Maria Sharapova | The New York Observer

The Unstoppable Melanie Oudin Does It Again

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:20:46 -0400

Moments after Melaine Oudin finally put Maria Sharapova away after 2 hours and 58 minutes in another stunning upset, Sharapova strolled toward the women's locker room with her usual confident strut. Sharapova brushed by a handler who was explaining to a perplexed Serena Williams why she was getting an 11 a.m. start time tomorrow morning, well outside a marquee start time. Sharapova didn't show the slightest bit of disappointment until she got to the...

Welcome to the Best Day of the Open

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:06:29 -0400

Well, CBS is sitting awfully pretty. Its coverage begins today and the network has what is far and away the best day of matches in the tournament so far. So much to watch:

Roger Federer v. Lleyton Hewitt; Ashe, 11 a.m.:

Now, this really shouldn't be much of a match, but you know, it's two Grand Slam winners going up against one another and it's the first real "test" on paper that Fed will have to...

Nightly Wrap: 20,000 Wait for Two Blowouts

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:10:18 -0400

Thanks to two unexpectedly long matches that resulted in two upsets, the schedule at Arthur Ashe got all crazy yesterday! And as a result, James Blake wasn't finished defeating Oliver Rochus until well after 8 p.m., which meant that the night-match ticket holders had to wait nearly two hours to get into Ashe. (To the right is a shot of several thousand fans waiting to get in.)

The night matches turned out to be less...

What Happened Last Night: World of Warcraft Saves Revitalized Dent; Murray and Sharapova Win Easy

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:48:40 -0400

In one of the most intriguing, raucous matches of the day, which stretched into the evening session, Taylor Dent, a 28-year-old American who left the tour for more than two years with a serious back injury, defeated Feliciano Lopez, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 7-5. It was an emotional return to the Open for Dent, who last played here in 2005, when he reached the third round.

He described the feeling to reporters...

Nick Bollettieri on Maria Sharapova's Shoulder

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:11:35 -0400

Over the next two weeks, we're going to be spending time with coaching legend Nick Bollettieri. Today, we asked him about Maria Sharapova, who he's worked with in the past.

Sharapova, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, has been plauged by a shoulder injury that has been affecting her for over two years now. She missed last year's U.S. Open as well as this year's Australian Open, she got torpedoed in the quarters at the French...

From Bash to Bash to Overhead Smash: U.S. Open Party Itinerary

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:46:18 -0400

The power servers are in town for the U.S. Open, and they’re hitting the party circuit!

As we were going to press Tuesday night, Maria Sharapova was expected to be lifting a glass to Frank Gehry at the Cooper Square Hotel. Both have contracts at Tiffany & Co—Mr. Gehry to design jewelry, and Ms. Sharapova to look pretty wearing that jewelry. We’re not precisely sure what they’ll talk about, but since Mr. Gehry backed...

Fashion World Flips for Nastia! Gold-Medal Gymnast Liukin Makes the Rounds With Maria Sharapova

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:46:43 -0400

On Monday, Sept. 8, Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin arrived at the Gramercy Park Hotel, her parents in tow, for a Vogue/Cole-Haan event honoring the tennis player Maria Sharapova. Ms. Liukin was excited—giddy, almost—but perhaps also a tad intimidated. Dressed in a marbled, off-white bubble dress, Ms. Liukin had attended her first Fashion Week show, Peter Som’s spring 2009 collection, just that morning. While seated in the front row next to Ms. Sharapova, she...

Thakoon Panichgul, Peter Som, Erin Fetherston Say Sometimes, Lateness is Unavoidable

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:09:05 -0400

Yesterday, we issued some tardies to the designers who continue to struggle to begin their shows on time. (Even Diane von Furstenberg, the issuer of the original pleading letter asking designers to be punctual, got one!)

Since then we've learned that Carolina Herrera nearly lost her mind when Renee Zellweger showed up over 25 minutes late to her Monday morning show. And Monday's 1 p.m. Thakoon show was reportedly held up for 57 minutes...

