v Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Tzipi Obziler (ISR) v Dinara Safina (RUS)
Shahar Peer/Tzipi Obziler (ISR) v Elena Vesnina/Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)


The star attraction

If no injuries occur between now and Saturday afternoon, Maria Sharapova will make her Fed Cup by BNP Paribas debut.

This tie is a big first for many reasons. Obviously the main one and by far the loudest and flashiest, is the presence of Maria Sharapova. The 2008 Australian Open champion will for the first time in her already distinguished career put on the national uniform and play for her country.

In last years Fed Cup by BNP Paribas final between Russia and Italy in Moscow, Sharapova helped out the team as a sparing partner. Not being able to serve due to injury, the tall blond Russian with an American accent got a taste of Fed Cup tennis; “I loved the atmosphere at the finals with the crowd and the intensity of play and I can’t wait to get out there”, said Sharapova. This time she is fit and healthy and raring to go. Along side her is world No. 7 Anna Chakvetadze, world No. 16 Dinara Safina and No. 53 Elena Vesnina.

With the huge home nation support in the Canada Stadium, Ramat Hasharon, the Russian’s will definitely be given a good run for their money when the action gets underway on Saturday.
 

[swish]

Sharapova closing in on all-time greats


http://news.smh.com.au/sharapova-closing-in-on-alltime-greats/20080127-1ofo.html

[Chris1987]

Nice article Swish! I enjoyed reading that and its so exciting for Maria at just 20 to already be mentioned in the same breath as those over fantastic Champion/Legends but thats what Maria is going for already. Add to that the fact that if Maria did win it this year then she'd be the 2nd youngest to win all 4 Slams and complete the career Grand Slam. It's certainly something massively extra on the line each French Open now until/when Maria wins the title. These are just such exciting time right now

[swish]

Her future's so bright, more articles should be coming out!! 

[Chris1987]

MARIA LEVELS THE TIE FOR RUSSIA

Maria won her 1st Fed Cup match in impressive fashion as she defeated Israeli #2 Tzipora Obziler 6-0 6-4 in 1 hour and 25 minutes to level the tie 1-1.  Russia now have to win 2 of the 3 matches on Sunday to win the tie.

Maria continued her fine Australian Open form in the 1st set set as she took it 6-0 in 28 minutes.  Maria took the set on an ace and had 11 winners to 6 unforced errors throughout the set.

The 2nd set was a lot tougher than the 1st set as the crowd got behind Obziler but Maria said after the match that this drives her to play better and and after taking a 4-0 lead, Maria finally took the set 6-4 on a forehand winner.

Earlier on Dinara Safina lost to Shahar Peer in the 1st match and on Sunday, Maria will open up proceedings against Peer and Safina will take on Obziler.  There is also a doubles match to end the tie.