Tennis has certainly evolved from being just a gentleman’s game. In fact, if you would look at the circuit today, you would find that there are indeed a lot of power players amongst the female players. There’s Maria Sharapova of Russia, of course. Now, this tennis player reached the #1 ranking at such a young age, although she was not able to hold on to this ranking for a long time. Still, you would have to give her credit for the superb tennis skills she displays in every tournament she plays in.
Maria Sharapova was born in April 19, 1987, which makes her just 20 years old this year of 2007! She started playing tennis at the very young age of 4. She was just 6 years old when tennis legend Martina Navratilova noticed her inborn knack at tennis. Navratilova suggested to her parents that they harness this talent in Maria. It’s a good thing her parents decided to listen to Navratilova and decided to move to America, where Maria started professional tennis coaching. Her first professional ranking in 2002 was actually 186th. In just a span of two years, she was then able to win the Grand Slam Wimbledon Championship back in 2004! She joined the ranks of the youngest players who ever won this prestigious event! In fact, Maria is the second youngest ever to have won Wimbledon! Today, Maria is just about the highest-paid tennis player when it comes to product endorsements and such. Yes, at that young an age, Maria Sharapova has indeed reached the heights of a tennis career a lot of people dream of having.
There was a time when Maria quipped that she had no choice but to learn how to be responsible at a very young age, as demanded by the sport. But she has always been ever determined to excel in the sport, and she is grateful for the experiences she has had in the circuit.
Aside from Maria Sharapova, there are the Williams sisters from the United States. These sisters have indeed garnered a lot of attention from the tennis circuit, as well as tennis enthusiasts worldwide. This is because the Williams sisters are just about the most famous black players in the circuit today! But they did not really start out just recently. In fact, the Williams sisters have been in the circuit for quite some time now! Venus is the older of the two, being born on June 17, 1980, while Serena was born on September 26, 1981.
What captured the attention of the lot of tennis enthusiasts is the fact that the sisters wore very loud clothes during the Grand Slams. They were also famous for the hairstyles they sported during such tournaments. The sisters also play exceptional tennis. Venus, for starters, is held up high by a lot of fans, and even her fellow tennis players, because of her fast serve. When she was just 18 years old, Venus broke the fastest serve record in Zurich, Switzerland. Her serve was at 127.4 MPH! Imagine how fast that serve was!
Serena, on the other hand, has consistently been part of the Top 20 players in the circuit, with the likes of her sister, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, and the rest of the power players.
There is also the fact that during the period of 1998 to 2003, the sisters were actually busy playing against each other at the Grand Slams. There was even one time when any tennis fan would expect either one of the sisters would win a certain Grand Slam! This was indeed the time when the sisters reached the prime of their career!
Yes, tennis has indeed evolved greatly, especially with the appearance of these powerful female players. You can even say that these names are among those that comprise the Femme Fatale in the world of tennis.