No matter how hard you try, it is almost impossible to associate Maria Sharapova with the word dumpling. But on the eve of appearing in the AEGON Classic semi-finals in Birmingham, the three-times grand-slam winner has revealed that away from the court she is becoming a dab hand in the kitchen.
During a long and frustrating ten months on the sidelines recovering from surgery on her right shoulder, the 22-year-old Russian admits she struggled terribly with the monotony of training and rehabilitation. Stuck indoors week after week and away from the daily grind of the professional athlete’s life, she decided to learn the art of cooking dumplings from her Russian grandmother.
Having left her native Siberia at the age of 7 to move to the United States with her father, she still yearns for varenikes, a type of dumpling, and a speciality she loves. “They are dumplings with different fillings and sour cream, which is Russia’s ketchup,” she explained. “I put them on top of all sorts of things.”
Her creative talent also led her to spend months with Nike designing the dazzling figure-hugging outfit, complete with leggings, she has modelled at Edgbaston. Intrigued by the interest, she said with a laugh: “I can’t believe I’m discussing fashion with male journalists. It takes months of discussions between us before it’s launched and I’m wearing the three-quarter top over the dress here because it’s cold.”
In her first outing on grass this season, Sharapova says she is enjoying getting used to the surface again and returning to winning ways. Champion here in 2004 and 2005, this is the perfect place to launch her Wimbledon campaign.
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“I’ve had a long time to get fit and even been training, walking and climbing on a mountain called Camelback in Arizona — I really don’t like the gym,” she said. “Overall I’m delighted with my recovery but there’s no better workout than playing tennis.” In yesterday’s quarter-final she was taken to three sets by last year’s beaten finalist, Yanina Wickmayer, the 19-year-old from Belgium who has not quite lived up to her billing as the next star to follow her compatriots Kim Clijsters or Justine Henin.
The 2004 Wimbledon champion swept through the first set but could not maintain the momentum in the second with a string of double faults and too many unforced errors as Wickmayer increased the tempo to level.
A bathroom break before the third set seemed to do the trick and Sharapova raced to a 5-1 lead. Serving for the match, the double faults crept back into her game and she was forced to wait a little longer before closing out the match and booking her place in the last four, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
So far, so good in the build-up to Wimbledon. Reluctant to make any predictions about her form, she said she would be taking things day by day. “I didn’t set goals and I’m just grateful to be playing matches and testing my shoulder,” she said. “Seeded or unseeded at Wimbledon, I’ll face whoever is across the net and compete.”
Another player making a successful comeback is Sania Mirza, who is through to her first semi-final in the event. Mirza, 22, is the first Indian woman player to win a WTA title and break into the world’s top 50. However, a wrist injury has hampered her ranking and she has dropped to 98, although her run here should improve that. Like Sharapova she is happy to be back and will take on Magdalena Rybarikova in the last four, with Li Na, from China, the highest-ranked player in the event, meeting the Russian in the second semi-final.