[caption id="attachment_118" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="maria sharapova"]
[/caption] It was the morning after at Melbourne Park. The players’ lounge was empty of players. Men and machinery made loud noises as Rod Laver Arena began its transformation from the epicenter of tennis into a concert hall that will soon provide a stage for Hilary Duff and Iron Maiden. But for a few hours more, Novak Djokovic was still at the scene of his greatest tennis triumph. After a night of minimal sleep and maximum satisfaction, Djokovic, the new Australian Open champion, sat at a massive, polished table in the offices of Tennis Australia and explained what he had in common with the other 20-year-old who won a Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne this year: Maria Sharapova. "I think she’s a very strong female," Djokovic said. "She doesn’t allow anybody to fool with her, and she shows it every time on the court. We are kind of on the same line in life. We’ve been through difficult things in our career, and we appreciate success much more." It has been possible of late for tennis observers to think less about hunger, one of the traditional engines of success. Roger Federer comes from a comfortable background in Switzerland; Rafael Nadal from an affluent family in Majorca. Justine Henin and the Williams sisters, who emerged from modest beginnings, have been multimillionaires for years. But this year’s first major tournament was a reminder that the desire born of economic hardship and cultural upheaval is a powerful motor for an athlete. For the first time at a Grand Slam, all four of the women’s semi-finalists represented Eastern European nations with Sharapova from Russia, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic from Serbia and Daniela Hantuchova from the Slovak Republic. Djokovic’s victory also made him the first Serbian man to win a major singles title. All four women and Djokovic had to leave their countries at early ages for the sake of their careers. Such sacrifices can clearly backfire. Sharapova’s coach, Michael Joyce, said he sometimes joked with Sharapova’s father Yuri that he had probably given false hope to many a tennis family. Yuri Sharapova left Russia with extremely limited means when his daughter was 7-years-old, and she eventually began training at the Bollettieri Academy. "There’s millions of people like him that don’t have daughters that have that talent," Joyce said. Djokovic, unable to find acceptable training conditions, left his parents and Serbia when he was 12 to board at the tennis academy run by the former Yugoslav star Niki Pilic in Munich. "This is a professional sport and some have a more difficult way, some have an easier way," Djokovic said. "It just depends where you grow up. It’s a matter of luck in the end, but that’s life. But probably this hunger for the success which we all have and still have, you can see it in the girls like Sharapova and the girls and guys from Serbia. "You see how much they appreciate to be in that position and how much energy and emotions they put on the court. I know for myself I play with a lot of emotions, both positive and negative." Djokovic said his parents, who operated a restaurant in the Serbian mountains, had to work long hours to make his career possible. "You can’t imagine what they’ve been through," he said. What is surprising about Sharapova, already one of the world’s wealthiest and most visible women at 20, still projects that ferocious desire with a racquet in hand. "I think that’s always going to be there," Joyce said. "The day she loses that is the day she should just hang them up." Sharapova said she was more interested in its effect on herself than her adversaries. "I don’t care if they think it’s intimidating or not," she said. "I try to take care of my business out there, and that’s the most important thing, the belief you have on the court. I believe I’m capable of playing great tennis. I know I can do
[/caption] It was the morning after at Melbourne Park. The players’ lounge was empty of players. Men and machinery made loud noises as Rod Laver Arena began its transformation from the epicenter of tennis into a concert hall that will soon provide a stage for Hilary Duff and Iron Maiden. But for a few hours more, Novak Djokovic was still at the scene of his greatest tennis triumph. After a night of minimal sleep and maximum satisfaction, Djokovic, the new Australian Open champion, sat at a massive, polished table in the offices of Tennis Australia and explained what he had in common with the other 20-year-old who won a Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne this year: Maria Sharapova. "I think she’s a very strong female," Djokovic said. "She doesn’t allow anybody to fool with her, and she shows it every time on the court. We are kind of on the same line in life. We’ve been through difficult things in our career, and we appreciate success much more." It has been possible of late for tennis observers to think less about hunger, one of the traditional engines of success. Roger Federer comes from a comfortable background in Switzerland; Rafael Nadal from an affluent family in Majorca. Justine Henin and the Williams sisters, who emerged from modest beginnings, have been multimillionaires for years. But this year’s first major tournament was a reminder that the desire born of economic hardship and cultural upheaval is a powerful motor for an athlete. For the first time at a Grand Slam, all four of the women’s semi-finalists represented Eastern European nations with Sharapova from Russia, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic from Serbia and Daniela Hantuchova from the Slovak Republic. Djokovic’s victory also made him the first Serbian man to win a major singles title. All four women and Djokovic had to leave their countries at early ages for the sake of their careers. Such sacrifices can clearly backfire. Sharapova’s coach, Michael Joyce, said he sometimes joked with Sharapova’s father Yuri that he had probably given false hope to many a tennis family. Yuri Sharapova left Russia with extremely limited means when his daughter was 7-years-old, and she eventually began training at the Bollettieri Academy. "There’s millions of people like him that don’t have daughters that have that talent," Joyce said. Djokovic, unable to find acceptable training conditions, left his parents and Serbia when he was 12 to board at the tennis academy run by the former Yugoslav star Niki Pilic in Munich. "This is a professional sport and some have a more difficult way, some have an easier way," Djokovic said. "It just depends where you grow up. It’s a matter of luck in the end, but that’s life. But probably this hunger for the success which we all have and still have, you can see it in the girls like Sharapova and the girls and guys from Serbia. "You see how much they appreciate to be in that position and how much energy and emotions they put on the court. I know for myself I play with a lot of emotions, both positive and negative." Djokovic said his parents, who operated a restaurant in the Serbian mountains, had to work long hours to make his career possible. "You can’t imagine what they’ve been through," he said. What is surprising about Sharapova, already one of the world’s wealthiest and most visible women at 20, still projects that ferocious desire with a racquet in hand. "I think that’s always going to be there," Joyce said. "The day she loses that is the day she should just hang them up." Sharapova said she was more interested in its effect on herself than her adversaries. "I don’t care if they think it’s intimidating or not," she said. "I try to take care of my business out there, and that’s the most important thing, the belief you have on the court. I believe I’m capable of playing great tennis. I know I can do
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