Fashion Roundup: Renee is Late; Justin's a No-Show ... Zoe is Me!

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:41:49 -0400

Carolina Herrera, who was ready to begin her show on time this morning, had to wait for special guest Renee Zellweger to arrive. [WWD]

Rachel Zoe felt sorry for herself, but then she got her own reality show. [NY Post]

Sheer is in for Spring. [The Cut]

Editors at Justin Timberlake's William Rast show were disappointed upon learning that the pop star would not be performing for them. [WWD]

Christy Turlington is studying "maternal...

WTA Wants to Root Out Injuries, Indifference

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:36:46 -0400

The Women's Tennis Association is clearly troubled by the injuries and disaffection that have plagued the tour in the last few years, and yesterday they announced a plan to do something about it.

In a "roadmap," the WTA announced that the amount of required tournaments will be scaled back from 12 to 10 (in addition to the four Grand Slams), and if players decide to skip out any of them, they risk suspension. The season will be shorter, the court surface...

Fashion Roundup: Nastia Liukin To Launch Denim Line; Target Pops Up; Isaac Mizrahi's New Collection

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:34:49 -0400

Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin will launch her own brand of jeans and attend New York fashion week with Maria Sharapova. [WWD]

Target will open four pop-up stores in New York this week--in Midtown, Union Square, SoHo and the East Village--where shoppers will be able to buy designs by Sigerson Morrison, Jonathan Saunders and Anya Hindmarch weeks before they arrive in stores. [Vogue UK]

Meanwhile, here's a slideshow of Mr. Saunders' collection for Target....

Williams Sisters, Sharapova (and Eli Manning!) Show Surprisingly Adept Acting Skill

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:51:32 -0400

The one problem with a two-week-long tournament, from a home-spectator standpoint, is that you have to endure the same commercials over and over again. But this one, starring the Williams sisters and the Manning brothers, isn't bad....

What Happened to the Champions?

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:02:45 -0400

To understand something of the state of the women's game--indifference, injuries, overall malaise--take a look at your last three Open champions and where they are now:

2005: Kim Clijsters. Retired in 2007 at age 23

2006: Maria Sharapova. Injured.

2007: Justine Henin. Retired in 2008 at age...

Nike Throws a Block Party; Maria Sharapova Says She's Not Watching the U.S. Open

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:08:53 -0400

To celebrate the opening of its new stand-alone store at 21 Mercer Street, Nike threw a raucous block party on Mercer Street on Thursday, Aug. 21. The sportswear brand closed off the entire block between Grand and Howard streets and--much to the frustration of the block's residents--installed giant stadium screens, a clock that counted down the opening of doors at 9:21 p.m., and stadium food carts to serve corn dogs, cotton candy and French...

We Hear ... All Russian Tennis Stars Look The Same

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:15:47 -0400

Today's Page Six reports that blond Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova wants to follow in the footsteps of shirtless Vogue "intern" Sean Avery and work for Anna Wintour since "it's so inspiring to see a woman be so powerful."

According to the item, Ms. Kournikova made this plea on her blog, where she also name-checked Tom Ford as one of the "10 people she wants to work with after she retires."

...

Morning Memo: Richie Rich Returns to His First Love (Fame); Tom Cruise to Mount Oprah's Sofa Again?

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:30:55 -0400

Rumor has it that fashion label, Heatherette, is no more as Richie Rich may start his own line or move out to Los Angeles (gasp!) to pursue music and television projects. [N.Y. Daily News]

For John Varvatos, the real challenge of opening a store in the CBGB space was not crossing picket lines but getting the stench of punk out of the space. [NY Daily News]

Olivia Palermo has a new boyfriend and he...

Time to Stop Ignoring Anna Chakvetadze

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:26:27 -0400

A week ago today, Anna Chakvetadze won in straight sets in a little-noticed second-round match. She won a little bit after 12pm on a backcourt at a time when the majority of the gallery crowd was still in transit.

