Maria Sharapova, Zvonareva talk about upcoming trip to Taiwan

August 22, 2011

Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) Tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva of Russia greeted Taiwanese fans on Monday over the phone ahead of their September visit to Taiwan.

The two top players will showcase their skills in an exhibition match at Taipei Arena on Sept. 22.

It's a great tennis experience; I really want them (fans) to enjoy, watching our sport. I think, when you watch it in person, it's such a physically tough game. And it's so different than when you see it on TV,

said Sharapova in a telephone interview with Taiwan's media.

The former world No. 1 said she hoped young players would also be inspired by watching them play live and seeing their emotions in a game.

Asked about what she planned to wear on the court in front of the Taiwanese audience, she laughed and answered,

I think it'll be a surprise

Visiting Taiwan for the first time, the 24-year-old said

I wanna take everything in. I wanna experience the culture. I know it'll be a really short trip for me, unfortunately.

Also on her first visit to the country, Zvonareva said,

We want to bring some excitement. We want to create some fans in Taiwan. We want people to fall in love with tennis.

whether the Russian pair planned to bring some of their culture to Taiwan, Zvonareva said

maybe we'll bring some souvenirs to our fans as well. And maybe we can share, when we come to Taiwan, we can share with our fans about the tradition and we can share how we grow up and what we do.

The world No. 2, who lost to Sharapova in the Cincinnati Masters semifinals last week, added she'll try to find something "handmade" from Russia as a special gift to local fans.

The 2010 U.S. Open runner-up said this year "I'm going there and I'll try my best to win" the upcoming major tournament that opens on Aug. 29.

Zvonareva said an ankle injury she suffered in 2008 was a turning point in her career.

"I never gave up. And it was hard. You know, I was injured and watching tennis on TV and didn't know what to do," Zvonareva said.

And then I realized, you know, tennis is my life and that's what I want to do. And when I got back, I started thinking that, well, I want to work very hard because I don't want to watch tennis on TV; I want to play.

Resources : http://focustaiwan.tw