Sharapova show closes early but business booms
Opponents will not feel sorry for Russian but she has many strings to her bow, says Claire Cohen
The first clue was her trainers: bright white Nikes with a green swoosh and “Maria” monogrammed in gold cursive. Walking on to the practice courts on Monday, the message was clear: the Sharapova show was back in town.
Yesterday, the sound of her 110-decibel grunts once again rang out across the Wimbledon courts. It is 14 years since the Russian caused one of the biggest upsets in tennis, beating defending champion Serena Williams in straight sets to take the title aged 17 – and won the crowds’ hearts by trying to phone her mother from Centre Court. Now, aged 31 and seeded 24th, it is she who has been unseated in the first round, by her countrywoman Vitalia Diatchenko, 27.
The qualifier came back after appearing down and out in the second set to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 as night fell. “Maybe I wasn’t smart enough,” Sharapova admitted. “I didn’t play the right way in the crucial moments.”
Sharapova had not played here for three years before the eventful first-round match. She returned to tennis in April 2017, following a controversial 15-month ban for taking meldonium, but missed last year’s Wimbledon due to injury.
It is this struggle to regain physical form that has stopped her from charging back up the rankings; only last month she pulled out of Birmingham to ensure her body was “fully rested”. Yesterday she seemed tense – shooting pained looks at her team, biting her lip and, at one point seeming close to tears as her early confidence seemed to drain away.
It is her bloody singlemindedness that has long characterised Sharapova – not known for being the most popular player on tour. Last year, Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard said: “She’s a cheater and I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play again.
“I don’t feel sorry at all for Sharapova and I don’t miss her on the tour,” commented Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova. “She’s a totally unlikeable person. Arrogant, conceited and cold. When I sit beside her in the locker room, she won’t even say hello.” Ouch. Yet SW19 had missed Sharapova. Yesterday, No2 Court welcomed her entourage – from coach Thomas Hogstedt to her multi-millionaire boyfriend, Alexander Gilkes.
Also cheering her on was her friend the American talk-show host Chelsea Handler. But Sharapova’s long-time agent Max Eisenbud – a controversial figure and the man credited with helping amass her commercial fortune – was the most vocal, shouting, “Come on baby – tough!” and “Can you hit the ball?” when she slapped one into the net.
The fans were more forgiving and, despite a muted start, warmed to the former champion over the three-hour battle – shouting encouragement as she began to wobble. Diatchenko received rapturous applause for her underdog fightback – but the court rippled with disappointment that Sharapova had not been able to grasp the nettle when it mattered.
She is on her way home, but seeing the Wimbledon fortnight through will be her “Candy Lounge” pop-up, selling her Sugarpova brand of confectionery.
It is back, after a two-year absence, in a new location on Church Road; closer to the courts than ever (and, incidentally occupying the premises of the former newsagents where I bought penny sweets as a child – or as Maria put it on Instagram: “We turned it from an old and outdated newsstand to a chic, colourful candy shop”). There are jars of truffles (raspberry, salted caramel) on the counter and wall-mounted displays of chocolate and gummies. Neon tennis ball-shaped chewing gum is called “The Taste of Victory”.
When I visit yesterday afternoon, there are just two female customers. “It’s very clever,” they conclude, before deciding that almost £4 for a slab of chocolate is a bit steep, especially when it is likely to fast become a victim of the heatwave.
It would be easy to sneer, but brand Sharapova is a commercial success story. Sugarpova is sold in 22 countries. Sponsors Nike, Porsche and Evian have stuck by her and she is estimated to earn around £14.5million a year – though reportedly falling to £4.5 million during her ban and causing her to drop off the Forbes athlete’s rich list. During her suspension, Sharapova published a memoir Unstoppable, studied at Harvard Business School and cultivated her social media profile as an all-round businesswoman.
She has amassed 3.2 million followers on Instagram and
8.2 million on Twitter. It is these ventures that have won her some grudging respect from her peers and shown her a potential life outside the tennis bubble.
Perhaps she might take comfort in this, as she licks her wounds over the coming days. But there can be little doubt that she will be back to fight again. It is just that, as things stand, Sharapova’s true opponent is herself.