Rushin’ to the Top

Ten days.

That’s what you get for winning Wimbledon as a teenager.

Ten days of shopping in New York City, appearing on the “Today” show and otherwise acting like a big shot. Then your coach mutters “what have you done lately?” and you’re back to hitting forehands on the practice court.

It doesn’t matter that Maria Sharapova was the hottest new thing in tennis even before she upset Serena Williams on Centre Court. Or that the 17-year-old has always played the crowd as deftly as she plays a return down the line.

Her first Grand Slam title came a year or two ahead of schedule, changing everything in a heartbeat, the surprise lingering in her voice. “It’s part of the process ... actually telling yourself you won,” she says.

When Sharapova plays her first match today at the Acura Classic in Carlsbad, more fans will be watching. A few more of those other guys too. “Very suspicious people with lots of lenses,” she says of the photographers who follow her.

More important, with a swarm of high-ranked players in the draw, a few veterans might be gunning for the kid.

All of which explains why Sharapova’s coach, Robert Lansdorp, gave her only 10 days to enjoy the post-Wimbledon clamor.

He grumbles: “You better believe it’s going to get tougher.”

Too many people want at his player, and not just on the court.

Since Wimbledon, offers have flooded in from admen who would turn her into a fashion model -- cue the Anna Kournikova comparisons -- because of that blond hair and those long legs. Or they would make her life a continuous talk show.

Her story, told and retold, verges on movie-of-the-week territory: A family flees Siberia to escape fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. A few years later, the young daughter participates in a Moscow tennis exhibition and is picked out of the crowd by Martina Navratilova, who sees promise.

Sharapova’s father, Yuri, scrapes together $700 and brings Maria to the United States, though it means leaving his wife behind. He works odd jobs while his daughter studies under a series of top coaches.

Cut to the chase: Sharapova begins entering pro tournaments before she is old enough to drive, then races from No. 186 to No. 8 in barely 18 months.

“It came so quick,” Lansdorp says.

Sharapova grins: “It’s exciting.”

Having seen a few tennis starlets come along, and a few fizzle, Billie Jean King has a phrase for what happens to them: “Could ya, would ya, can ya.” She is talking about all the agents and marketing execs, the paparazzi and hangers-on.

“It’s so tiring to win,” King says. “And with the media today, there’s more pressure. It’s never enough.”

But she has a hunch about Sharapova. They met two years ago at a junior tournament in England and, every summer since, Sharapova has played in the World Team Tennis league that King co-founded.

“You can see it in her eyeballs,” the Hall of Famer says. “She has the passion.”

And if that killer stare wanders, Sharapova also has Lansdorp.

They came together about six years ago. Yuri wanted his daughter to hit from the baseline like Lindsay Davenport and found out Lansdorp, who works out of the South Bay Tennis Center, was the man behind that fluid stroke.

The mechanics were easy to install -- what Lansdorp didn’t have to teach was Sharapova’s drive to win. Twice at Wimbledon, she fell behind by a set and fought back.

He doesn’t want that resolve diluted by shoe contracts and autograph sessions. Doesn’t want her distracted by congratulatory phone calls from Russian President Vladimir Putin or chats with Regis and Kelly.

“We’re putting a tight screw on it,” he says of the attention Sharapova has received the last few weeks. “Now she has to get back to reality.”

The reality is, other players “are going to talk about her,” he says. “They will get to know her game a little more.”

Lansdorp likes the way her serve has come along, but he wants to see Sharapova quicker and sharper with her volley. Having coached Davenport, Pete Sampras and Tracy Austin, he knows what it takes to be No. 1.

“I’m telling you, it’s not that easy,” he says. “If you’re not tough, you’ll fold.”

The first test of Sharapova’s new life comes against the likes of Amelie Mauresmo, Anastasia Myskina and the Williams sisters, all scheduled to play at La Costa. Then she heads for New York.

“I don’t want to think about the U.S. Open,” she says. “I’m just getting back in the groove.”

Back to the way things were before she made the cover of Sports Illustrated, if that’s possible. The other day, player and coach were hitting on a practice court.

“It was strange,” Lansdorp says. “I’m looking at her and thinking, to me, it doesn’t even look like she won Wimbledon.”

Sharapova insists: “Of course a lot of things have been coming up

Same routine. Hitting the same balls. Centre Court, a modeling career, publicity junkets -- for an hour or so, it all seemed very far away.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Singles Results

Singles tournament results with round advanced to or championship (R-round; QF-quarterfinals; SF-semifinals; C-championship):

*--* TOURNAMENT 2002 2003 2004 Australian Open 1R 3R Berlin 3R Birmingham SF C Charleston 1R French Open 1R QF Indian Wells 2R 1R 4R Japan Open 1R C Los Angeles 3R Luxembourg SF Memphis SF Miami 1R 4R Quebec City C Shanghai QF Rome 3R Tokyo 2R Toronto 1R Wimbledon 4R C U.S. Open 2R

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Sharapova’s Titles

Maria Sharapova’s path to her four tournament championships:

*--* 2003: JAPAN OPEN Round Defeated Score First Bye Second Jin-Hee Kim 6-2, 6-0 Third Akiko Morigami 6-1, 6-3 Quarterfinals Claudine Schaul 7-5, 7-6 Semifinals Jie Zheng 6-3, 7-5 Final Aniko Kapros 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 2003: QUEBEC CITY First Bye Second Els Callens 6-4, 6-3 Quarterfinals Alina Jidkova 6-1, 6-2 Semifinals Laura Granville 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 Final Milagros Sequera 6-2, retired 2004: BIRMINGHAM First Bye Second Jamea Jackson 6-2, 6-2 Third Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-3 Quarterfinals Alicia Molik 6-3, 6-1 Semifinals Patty Schnyder 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 Final Tatiana Golovin 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 2004: WIMBLEDON First Yulia Beygelzimer 6-2, 6-1 Second Anne Keothavong 6-4, 6-0 Third Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1 Fourth Amy Frazier 6-4, 7-5 Quarterfinals Ai Sugiyama 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 Semifinals Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 Final Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4

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