Sharapova loses by playing safe
M aria Sharapova isn't actually playing in the Sony Ericsson Open but she was at opening day on Wednesday, promoting the brand that pays her bills, signing autographs and looking gorgeous.
She was planning to attend a dinner at De Vito's restaurant and a players' party at Opium Garden.
But she's too tired for tennis. Sigh. Yawn. Zzzzz.
''You know, it's been work, work, work since December, end of November,'' Sharapova said, explaining her decision to withdraw from the sport's fifth-most important tournament, behind the Grand Slams.
She's feeling fatigued. It's only March, but she needs a break. The suite life of jet-setting tennis stars is more grueling than you can imagine, what with the physical demands, the corporate obligations and the multiple time zones. Why, Sharapova once had to fly to Dubai on a private jet three hours after a match to promote the launch of Dubai Lifestyle City and IMG Academies' newest school for sports phenoms.
It's tough being a tennis pro who has earned almost $12 million in prize money and at least that much in endorsements from Sony Ericsson, Canon, Colgate, Nike, Land Rover, Tag Heuer and Gatorade. Among the Top 10 Things That Annoy Maria on her website is No. 1: ``When they don't have the shoes I want in my size!''
(She also lists, at No. 3: When someone opens the window on a flight and the whole cabin lights up. Aside from the fact that she means window shade, or everyone would die, this is a very legitimate annoyance, and all travelers appreciate her effort to raise awareness among clueless passengers.)
PROTECTING HERSELF
Granted, Sharapova is trying to avoid re-aggravating a shoulder injury that subdued her last year. She felt a twinge in the third round at Indian Wells, before her 18-match winning streak ended in the final with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She said such an injury can make one ``become very cautious of it and a bit scared.''
But she also admitted that the main reason she's quitting Key Biscayne and going home to rest is that since winning the Australian Open she has not had time ``to give myself a break and reflect and relax and enjoy.''
What would Brett Favre say? The Green Bay quarterback started 253 consecutive regular-season games from 1992 through 2007, and he was being tackled on a regular basis.
What would Kerri Strug say? The gymnast vaulted on a sprained ankle when the Olympic gold medal was on the line and still managed a smile for the judges.
Dwyane Wade played for months this season with shoulder and knee injuries, and nary a whimper. Skier Lindsey Vonn crashed during the 2006 Winter Olympics, then tried to sneak out of her hospital room to get back to the start house. Michelle Akers was a rock for the U.S. soccer team, despite her battle with the Epstein-Barr virus. Andre Agassi played for years with chronic back pain.
Sharapova is hearing some harsh criticism. That's because she's No. 5 in the rankings, winner of three Grand Slams, the hottest player of the season thus far and the most glamorous athlete in women's sports. People want to see her play and tennis needs her badly.
Since Sharapova won Wimbledon at age 17 in 2004, we've been waiting to see her fulfill her vast potential and become the No. 1 player to beat in tennis. She has the skills and the work ethic. Watch (and listen to) her on the court, and you can't doubt her desire. Her early years were tough: First in Nyagan in western Siberia, where her parents relocated to escape the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, later in Florida, where she was a gangly, poor immigrant teased by the other kids at Nick Bollettieri's ultra-competitive academy.
SOMETHING IS MISSING
But something's been missing.
She lacks the grind-it-out consistency and rise-to-the-moment opportunism of Justine Henin.
Sharapova said she could not summon the energy she needed to compete at Crandon Park.
''So it was just a smart decision because I'm at a point in my career where I don't want to jeopardize my health, because I'm playing my best when I'm healthy and when I don't have any concerns in my mind,'' she said.
Wouldn't it be nice if athletes never had any concerns? But isn't adversity part of sports, or of any job? Well, Sharapova's going to play it safe. She will take it day by day.
'I think just the day that I wake up and say, `I miss that racquet,' '' she said of her timetable for a return.
It's tennis fans' loss, and Sharapova's, too.
