Sharapova / Ivanovic in Colombia For Exo and Sugarpova Launch

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 10th December 2013

Sharapova and Ivanovic press conference in Bogota

Sharapova / Ivanovic in Colombia For Exo and Sugarpova Launch

epa03978563 Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova (L), gestures next to Serbian Ana Ivanovic (R) during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, 05 December 2013. Sharapova and Ivanovic are scheduled to match on 06 December. EPA/MAURICIO DUENAS |

Taking things very cautiously after nearly five months of being sidelined again by hip and shoulder problems, four times Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova managed to get through only her second tennis match since her shock second round match at Wimbledon. In fact she admitted she was making ‘baby steps’.

Fourth ranked Sharapova took on fellow former world no.1 Ana Ivanovic in an exhibition match in Colombia. Although she lost out in a champion’s tie-break, going down 6-1, 1-6, 12-10, the American-based Russian was clearly delighted with her performance.

So much so that she tweeted: “After months of not competing, tonight was a baby step forward! I missed this so much! Thank you Colombia for such a warm welcome. ‪#imback”

Sharapova, who recently appointed Sven Groeneveld as her coach, is scheduled to make her competitive return to action at the Brisbane International, which starts on December 29 ahead of the Australian Open on January 13.

Since losing to Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito in straight sets at Wimbledon, after suffering several falls on the slippery All England Club turf, she has only played one match on the WTA and was beaten 2-6,7-6,6-3 by Sloane Stephens in Cincinnati in mid-August.

Meanwhile tour veteran Ekaterina Bychkova, hardly a playing threat to Sharapova with a current singles ranking of 158 and once banned for 30 days from the WTA for failing to tell officials that she had been offered money to provide inside information and throw matches, maintains Sharapova’s relationship with Grigor Dimitrov is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

The pair have been together for more than a year but speaking to the Russian press, Bychkova claimed: “Love is love, but the one between Sharapova and Dimitrov seems like public relations stuff. It is difficult to have a relationship when you are constantly traveling around the world.”

Topics: 10sballs, Ana Ivanovic, Ekaterina Bychkova, GRIGOR DIMITROV, Maria Sharapova, Sloane Stephens, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon, Wta