TNT Sports
A star is born
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Published 05/07/2004 at 12:53 GMT+1
On Saturday, Maria Sharapova turned in a stunning performance in the Wimbledon final, proving she had the game, the presence and the look. Grégory Lanzenberg explains how the 17-year old Russian was able to do something no one else has done, intimidate Se
Eurosport
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What a final! One could forget that Sharapova is only 17. That first set was flawless.
We saw flashes of that ability in her quarter-final with Ai Sugiyama and semi-final against Lindsay Davenport. But to come out that way against Serena Williams - fighting from the first ball hit - proved Sharapova's mindset.
To win the set 6-1 against Serena on grass constitutes one of the most impressive feats in women's tennis.
Sharapova's strengths are simple: A fearless attitude and a size (1.83m) which allow her to counter punch Serena Williams game.
Serena appeared downright intimidated.
And don't expect the Siberian native to stop now:
"Wimbledon was just my dream to win and now of course my goal is to be number one in the world," said Sharapova
But there's a hitch.
Sharapova is still restricted in the number of tournaments she can play because of the WTA's age rule.
Again, one forgets that she's 17.
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