Sharapova / Ivanovic in Colombia For Exo and Sugarpova Launch

Written by: 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 Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA thumbnail

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.
TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!
TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!
Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife thumbnail

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos
ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS thumbnail

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.