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ความคิดเห็นที่ 25 |
บทสัมภาษณ์มาเรียในนิตยสารนิวซีแลนด์
INTERVIEW FROM M2 WOMAN NEW ZEALAND MAGAZINE
12/10/2009 3:13:00 PM
Maria is featured in the December issue of M2 Woman New Zealand magazine and talks about a variety of things including moving from Russia to Florida as a child and her work as a UNDP ambassador.
Here is the interview:
In 2004, at just 17 years of age, the tennis prodigy, Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon. A journey to sporting stardom that had begun ten years earlier when she left her home of Russia as a seven-year-old to train in the US. A world away from her childhood life, Sharapova is now a sporting icon, a model, a TAG Heuer ambassador and a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador.
It must have been a hard time for you and your family when as a seven-year-old child you moved from Russia to Florida to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Did you have in mind then what it was all for, what you were making such sacrifices for?
Moving to the US was not easy for my family. It was really hard for my father and I to be away from my mother for two years. This was the worst part of the move by far but once my mother arrived and we were all together as a family, it did not matter where we were. I think the best part of the move was that it was the right move for me, my family believed in my talents and they brought me to a place that would allow me to reach all my dreams.
Do you feel like you missed out on just being a child?
I honestly would not change a thing about my childhood. Tennis has brought me so many things, has exposed me to so many different cultures and has allowed me to travel the world to meet so many great people. I am a very lucky girl.
Where do parents draw the line between helping and supporting their children and putting too much pressure on them?
I cannot answer for someone else. Speaking simply for myself, my parents were there all the way through to support me and help me make my dream come true. The dream of becoming a tennis champion was mine and not theirs. I am very proud of what my family did for me. I am just so amazed and grateful that my parents had so much confidence in my ability at a young age. They took a risk that many people would never take.
Going back to 2004 when at the age of 17 you defeated Serena Williams to win Wimbledon. How do you handle such pressure at such a young age? How do you keep focused?
I think winning Wimbledon at 17 made me more mature faster. But besides this, I do not think I would be any different than I am today. Tennis has remained my priority all the way through.
What advice would you have for the rest of us when we need to stay alert and focused in times of pressure?
It is not only about staying alert and focused. If you work really hard, your dreams can come true. I am living proof. I am just like all those kids out there with a big dream. I hope that I am able to inspire them.
You have become a big ambassador for Chernobyl recovery projects. Just how for has the region's recovery come?
I am very proud of all the work I am doing in the Chernobyl region with the UNDP. This is more rewarding than anything else I am doing. I just set up a scholarship fund in the region and I will continue to do as much as I can for the young people of the region. The region is still suffering from what happened over 20 years ago and the main work now is to change people's perception from victims to survivors, give them the will to change things, to rebuild.
How important is it to you to retain your Russian citizenship?
I am Russian, I have a Russian passport, both my parents are Russian. I play with the Russian Team at the Fed Cup. I speak Russian wilh my family. Living in the USA is, for me, like for any person from another country living here: you learn, you adapt, you take the things you like and leave others behind.
Do you think you might go back to Russia to live?
I cannot tell at this point. I don't know what I am doing tomorrow. As long as I am happy and healthy, and doing what I love, I could live anywhere in the world.
Knowing now, the feeling of being the best in the world, of being world number 1, does that make it harder now to put aside the setbacks with physical injuries and get back to the top? Is that hunger to be number I as strong as it has ever been?
While I have been out injured the past few months, it has made me realise how much I miss competing. This huge desire to be back on the court, competing at the highest level has just motivated me to work extra hard on my shoulder rehab, in the gym and on the tennis court. I have never been more "hungry" to compete.
How much of being one of the world's best athletes comes down to basic natural talent and how much of it is hard work and practice?
I really think that without hard work and practice, a God-given talent is nothing. I do not know if anyone in sport or in any discipline who made it to the top without lots of hard work. This is what you can control. Not the talent itself.
You have been described by many as one of the world's most beautiful athletes. You've even been described as the Marilyn Monroe of sport. Do you think this takes away at all from what you have achieved as a sportswoman?
I never worried much about my physical appearance, I had no control over this. I think once I won Wimbledon at age 17, many people started to notice my tennis and I did get some attention for my physical appearance. All I can say is that I want to be remembered as a great tennis champion, nothing else.
What is next for you?
Obviously, tennis, tennis and tennis. I am completely focused on my game. On the sponsor front. TAG Heuer are launching my co-designed line of fashion sunglasses, so be on the look out!!
Why did you decide to become an ambassador to TAG Heuer?
TAG Heuer and I, we really share the same values. They are a brand that keeps on reinventing itself, keeps on innovating, keeps on fighting for their position. They never take things for granted and keep challenging their craft.
How do you maintain a healthy workllife balance?
Tennis has always remained my top priority. You can ask any of my sponsors, I will never accept any commitment that could hurt my training or tennis. I have a great ability to say no! Now, we can say that the WTA tour schedule leaves me about 20 free days a year... I simply make the most of those 20 days.
What do you enjoy doing when not playing tennis?
I enjoy designing! I have been designing outfits with Nike, and I am now working on my own handbag collection with Cole Haan, which I am really excited about. My long-time relationship with TAG Heuer allows me also to work on designing watches and sunglasses.
What is the best piece of advice that you have been given?
My parents just always taught me to give my best in whatever I was doing, so I had no regrets. This was in school. tennis or anything that I am doing. I try to apply this to all aspects of my life.
Can we expect to see you in New Zealand any time soon?
I really hope I will be able to visit one day. I have heard and seen so many beautiful things about your country. Unfortunately, the last time I was in Australia and won the tournament, my obligations did not allow me to take the time to go there. I hope the next time will be the right one.
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