ontennis.com

maria celebrates her 18th birthday

She served up her birthday party invitations on three pink tennis balls. Russian-born Maria Sharapova, who took the Wimbledon title last year, has been celebrating her 18th birthday in style.

Although the big day isn't until April 19 - when she plans to have a small party for family and friends back home in Florida - the tennis ace enjoyed a first round of festivities at the weekend, taking over the ballroom at New York's Maritime Hotel for the occasion.

And the youngster, who is ranked third in the world, made good use of her visit to the Big Apple, enjoying a stroll round her favourite boutiques on the day before the party.

Perhaps she was still looking for something to wear: the new face of Motorola says she plans her on-court ensembles weeks in advance, but only decided on her Nicole Miller party dress on the night itself.

golovin - the hipster hotpants

... but what was probably the boldest outfit stemmed from the men's fashion. We've all seen Martina Navratilova dashing around the courts in men's shorts, but Tatiana Golovin from France took it up a notch... or two.

Although the 16-year-old was dismissed by Serena in the quarterfinals, she was dismissed in cheeky style wearing a hipster hotpants that barely covered the essentials “hipster hotpants sat dangerously low”;

Golovin is precociously aware of her pulling power. Why else would she wear the slinkiest hotpants seen on the SW19 grass or bother to roll down the top of her tennis skirt and sew it into place to show off more midriff? Predictably, she does not want to be seen as another Anna Kournikova. “I hope first of all that people come to watch the tennis. Then, you know, if the physical . . . that’s their choice,” she said. If Golovin fulfils her potential, then perhaps the only thing that she will have in common with Kournikova is that she was born in Moscow and attended the Bollettieri academy in Florida — where she played with Maria Sharapova — from a young age.

“When I was little, I lost to her all the time love and love and one and one,” Golovin, who was beaten by the 17-year-old Russian — no longer a friend — in the final of the DFS Classic in Birmingham three weeks ago, said. “But I think now I’m catching up.”

Sharapova's mission to get one up on Kournikova

MARIA SHARAPOVA turned 18 last week and although she probably came of age competitively while winning Wimbledon last year, she has a chance of creating a timely celebration in the next few days.

That's because Sharapova has not only followed fellow Russian Anna Kournikova as the world's most sought-after sportswoman, but she has surpassed her Florida-based neighbour by moving as close to the top of the rankings as she is to her endorsement earnings.

Sharapova will become world No.1 if she wins the $US1.3 million ($2m) German Open starting today, and the way she has been growing stronger and trying to add facets to her game nobody should rule it out.

"My aim is to keep improving, to get my schedule right and keep playing well – and the ranking can take care of itself," Sharapova said.

Now that she has turned 18 and can play in as many tournaments as she wants, Sharapova can pick up ranking points at events in which she has none to defend.

Maleeva Advances in German Open

Bulgarian top tennis player Magdalena Maleeva defeated Vera Douchevina of Russia in the first round of the Qatar Total German Open in Berlin.

Maleeva won the match in one hour, 6-3 6-1. Her next rival will be world's number seven, Svetlana Kuznetzova of Russia.

The Bulgarian racket, aged 30, has already announced that 2005 will be the last year of her playing career.

Maleeva has been running her own fashion business for several years already. She also co-owns a large sporting complex in Sofia together with her mother and sisters.

Golovin hot stuff on and off court

And still Tatiana Golovin waits for some sort of response from Buckingham Palace.

It was last summer that she informed Prince William through the morning prints that she wanted to look up from the Centre Court at Wimbledon and see him waving back at her from the Royal Box. "I'll be waiting for him," the would-be princess had purred.

This cheeky approach to the princes was typical of her. Golovin is no joyless tennis machine, more like a Frenchwoman who simply adores all the glitz, glamour, occasional hilarity and the hipster hotpants of being a tennis player.

She has already attracted plenty of attention for her flamboyant, at times risqué, wardrobe. Her version of demure in the Miami players' lounge was a blood-red top and low-slung, hot pink tracksuit bottoms. During her junior days she was known to take a pair of scissors to her skirts to make them more revealing.

Golovin's ice hockey coach father moved the family from Moscow to France when she was just eight months old. She speaks French as her first language, English as if she is in the smart set at an American high school, and Russian at home with her parents. She can be funny, feisty and disarming in all three languages; there is plenty of personality to go with the shots and the frocks.

Kournikova was instrumental in Golovin boarding at the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida from the age of seven. "Dad was watching a video of the players at Bollettieri and he saw Anna on it and said that we should definitely try it out with Bollettieri. So Anna was a big help with my tennis. And my parents and her parents became good friends when they met in Florida," Golovin said. She seems genuinely thankful for what Kournikova has done for her.

She has recently bought a luxury flat in Florida so will be able to go on more shopping trips with Kournikova, who has not played on the tour for close to two years and lives in Miami.

Another inspiration has been Maria Sharapova, the Wimbledon champion and a contemporary from the Bollettieri days, "but we're not so much friends any more".

original article: daily telegraph