WIMBLEDON, England — Maria Sharapova had just finished a BBC television interview and thought the camera was switched off. It wasn't. But in a moment, Sharapova's face had changed from animated and smiling to bored and expressionless.
Sharapova knows how it works. Smile for the camera.
Only 17, the Siberia-born Sharapova is the latest women's tennis teen of the new century. Her talent was noticed when she was 6. Soon there were agents at her door, offering scholarships to U.S. academies and lessons in grooming and modeling.
And now Sharapova has arrived on tennis' largest stage, the Wimbledon final. Today, she will play two-time defending champion Serena Williams. Most likely the crowd will shout for Sharapova. Most likely Sharapova will expect it.
Lindsay Davenport has noticed how this teenager and others are so poised and full of confidence. "They're amazing," Davenport said. "They really have a belief in themselves when they're so young."
Sharapova knows she is a good tennis player and expects to win Wimbledon. Maybe not this year but certainly next. Or the year after that.
While Williams, 22, is aiming for her third consecutive Wimbledon title and senses expectations are so high that she will be considered a failure if she doesn't win, Sharapova has galloped into the limelight with her forehand blazing and her path carefully plotted by coaches, agents and her father, Yuri.
"When I first came out I was shy and I didn't think I belonged," said Davenport, who lost to Sharapova in the semifinals. "I didn't have the confidence these girls have. I don't know what that means."
What it means is that a young woman whose family once moved to a seaside city to escape Chernobyl fallout can find success by traveling to Florida and California for tennis instruction.
What it means is that, in a semifinal Thursday at Wimbledon, Sharapova was treated to the same cheers rock stars receive because she has forever legs and a devastating forehand, because she speaks impeccable English and wears sexily elegant clothing.
What it means is that players such as Sharapova and 16-year-old Tatiana Golovin don't dismiss former tennis bombshell Anna Kournikova because Kournikova didn't win a tournament. They admire Kournikova. They just want to be better.
"I think it's very important to feel good about the way you look," Sharapova said Friday.
