Maria Sharapova

[MashaFan]

To Masha Fan

I have just been reading on SI.Com,in regards to Tarpischev comments regarding the Williams Sisters.
It was great to see Maria Sharapova come out and blast the comments of Tarpischev,
Sharapova said "Disrespectful and uncalled for and I'm glad that many people have stood up including the WTA".

I'm proud to be a MashaFan - She has never scandalized herself either on or off court

 

[sk310]

If Maria was not around to be beaten by Serena, Serena would not be as great as she is.
One of Serena's main accomplishments has been domination of Masha.
I said it in a thread before, down the history lane, Maria's name will always be mentioned with Serena and vice-versa. Just like Chrissie and Martina--Graf and Seles.

I disagree. Serena is more likely to be mentioned as an abrupt end to to Martina Hingis', in the same generation as Justine, Kim, and Lindsay and the name that will ALWAYS go with her will be Venus. I get what you're saying and generally I agree with it. Most great champions have a foil. Chrissie had Martina, then Martina had Steffi, and then Steffi had Monica. However, no, Maria didn't push Serena to be better. Serena was dominant before Maria and dominant after Maria. It was the challenge of living up to her sister's example that made Serena work harder.

Was Serena dominant before Masha? Hingis has 6-7 record against her....
Serena never had a rivalry with her sister, Venus beat her last time they played. Serena is not in the same generation as Lindsay, and Serena proved to be better than Venus, Venus and Maria are in the same league, although I give the edge to Venus...

I like you a lot SK, don't let Serena's accomplishments misguide you because you like her too much, Serena will never be a Steffi or Martina, she is just too far behind. Serena will never reach 100+ titles like they did. She will bring arguments though!

Serena has done at 31+ what no one will do, ever!

It's actually 7-6 Serena vs. Hingins, just to be fair. My point there was that I believe the beginning of their career will be defined by both Venus and Serena coming on the scene to challenge Hingis who was largely dominant for this short span of time in the late 90s.

I'm sorry I think it's pretty silly to say Serena never had a rivalry with Venus. Her record is 14-11 against Venus. That's fairly close by rivalry standards especially considering so many of those matches were on tennis' biggest stages.

Ok you're right Serena is not in the same generation as Lindsay, she's 5 years younger. Pointless correction on your part considering Venus and Serena were active top tier players in the period Lindsay won all 3 of here grand slam totals and the fact that Maria is 6 years younger than Serena.

I'm really not a Serena fanatic. I like her a lot. I was always a fan of her. Venus was my preferred Williams' sister because I found her, at her prime, to be more graceful and dynamic on court. I agree with you that she won't ever be Martina. For me it would be complicated to argue that Serena is the GOAT. Steffi for me is the greatest GS player and Martina is the greatest overall for pure length, variety of high level opponents (from Chrissy to Steffi), and titles overall both singles and doubles.

If for any reason Serena and Maria are linked in history it's purely based on Maria's excellent PR and Marketing team.

 

[sk310]

If Maria was not around to be beaten by Serena, Serena would not be as great as she is.
One of Serena's main accomplishments has been domination of Masha.
I said it in a thread before, down the history lane, Maria's name will always be mentioned with Serena and vice-versa. Just like Chrissie and Martina--Graf and Seles.

I disagree. Serena is more likely to be mentioned as an abrupt end to to Martina Hingis', in the same generation as Justine, Kim, and Lindsay and the name that will ALWAYS go with her will be Venus. I get what you're saying and generally I agree with it. Most great champions have a foil. Chrissie had Martina, then Martina had Steffi, and then Steffi had Monica. However, no, Maria didn't push Serena to be better. Serena was dominant before Maria and dominant after Maria. It was the challenge of living up to her sister's example that made Serena work harder.

Was Serena dominant before Masha? Hingis has 6-7 record against her....
Serena never had a rivalry with her sister, Venus beat her last time they played. Serena is not in the same generation as Lindsay, and Serena proved to be better than Venus, Venus and Maria are in the same league, although I give the edge to Venus...

I like you a lot SK, don't let Serena's accomplishments misguide you because you like her too much, Serena will never be a Steffi or Martina, she is just too far behind. Serena will never reach 100+ titles like they did. She will bring arguments though!

Serena has done at 31+ what no one will do, ever!

As a side note... I answered your post because I respect you a lot and think you are generally a fair and thoughtful poster. I don't like to knock anyone on here because I'm here to post about tennis not forum members. Although I think we all know there are those of us that just generally love to talk about tennis and there are those of us that are a few marbles short of a set. I think both you and I are are the former .

 

[special700]

To Masha Fan

I have just been reading on SI.Com,in regards to Tarpischev comments regarding the Williams Sisters.
It was great to see Maria Sharapova come out and blast the comments of Tarpischev,
Sharapova said "Disrespectful and uncalled for and I'm glad that many people have stood up including the WTA".

