Sweet 17
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ByEurosport
Published 05/07/2004 at 13:42 GMT
Hers was a triumph full of bravado and innocence, similar to the achievement of another 17-year old at Wimbledon, Boris Becker in 1985. Maria Sharapova will now begin to realise what it means to win the world's most prestigious title, but as Becker said,
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The Siberian became the third youngest winner of The Championships on Saturday with a 6-1 6-4 destruction of two-time defending champion Serena Williams.
Sharapova joins Lottie Dod, the 15-year-old winner in 1887, and Martina Hingis, 16 in 1997, in the record books.
Many have compared her style and grace to that of Maria Bueno of Brazil, who captured the first of three titles on Centre Court, as a 20-year-old in 1959.
Like Bueno, the 17-year-old has such exquisite timing that her slender frame can generate as much or more momentum on the ball, many players currently plying their trade on the women's tour.
It'll be interesting to see if, in time Sharapova can become one of the greatest players of all time.
Time is certainly on her side, and with a confidence to attack the net and crush rallies before they begin - as did Bueno, Australian Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, then the Russian will win plenty more titles.
Sharapova's aim is to rank at the world's best player and to develop her strength that will help her during long rallies of flat and spinless pace.
EARNING POWER
In a blink of an eye, Sharapova has made comparisons between herself and compatriot Anna Kournikova, redundant. The latter never won a WTA tournament, much less a Grand Slam.
Now, after Anastasia Myskina in Paris, Russia boasts two Grand Slam champions in a row.
Remarkably, despite advice from her father Yuri and coach Robert Lansdorp, Sharapova neither had a game plan for her semi-final victory over Lindsay Davenport or Serena.
"I just went out there to play," she said.
Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy armed her with a champion's mentality which enabled her to play with the spontaneity that characterized the magnificent Bueno, not to mention Evonne Goolagong.
MARIA LIKE BILLIE JEAN
It could be argued that no one has made such an impact on grass-court tennis since a bespectacled Billie Jean Moffitt (King), played as an American 17-year-old at Beckenham, prior to the 1960 Wimbledon championships.
It took Moffitt another six years to win at SW19.
To Sharapova's own astonishment, the break through has been made, and now her horizons have altered beyond her wildest dreams.
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