SHARAPOVA GALLERIES

On the sidelines the leggy Russian received lofty support from her fiance, the 6ft 7in New Jersey Nets shooting guard, Sasha Vujacic.

Sharapova is looking a good bet to repeat her 2004 Wimbledon triumph after crushing Zakopalova 6-2, 6-3 in just 78 minutes.

Her more serious rivals will be made to jump through hoops if she continues in such relentless fashion. And she admits the company of her boyfriend helps her tennis.

Sharapova said: “It’s been really nice because when he moved to Jersey, we didn’t get to see each other that much. This trip has kind of made up for it.

“You get to know a lot about the person by being with them every single day, which we hadn’t really had in our whole relationship. So it’s been really nice.

“We both enjoyed it. But we’ve obviously been at tournaments. We are very competitive, so we’re doing everything in order for me to win tennis matches.”

Sharapova’s rehabilitation from a string of shoulder and elbow injuries is nearly complete. Her power and movement around the court are now approaching the level she showed when she first exploded on to the scene as a teenager.

But by her own admission it is far easier for her to be on court than to watch Vujacic in action for the Nets.

Maria said: “There’s no doubt that I’ve watched more basketball in the last couple of years than I have in all of my life.

“I have never been more nervous in my life than in those games. I think it’s a lot easier to play. That’s what I’ve learned.”

Vujacic is known in the basketball world as The Machine – but in the coming week it will be his girlfriend mowing down all before her.


SHARAPOVA ACTION