I'm proud to be a MashaFan - She has never scandalized herself either on or off court

Give me a break Maria said almost the same thing about Serena's body earlier this year. So that false comment don't mean a thing to me.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

1. I don't see any racism here as even Samantha Stosur has been called in similar ways.
Sam has a very nice and powerful serve that most girls find difficult to handle and
many have said she serves like a man.

2. I think it is one thing for another player who faced the situation say something and
another thing for an official to say something.

3. Finally, lot of it depends on the context, connotation and body language as well.
"She plays like a man" can be a well meaning compliment as well as it can be
a sexist remark.

 

[tossip]

God knows what those russians talk about in that Fed Cup team...makes me shudder.I know a lot of friends who work with russians and they complain about racism and that they are troublemakers and are not comfortable with diversity.

 

[MashaFan]

Give me a break Maria said almost the same thing about Serena's body earlier this year. So that false comment don't mean a thing to me.

If you feel the need to make public accusations then the least one can ask is for you to refer to some trustworthy sources - Thank you

God knows what those russians talk about in that Fed Cup team...makes me shudder.I know a lot of friends who work with russians and they complain about racism and that they are troublemakers and are not comfortable with diversity.

Small minded people who've prejudices about Russians - Chinese - white people and whatnot make me shudder - People who base their entire opinion on the action of a few completely suck

 

[tossip]

Give me a break Maria said almost the same thing about Serena's body earlier this year. So that false comment don't mean a thing to me.

If you feel the need to make public accusations then the least one can ask is for you to refer to some trustworthy sources - Thank you

God knows what those russians talk about in that Fed Cup team...makes me shudder.I know a lot of friends who work with russians and they complain about racism and that they are troublemakers and are not comfortable with diversity.

Small minded people who've prejudices about Russians - Chinese - white people and whatnot make me shudder - People who base their entire opinion on the action of a few completely suck

a lot of them are not comfortable with diversity.I know a lot of them in my community and they are not friendly..just cold like Siberia:lolz:

 

[special700]

Give me a break Maria said almost the same thing about Serena's body earlier this year. So that false comment don't mean a thing to me.

If you feel the need to make public accusations then the least one can ask is for you to refer to some trustworthy sources - Thank you

God knows what those russians talk about in that Fed Cup team...makes me shudder.I know a lot of friends who work with russians and they complain about racism and that they are troublemakers and are not comfortable with diversity.

Small minded people who've prejudices about Russians - Chinese - white people and whatnot make me shudder - People who base their entire opinion on the action of a few completely suck

I am sure someone will post it. It was in reference to Serena's serve. She said something to the effect "if I had a body like hers I could serve like that too"...Serena's reply was " I don't know what she's talking talking about because she's bigger than I am......etc.....etc" I am sure you remember that.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just my personal thoughts with players making comments about fellow players body parts etc.

This kind of thing has been going on in the womens game ever since Adam was a Boy? I kid you not.

Lets be totally honest with ourselves for starters.Women can be catty and bitchy in regards to observing other women,not just in our game of tennis.I raise my hand up in this instance by the way.

Body image these days to me has got to the point of being totally ridiculous.Apparently according to Media,which by the way has been the main instigator in this problem,one has to be at least 5ft 10 in,not a ounce of body fat,flawless skin,must be dressed up to the latest fashion to be successful in life? Give Me A Break.This kind of mentality is sadly world wide,it has crept into all ages of women.
Beauty comes from within.No wonder many women suffer badly with low self esteem today.The Media keeps coming out with more ridiculous stories how to be 'Successful and how to have control in your life',only if you look thin? I honestly feel this is a major problem in our current society.

Women of the world,that includes all women,young to mature ages like me,learn to like yourself first and foremost,maintain a healthy body weight,remember Health is the most important thing in our lives,you cant buy it,you can only try to preserve it.

 

[sk310]

There was a time when both men and women players were a lot more prone to making catty and mean comments about each other. That seems to have subsided A LOT in the last 5-10 years. Remember Hingis and the Williams sisters? Mcenroe and...everyone?

I would guess a lot of it has to do with the top players all having agents and PR teams that tell them it does NOTHING for their public marketability.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

There was a time when both men and women players were a lot more prone to making catty and mean comments about each other. That seems to have subsided A LOT in the last 5-10 years. Remember Hingis and the Williams sisters? Mcenroe and...everyone?

I would guess a lot of it has to do with the top players all having agents and PR teams that tell them it does NOTHING for their public marketability.

I still think it prevails more in the womens game than the mens quite frankly,women generally watch womens tennis than men do

Yes Martina Hingis had a acid tongue on her,also she was a bad sportswomen in my opinion
I will never forget what she did to Graf at Roland Garos that time,when her mother had to escort her back on the court,crying mind you,for the trophy ceremony.Graf happens to be one of my all time favorite champions of the game,Graf handled that incident with class.

 

[MashaFan]

I am sure someone will post it. It was in reference to Serena's serve. She said something to the effect "if I had a body like hers I could serve like that too"...Serena's reply was " I don't know what she's talking talking about because she's bigger than I am......etc.....etc" I am sure you remember that.

