January 01, 2011
She's one of the most photographed women in the world. And as odd as it may sound the thing Maria Sharapova is most grateful for on her first visit to Auckland is: "no one has tried to take a picture of me eating a bowl of bolognese pasta with meat sauce all over my face".
That and other little gems is what an expectant press pack found out when the tennis beauty queen, the top seed at this year's ASB Classic, was paraded in front of us yesterday. Apparently, well-meaning fans have a habit of snapping her when she has "meat sauce" on her face, a habit she's not that fond of.
She is after all supposed to be a glamour-puss.
Call me crazy but Maria, as her meat sauce story would seem to suggest, seemed pretty damn unpretentious, dare we say ordinary. Just ask James McOnie.
The likeable larrikin, he of The Crowd Goes Wild fame, specialises in embarrassing sports stars and himself with zany questions. However, poor old James met his match yesterday. As well as the nice meat sauce line we learnt Maria likes to shop but hasn't had time to since here arrival here a few days ago.
McOnie offered to show her the ropes to which she inquired: "How's your taste? Is it good? I see you don't know too many hairdressers around here".
Nice serve that and ASB Classic organisers will be hoping we see plenty more of those when the tennis megastar graces ASB Tennis Centre this week.
Unlike Anna Kournikova, her sport's other famous Russian beauty, Sharapova has three grand-slam singles titles to her name. She is a grunting, bona fide tennis brute. Her name and image are ubiquitous, even here in little old New Zealand.
Yesterday a horse called Miss Sharapova ran at Ellerslie Race Club, only a few kilometres south of where she is holed up.
She declined an invitation by the club, which was probably a wise decision.
The mare finished fourth and Sharapova looked like she needed a lie down when she was asked by a sports jock whether she'd consider dating a sports broadcaster. The most eligible bachelorette in sport, is off the market.
She was wearing an enormous diamond engagement ring on her left hand yesterday as a reminder she and New Jersey Nets guard Sasha Vujacic are now spoken for.
He proposed back in October but the sound of wedding bells are a distant prospect (as is a honeymoon in New Zealand).
Every bit the career woman, Sharapova said her life was all about work, work and more work. No time for a wedding. The world No 18 wants to be No 1 again and that's why she's in Auckland – to start the year on a winning note.
She looked as if she meant it, dressed down in the tools of her trade – white Nike trainers, black pants and purple top.
She had one security man in keeping with her low-key visit.
In between entertaining a All Blacks-sized media contingent she texted someone on her rather ordinary-looking phone between her print interview and photo call beside centre court.
She then told us the best thing about being a celebrity is her ability to "spread important messages" (presumably not about meat sauce).
A bad side?
"I don't think there is one," she said, forgetting earlier that she'd admitted her life at times resembles a "circus", that she misses her friends and family while constantly travelling the world.
Her big fat appearance fee to play in Auckland will assuage some of her longing for home. Not that she needs the cash. She is one of the highest earning sportswomen ever.
Being Maria Sharapova could at times be "glamorous", she said.
But it was mostly hard work.
"In about 30 minutes I am probably going to be back in my room in my pyjamas taking a nap. For the people who are watching me I am sure my lifestyle seems glamorous. There are photo flashes going off and red carpet appearances and you are wearing a nice dress and layers of make-up and you look amazing. But the next day you are back out sweating and training hard. It's more how people see it than actual reality."
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