Maria Sharapova Named Tennis Player of the Year

Maria Sharapova has become a three-time winner at the inaugural Pro Tennis Choice Awards on Tuesday night in Miami, a WTA Tour press-release says.

Maria was named the WTA Tour Player of the Year after winning her first Grand Slam event and claiming four titles. The 17-year-old Maria also received the Most Improved Player award and the Fans’ Favorite award.

'Miami experience helped me win Wimbledon'

Maria Sharapova believes the experience she gained at last year's Nasdaq-100 Open helped her win Wimbledon.

The Russian teenager reached the last 16 in Miami before losing 6-4 6-3 to eventual champion Serena Williams, the player she beat in the Wimbledon final four months later.

"It definitely helped me with experience. I had never played her before," said Sharapova.

"It was one of those matches where I went out and I played a pretty good match but I didn't do enough to win. I learned a lot and it helped me in my Wimbledon final."

Maria Sharapova thumped by Davenport

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was buried 6-0 6-0 by top ranked Lindsay Davenport in the semi-finals of the Pacific Life Open on Friday.

In a humbling defeat for the third ranked Sharapova, Davenport controlled the 49-minute match, painting the corners while the 17-year-old flailed at her shots.

Sharapova entered the match with a 17-1 record this year, but she was a shell of her former self, collecting only 10 winners while registering 42 unforced errors.

LAUREUS SPORTS AWARDS - NOMINEES 2005

WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR:

Kelly Holmes (UK) - athletics
Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) - athletics
Carolina Kluft (Sweden) - athletics
Maria Sharapova (Russia) - tennis
Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) - golf
Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (Netherlands) - cycling

Maria chases No.1 spot

IF tennis beauty Maria Sharapova wins the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells and the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami in three weeks' time, she will have a good chance of taking over from Lindsay Davenport as world No.1.

The spotlight will then shine even more brightly on the Wimbledon champion, who will become the first Russian female to go top of the rankings. "When I was younger and getting attention, it seemed I was in the spotlight all the time,"Maria Sharapova, 17, said today.

"People were expecting the best from me and they thought I would be the best. But I knew there was going to be a difference between thinking you are the best and actually being the best. "Now that I'm (world) No.3 and up there, I feel I deserved those compliments. "The No.1 ranking doesn't cross my mind every day. If I keep winning, I'll move up the rankings. As long as I'm winning, I'm in good hands."

Motorola launches the Digital Sharapova experience

The Digital Sharapova Experience is the place to get exclusive access to Maria Sharapova's active lifestyle. See how she does it on Motorala's site :
Maria Sharapova

The site will include never before seen, exclusive behind the scenes footage starring Maria and some very lucky fans from around the world. Each month, lucky fans will get a personal response to their questions ! Not to mention the opportunity to win invitations to attend Maria's birthday party...