Yeah? - And? - I can not see anything scandalous in that remark - How it's interpreted is in your own mind - Many have for example made remarks about Justin's shortness and how she was able to serve with power anyways - Being tall like Masha is not for certain a benefit in tennis - I interpret Masha's remark like that Serena's body type was better suited to be a good server - nothing else

Note that Masha's remark hardly caused any headlines nor did it stir any controversy - You at the other hand wanna read more into it than there is

 

[tossip]

pova is always passive aggressive..hopefully Caro will annihilate her in two sets.She is very anti social...no wonder Dimitrova is moving away from her.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

^ Sorry to burst your bubble Maria and Grigor still are a couple and doing just fine,I dismiss the rumors that because they have stopped twitting to one another,their relationship is over.
If I was a current player on the tour,having a relationship with a fellow ATP player,I would keep off all media period.To me it is private.From the updated interview I read from Maria Sharapova,when she was asked this question about Grigor,she answered we are fine.

 

[tossip]

^ Sorry to burst your bubble Maria and Grigor still are a couple and doing just fine,I dismiss the rumors that because they have stopped twitting to one another,their relationship is over.
If I was a current player on the tour,having a relationship with a fellow ATP player,I would keep off all media period.To me it is private.From the updated interview I read from Maria Sharapova,when she was asked this question about Grigor,she answered we are fine.

dont really care that much about her personal life...its more like a mother son relationship ..no sizzle at all:lolz:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

^ Sorry to burst your bubble Maria and Grigor still are a couple and doing just fine,I dismiss the rumors that because they have stopped twitting to one another,their relationship is over.
If I was a current player on the tour,having a relationship with a fellow ATP player,I would keep off all media period.To me it is private.From the updated interview I read from Maria Sharapova,when she was asked this question about Grigor,she answered we are fine.

dont really care that much about her personal life...its more like a mother son relationship ..no sizzle at all:lolz:

My feelings are in any relationship 'what ever works'.......

 

[rugged]

If Maria was not around to be beaten by Serena, Serena would not be as great as she is.
One of Serena's main accomplishments has been domination of Masha.
I said it in a thread before, down the history lane, Maria's name will always be mentioned with Serena and vice-versa. Just like Chrissie and Martina--Graf and Seles.

Remind me not to let you make arguments on my behalf. You have it backwards - Maria would not be talked about as much if she had not beaten Serena in the Wimby final. Serena is great because she has beaten some of the greatest in Slam finals. And when she didn't, in most cases, it was because her sister (you know, holder of 7 slams) stopped her. It if wasn't for her sister she would have passed Graf's total by now.

Maria's name will not always be mentioned with Serena's and Maria would prefer it this way. As would her agent. It is a legacy killer. No top player has ever taken public beatings by one other player for such a long period of time.

 

[sk310]

If Maria was not around to be beaten by Serena, Serena would not be as great as she is.
One of Serena's main accomplishments has been domination of Masha.
I said it in a thread before, down the history lane, Maria's name will always be mentioned with Serena and vice-versa. Just like Chrissie and Martina--Graf and Seles.

Remind me not to let you make arguments on my behalf. You have it backwards - Maria would not be talked about as much if she had not beaten Serena in the Wimby final. Serena is great because she has beaten some of the greatest in Slam finals. And when she didn't, in most cases, it was because her sister (you know, holder of 7 slams) stopped her. It if wasn't for her sister she would have passed Graf's total by now.

Maria's name will not always be mentioned with Serena's and Maria would prefer it this way. As would her agent. It is a legacy killer. No top player has ever taken public beatings by one other player for such a long period of time.

I agree with all of the above. It was kind of a baseless claim. I get the point Kiu was trying to make. Bsically every great player has a foil. Chrissy/Martina, Steffi/Monica, Serena... No it's not Maria it's Venus. Venus has 7 grand slams and would have many more if it weren't for Serena. That's the definition of a great rivalry, not 16 times beaten.

I imagine Maria's legacy will be much more built around a few things...
1. She's possibly the last of the teenage phenoms as the rules around how many GS/Main tour events teenagers are allowed to play changed right after Maria.
2. Even though she was the second Russian to win a GS she is by far the greatest of the Russian charge that happened in the early-mid 2000s. For a time Russians crowded the top 10 and top 20. It's dissipated by against I think she'll be remembered as the greatest of the Russian tennis women.
3. Her team's marketing prowess. I truly believe Maria's team changed how a player can be marketed especially in major tennis markets. Obviously the biggest sports marketing market is the US and I think before Maria, American sports stars were mostly used to market to this demo. Maria's team did a really great job of marketing her to the American public. It helps that she is all but American (in accent and living) having been there since she was 7. It's impressive.

 

[markus1]

She's having a shambles of YEC so far. Stil can qualify if other result goes her way, but the decline on hard courts is scary.