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LONDON: With their supermodel looks and superpowered tennis, Ana
Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova are braced for a multimillion-dollar
battle of the babes at Wimbledon.
Ivanovic, who deposed Sharapova as world No. 1
after her breakthrough French Open triumph, has earned just over $5
million in her career so far, a figure dwarfed by the Russian’s
$12 million.
But a victory here on July 5 will surely boost
the army of corporate callers desperate for an endorsement from the
20-year-old Serbian with the girl-next-door charm.
When Sharapova won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in
2004, her bank account swelled virtually overnight and, with an
estimated $23 million in off-court earnings alone, she is
comfortably the world’s richest sportswoman.
A Sharapova-Ivanovic final would be a
heaven-sent opportunity for the women’s tour to step out of the
shadow of a men’s circuit driven at breakneck speed by the rivalry
of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Such a final would also provide a fascinating
contrast in personalities between Ivanovic, with her permanently
sunny optimism, and Sharapova’s steely determination.
Both have an ingrained competitive streak forged
from the harshness of their childhoods.
Sharapova famously left her mother behind in
Russia to make the grade in Florida while Ivanovic practiced tennis
in an abandoned swimming pool during lulls in the NATO bombing of
Belgrade before leaving for Germany.
“It makes you stronger,” said the Serbian
who was a semifinalist here last year.
Sharapova, who beat Ivanovic in the Australian
Open final in January for her third Grand Slam title, has not
returned to a Wimbledon final since her 2004 triumph over Serena
Williams.
She was a semifinalist in 2005 and 2006 and a
fourth round loser to eventual champion Venus Williams last year.
The Russian comes into Wimbledon on the back of
another French Open disappointment where she squandered a match
point before losing to compatriot Dinara Safina in the fourth round.
“The great thing about being a tennis player
is that there are some opportunities that you’re going to get
during the year, and it’s really up to you to take those
opportunities,” said Sharapova, who had been hoping to fill the
void left by the shock retirement of Justine Henin.
“But don’t get me wrong, I’m going to work
hard and it will eventually pay off.”
-- AFP
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