Afterwards, there was such little interest in the media in talking to her that her post-match press conference was conducted in a player’s lounge area—not an interview room—with two bloggers.

“There were...

Maria's Nightmare

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 16:53:40 -0400

It’s a remarkable loss that caps a remarkably discouraging year for Maria Sharapova.

“I’m disappointed for Maria,” said no. 3 ranked Jelena Jankovic, who was stretching before a practice today. “She was a defending champion, so losing in the third round she could never have dreamed about it. It’s a nightmare.”

In one of the biggest meltdowns of her career, Sharapova lost six consecutive games in the final set to a...

Aggie's Day in the Spotlight

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 16:09:07 -0400

About 90 minutes after Agnieszka Radwanska became a national story, she was in the player’s dining room telling two adoring young ladies what she had for breakfast.

“Let’s see,” she said, bursting into a smile, braces and all. “I had a bagel. With cream cheese! And I had a piece of a lemon cake and orange juice.”

Her fans said they’d have the same breakfast tomorrow. Radwanska giggled, like the 18 year...

Sharapova is Out

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:25:34 -0400

The biggest upset at the Open in years: The defending U.S. Open Champion Maria Sharapova has been eliminated. The unflappable 18-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska won in three sets, taking the third 6-2. It's the first time Sharapova hasn't made it to the second week at the Open since 2004.

I'll have updates on this unbelievable result shortly....

Back Against the Wall

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:09:34 -0400

Learn the name: Agnieszka Radwanska, a 30th ranked Pole who is playing a lot like Maria Sharapova 2004.

She's taken the first set from Maria, 6-4, after breaking her twice.

And those serve stats we were talking about yesterday? It's undone Sharapova so far in the match. She has won only 20 percent of the points off her second serve and she's had 4 double faults. In the first set, she made 19 unforced errors.

We'll update...

The Sharapova Serve

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:45:49 -0400

No player has gotten through the first two rounds more effortlessly than Maria Sharapova. If she's to continue at this pace, she'll need a big serve, the part of her game she said she's been working on most (especially after a nagging injury to her right shoulder).

Let's take a look at her serve stats, which we'll update match by...

The Sharapova Trap

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:00:00 -0400

So much has been made of Maria Sharapova's breezy draw. (Last night, Tracy Austin called it "unfortunate.").

But it's anything but a walkover. Sure, there's no Henin. Or Serena. Or Venus. Or Ivanovic. Or Jankovic.

However: in the 4th round she could get Nicole Vaidisova, the 18-year-old Czech who Sharapova (remarkably) has never played before and who could most definitely cause some problems. Vaidisova has been waiting for her breakout match for more...

The New York Observer Blogs the U.S. Open!

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:30:56 -0400

Welcome to the New York Observer's U.S. Open blog.

For the next 14 days, Spencer Morgan and I will be in and around the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing gathering stories, game analysis and observations from the tournament.

Stay with us, and please keep in touch (as often as you like) about what we’re doing and what else you’d like to see. We’ll do our best to oblige.

Click the banner above...

The Hard-Working Jelena Jankovic

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:10:07 -0400

We've written about Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, but we haven't mentioned the other Serbian making a major impact on the current field: the 22-year-old no. 3 player in women's tennis, Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic's ranking has rocketed this year due to a remarkably extensive playing schedule. She's played 80 matches in 2007, compared to Justine Henin's 48 and Maria Sharapova's 42. Jankovic, who kicks off her US Open play today against Jarmila Gajdosova, said...

Maroon 5's Adam Levine Threatens Lawsuit Over Sharapova Gossip

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:06:15 -0400

A lawyer for Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine wants a retraction from Mark Ames, the publisher of the Moscow-based alt-zine Exile.

