Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova, the Russian star with the California address who is still one of the world’s most visible sports figures, will enjoy her first Grand Slam final since the 2008 Australian Open.

“Today wasn’t my best match of the championships, so I was real happy to get through in two sets,” Sharapova said. “But it’s pretty amazing to be back on that stage.”

She appeared to have stage fright in the early going against Lisicki, the big-serving German who reached the semifinals as a wild card. Sharapova’s serve — an ongoing issue since her comeback from shoulder surgery in 2009 — was shaky again, but she is through and that is all that matters.

“The first three games she played very well, and I did quite the opposite,” Sharapova said. “And then, you know, I told myself to take it one point at a time and really focus. I felt like I just kind of got in my zone.”

There was plenty of shaky tennis from there, but there was also some classic Sharapova: huge, flat ground strokes struck at sharp angles with full-blown self-belief.

On the sidelines the leggy Russian received lofty support from her fiance, the 6ft 7in New Jersey Nets shooting guard, Sasha Vujacic.

Sharapova is looking a good bet to repeat her 2004 Wimbledon triumph after crushing Zakopalova 6-2, 6-3 in just 78 minutes.

Her more serious rivals will be made to jump through hoops if she continues in such relentless fashion. And she admits the company of her boyfriend helps her tennis.

Sharapova said: “It’s been really nice because when he moved to Jersey, we didn’t get to see each other that much. This trip has kind of made up for it.

“You get to know a lot about the person by being with them every single day, which we hadn’t really had in our whole relationship. So it’s been really nice.

“We both enjoyed it. But we’ve obviously been at tournaments. We are very competitive, so we’re doing everything in order for me to win tennis matches.”

Sharapova’s rehabilitation from a string of shoulder and elbow injuries is nearly complete. Her power and movement around the court are now approaching the level she showed when she first exploded on to the scene as a teenager.

But by her own admission it is far easier for her to be on court than to watch Vujacic in action for the Nets.

Maria said: “There’s no doubt that I’ve watched more basketball in the last couple of years than I have in all of my life.

“I have never been more nervous in my life than in those games. I think it’s a lot easier to play. That’s what I’ve learned.”

Vujacic is known in the basketball world as The Machine – but in the coming week it will be his girlfriend mowing down all before her.

Pushing through the first round with no difficulty, Maria Sharapova was a winner at the 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London today.

The former champion moved into the second round after beating fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze by a score of 6-2, 6-1.

With things going smoothly, Sharapova was broken only once in the second set while cruising to the match triumph in just over an hour.

The 24-year-old will not face off against either British wildcard Laura Robson or Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the next round of the annual tournament.

Maria wears a yellow and blue Nike outfit as she competes at Indian Wells tournament in California.

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Maria Sharapova’s belated return to the Australian Open ended swiftly Monday when the former world number one was knocked out just hours after the first grand slam of 2010 began.

Sharapova, making her first appearance at Melbourne Park since winning the championship two years ago, lost to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko 7-6 3-6 6-4 on the Rod Laver Arena.

Unable to defend her title last year because of a shoulder injury, Sharapova was a shadow of the player who stormed to the 2008 title without dropping a single set, contributing to her own defeat with 66 unforced errors and 11 double faults.

Maria will start 2010 with 2 exhibitions. The 1st exhibition Maria will play will be the Hua Hin Centennial Invitation in Thailand against Venus Williams on January 2nd. Maria will then travel to Hong Kong which will run from January 6-9. Maria is in Team Russia with Vera Zvonareva and Marat Safin and they will play Team Asia-Pacific on January 6th.

Maria will then spend a week preparing for her 1st Grand Slam 2010 at the Australian Open which begins on January 18th in Melbourne.

Memphis is Maria’s next stop as she make her first appearance there since 2004.  Memphis will begin on February 15th and is a International $220K event played indoors.

Maria will then play the 2 big Premier Mandatory events in at Indian Wells and Miami on hardcourts. They will begin on the 8th and 24th March respectively.

The clay court season for Maria will begin in Charleston on 10th April where she will making her 3rd appearance on the green clay courts there.  Maria will make one stop on red clay in Madrid on 7th May before the 2nd Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros on Paris which will start on 23rd May.

Maria will be making her 6th appearance on the grasscourts of Birmingham on 7th June and she will play her 3rd Grand Slam at Wimbledon in London on 21st June.

Maria would like to wish all her fans a happy christmas. I’d also like to extend these christmas wishes from myself. Enjoy the picture of Maria by her christmas tree with a pippi doll :)

Some pictures of Maria Sharapova at T-Mobile and Sony Ericsson Maria Sharapova Look-a-like contest at the new T-Mobile store in Canoga Park.

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Tennis ace Maria Sharapova is big in Japan. The 6ft 2in beauty smoldered as she showed off her new fall line for designer Cole Haan.

Maria appeared at the Peninsula Hotel in Yurakucho, Tokyo, to debut the latest collaboration with the U.S. fashion brand, which is now available in the Far East.

Dressed in thigh-high black boots and brown shorts, Maria spoke to the crowd ahead of her appearance at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan, which begins September 27.

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Some pictures of Maria Sharapova in the Russian edition of Marie Claire magazine.

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