God was certainly in a good mood when he created Maria Sharapova. The former world number one professional tennis player is not only blonde, beautiful and a staple in men’s magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and Maxim, but she’s a as modest as you can be when it comes to all the attention surrounding her fine physical attributes.
“To be quite honest, I never think about things like that. I think there will always be certain pressures of being in the public eye, but my priority is my tennis and making sure I can be the best player I can possibly be,” Sharapova told at the launch of Sony Ericcsson’sXperia Hot Shots series in Miami this week. “In that instance I am constantly striving for perfection and the only way to do that is to train hard, be extremely disciplined and win tournaments.”
Now six lucky young ladies are about to get special attention from the 23-year-old Russian. Sharapova unveiled the half a dozen rising tennis stars from around the globe that have been chosen for the Xperia Hot Shots show. Activating Sony Ericsson’s sponsorship of the Women’s Tennis Association, the web-based TV show will follow the lives of all six players as they travel the world on tour and gain exclusive access to the worlds of music, film, gaming and fashion to establish themselves as sporting icons.
At the end of the year, the player that has generated the most support on Facebook will score a Sony Ericsson support deal. “I wish there was something like that when I first started playing! Tennis has always been very glamorous and the players have always attracted a lot of attention on and off the court. As such, it makes sense that Xperia Hot Shots brings together tennis and entertainment and prepares these talents for becoming the stars of tomorrow,” Sharapova, who is also Sony Ericsson’s brand ambassador, said.
“The campaign will allow the girls to find their own personalities, whether they are into the latest music or wanting to help charities.” As a UN Development Project Goodwill Ambassador concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme, Sharapova has been particularly moved by the recent tsunami and nuclear radiation disaster in Japan.
“People across the world have the same basic needs. Everyone wants to be safe, happy and look after their friends and family and sometimes things in life stop us from achieving that. Whereas there is no stopping nature in the case of the tsunami, it is sometimes difficult to accept man-made disasters,” she continued.
“But I have learned how determined people are in the face of such tragedies to get their lives back on track.”