Ames published an "In Brief" item that began: "The former lover of tennis star Maria Sharapova, Maroon 5's frontman Adam Levine, revealed yesterday why he broke off their brief romance," and continued to explain that the returning U.S. Open star disoriented him by making no noise during sex.

The offending item, which Mr....

Did Maroon 5 Frontman Shag Sharapova? Or Is He Snagged in Tangled International Gossip Net?

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:44:29 -0400

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is denying making statements about tennis star Maria Sharapova’s stoic bedside manner that pervaded the Internet late last week. “She wouldn’t make any noise during sex,” was how Mr. Levine was quoted in Moscow-based Exile magazine. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I was,” he supposedly went on. “I really thought, like a lot of guys, that she’d be the loud screaming type. But instead, she just lay there...

Micro Celebs Unite For Marc; Winona Ryder: 'Very Moving'

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:00:00 -0400

The 2007 Spring Fashion Week is proving to be one of the most decisive, the most black and white, in the history of La Mode. Based on what I have seen in the last few days, it’s about two things, and two things only: It’s about being either insanely, ridiculously tall, or bizarrely, frighteningly small. You are either a Maria Sharapova or a Lil’ Kim, and there’s no point in going on living if...

Micro Celebs Unite For Marc; Winona Ryder: ‘Very Moving’

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:00:00 -0400

The Boring Women of the Open

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 20:00:00 -0400

Staring hard at the women’s draw on an oversized sign at the Pilot Pen tennis tournament last week in New Haven, Conn., Carol Nadel quietly mouthed some names to herself.

“There aren’t that many names I know,” said the 64-year-old fan. “Myskina—I know her. But I couldn’t pick her out of a line-up.” It’s the story of women’s tennis. Like the draw here at the last warm-up tournament before the U.S. Open, the...

The Boring Women of the Open

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 20:00:00 -0400

Staring hard at the women’s draw on an oversized sign at the Pilot Pen tennis tournament last week in New Haven, Conn., Carol Nadel quietly mouthed some names to herself. “There aren’t that many names I know,” said the 64-year-old fan. “Myskina—I know her. But I couldn’t pick her out of a line-up.” It’s the story of women’s tennis. Like the draw here at the last warm-up tournament before the U.S. Open, the...

My Very Open Diary: Ogling Short Skirts On Ashe's Blue Courts

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 20:00:00 -0400

Aug. 29, 2005, 3:30 p.m.

I sit on the No. 7 train, heading to the U.S. Open, and I admire the shapely calves of the woman sitting next to me. She’s talking to two colleagues who stand in front of her, and they’re all going to the Open. One of her colleagues is a fey young man who bears an uncanny resemblance—especially considering our destination—to Pete Sampras. The other colleague, a middle-aged woman, appears to...

My Very Open Diary: Ogling Short Skirts On Ashe’s Blue Courts

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 20:00:00 -0400

Aug. 29, 2005, 3:30 p.m. I sit on the No. 7 train, heading to the U.S. Open, and I admire the shapely calves of the woman sitting next to me. She’s talking to two colleagues who stand in front of her, and they’re all going to the Open. One of her colleagues is a fey young man who bears an uncanny resemblance—especially considering our destination—to Pete Sampras. The other colleague, a middle-aged woman, appears...

Blue Courts at U.S. Open!

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:00:00 -0400

The crowd oohed and aahed as Ms. Davenport hit flat forehands, deep backhands and punchy volleys that bruised the court’s white lines. But it was when she brandished that red racquet high above her...

Blue Courts at U.S. Open!

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:00:00 -0400

Lindsay Davenport loped onto practice court B at New Haven’s Pilot Pen tennis tournament last Sunday morning, and the small bleachers immediately filled with mothers, dressed in white visors, and their kids, gripping the fuzzy tennis balls they hoped she’d sign. The crowd oohed and aahed as Ms. Davenport hit flat forehands, deep backhands and punchy volleys that bruised the court’s white lines. But it was when she brandished that red racquet high above...