Maria Sharapova at IMG Academies
Four years after becoming the first Russian woman to win the Australian Open IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy alum Maria Sharapova is returning to the Final in Melbourne. She spent time training and speaking to junior tennis players at IMG Academies in December.
Sharapova now looks to capitalize on the chance to win her fourth Grand Slam title when she faces off against world #3 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Saturday night.
Two significant story lines stem from the match-up. For one, with world #1 Caroline Wozniacki falling in the Quarterfinals, both Sharapova and Azarenka will be playing for the #1 world ranking, in addition to the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
“For me, it’s more about the Grand Slam win than the No. 1 ranking; that’s just always been the goal for me,” Sharapova said in an interview with Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.
Also of great discussion this week was the state of the grunt in the women’s game. Sharapova and Azarenka have received a lot of attention for their on-court vocals and the decibel level is not likely to decrease for the Final.
For the complete New York Times article, which addresses both story lines, visit here.
