Sharapova's dogged determination to find love

BERLIN: Tennis pin-up Maria Sharapova has forewarned her future husband that he will literally have his hands full - once she finally fulfills her ambition to find true love.

The 20-year-old Russian-born blond beauty, who recently won the Australian Open and has picked up more than a million US dollars in prize money already this year, is single, but says the man of her dreams had better beware.

"If I ever love a man as much as my dog, the guy will have a real problem, because I am all over that dog," the statuesque Russian said in an interview set to be published in the German edition of Vanity Fair.

"I have already had crushes during my career, but I don't believe it was true love.

"Perhaps in five years I will be able to say for sure. I think the trick is not to go looking for love."

While the future beau of the Russian may have to fight for her affections with her pet dog Dolce, Sharapova is certainly the darling of the tennis world having won all the Grand Slam titles except Roland Garros.

When Sharapova, currently fifth in the WTA tour rankings, was seven years old, her father Yuri took her to America so she could follow her dream to be a tennis player.

But having won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2004, at the tender age of 17, she has far out-weighed expectation.

"What I have achieved has far out-weighed my family's expectation," she added.

"I would like to have children and I would like to do other things which make me happy.

"But if I had my time over, I would do it all again."

AFP

(China Daily 02/01/2008 page22)