The Open: Noise, traffic and terrific tennis

By Art Spander
For Maven Sports

NEW YORK — Yes, if you can make it here, you’ll make it anywhere. It’s New York, where the heat isn’t bad this year — only in the mid-70s Tuesday — the traffic heading to Billie Jean King Center is terrible and the tennis is terrific.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2019 The Maven

Palm Springs Life: Even in Absentia, Maria Sharapova is Hot Topic

By Art Spander
Palm Springs Life

This was the scenario at the BNP Paribas tournament Wednesday (March 9): The ladies who were there, if not yet playing — champions such as Angelique Kerber, who just won the Australian Open, and Petra Kvitova, who has two Wimbledon titles — were compelled to talk about the lady who wasn’t there.

That, of course, would be Maria Sharapova, who pulled out Indian Wells with a sore forearm — that’s forearm, not forehand — before it was announced she had failed a drug test and faced a suspension from the game.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2016 Desert Publications. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova for 17th straight time

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — Everyone knows the best part of Serena Williams' game is her serving — she had 13 more aces Thursday while sweeping through her Wimbledon semifinal -- but her bewildered opponent, Maria Sharapova, pointed out another Williams asset.

"I think one of the things she does extremely well is to take [herself] from a defensive position to offense. I was not able to that," sighed Sharapova after losing to Williams a 17th consecutive time.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Bleacher Report: Revived Caroline Wozniacki Eyes 2014 US Open Title After Maria Sharapova Upset

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

NEW YORK — We called her the Woz, a word play on the Wiz, and on a court Caroline Wozniacki certainly looked like a wiz, a winner, even if she didn’t own a Grand Slam. There wasn’t a shot she couldn’t chase down; there wasn’t a ball she couldn’t return.

She was No. 1 in the women’s rankings for 67 weeks, and in 2009 she made it to the final of the U.S. Open. A loss to Kim Clijsters seemed only a blip, a hiccup as the tennis people say. The Woz was 19, and had to get better.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2014 Bleacher Report, Inc.

Newsday (N.Y.): Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova upset at Wimbledon

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — A teenager nicknamed "The Wild Thing" stunned Rafael Nadal and in the process all Wimbledon, recording one of the biggest upsets of the last 25 years.

Nick Kyrgios, 19, a 6-4 Australian with a vicious serve and a positive approach, took apart the top-ranked Nadal, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3, on a Tuesday of surprises.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2014 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Maria Sharapova cruises at Wimbledon

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — Maria Sharapova was starstruck, which tells you how big David Beckham is.

Beckham, pro golfer Ian Poulter and onetime English soccer ace Bobby Charlton were among the Royal Box guests as Wimbledon celebrated its annual sports heroes Saturday.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2014 Newsday. All rights reserved. 

Newsday (N.Y.): Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova reach second round

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — The big names held serve and their places at the top on Tuesday at Wimbledon, meaning those who prefer their tennis played by the rich and famous never had to hold their breaths. Unlike a year ago.

Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, both ranked No. 1, scored straight-sets victories in opening matches. So did Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, who, as the other two, are former Wimbledon champions.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2014 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): American women are a major story line at Wimbledon

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — The sun was shining Saturday, softening the gloom in the wake of that World Cup failure the Times of London called "England's Shame."

Wimbledon begins Monday, and with England's certain departure from the World Cup, tennis will take over the headlines.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2014 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Los Angeles Times: Maria Sharapova goes from Winter Games to desert tennis

By Art Spander
Special to the Times

She went back to where it all started, to the wall in Sochi. Maria Sharapova, out of boredom really, as a child began smacking a tennis ball while her father played his weekly game a few feet away.

"My career started in Sochi," Sharapova said Wednesday, reviewing her trip home and to the Winter Olympics.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times: Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova suffer upset losses at Wimbledon

By Art Spander
For the Los Angeles Times

LONDON — The little world of tennis spun out of control Wednesday. Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova took figurative tumbles at Wimbledon far earlier than anyone believed, and others took actual tumbles on lawns apparently too slick for the purpose.

Federer, who advanced to the quarterfinals in his previous 36 Grand Slam tournaments, was knocked out of Wimbledon this time in the second round. And by a 27-year-old Ukrainian ranked 116th, Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5).

Read the full story here.

Newsday (N.Y.): Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova upset at Wimbledon

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — For 9 1/2 years, 36 consecutive events, Roger Federer had never failed to reach the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam tennis tournament. But this Wimbledon he couldn't get past the second round.

A 27-year-old from the Ukraine, Sergiy Stakhovsky, 116th in the world rankings, defeated Federer, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5), a stunning conclusion to a long Wednesday afternoon of upsets, upset competitors and withdrawals.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2013 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Maria Sharapova takes shot at Serena Williams over comments

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — Another Wimbledon begins Monday on the lawns of the All England Club, and what's Wimbledon without rain and wind — both made an appearance Saturday — and without a controversy?

Maria Sharapova took a huge shot at Serena Williams Saturday, lashing back at her when asked about a Williams comment — the author assumed it to be about Sharapova — in Rolling Stone magazine.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2013 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Maria Sharapova loses to Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England -- They call it Manic Monday here. Think of it as a tennis version of March Madness. Everyone remaining is scheduled in a fourth-rounder. The next thing you know, a favorite is defeated, and the survivors are tiptoeing to the quarterfinals.

As Serena Williams will be. As Maria Sharapova will not be.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2012 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Los Angeles Times: Maria Sharapova falls at Wimbledon, but she'll always have Paris

By Art Spander
Special to The Los Angeles Times

WIMBLEDON, England — The way Maria Sharapova was talking, discussing her French Open victory last month as opposed to her Wimbledon loss Monday ("I'll have that for the rest of my career"), it was easy to think of the film "Casablanca."

"We'll always have Paris," Humphrey Bogart says in that familiar line. So will Sharapova.

Read the full story.

Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times

RealClearSports: For Roddick, It's Not Gender, It's Leverage

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

WIMBLEDON, England — It always comes down to money, doesn't it? Whether you're A-Rod or some kid just drafted into the NBA or a relatively successful and - herein lies the issue - relatively unknown tennis player named Gilles Simon.

Fame usually brings wealth. Wealth often brings fame. Everybody wants more of both, which is the reason there are holdouts and lockouts and player strikes in team sports, and there is jealousy in individual sports, such as tennis.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2012

Newsday (N.Y.): Kvitova beats Sharapova for title

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday


WIMBLEDON,  England -- It might have been less an upset than a preview.

Women's tennis is changing, former champions aging, and failing, a new cast arriving, though a group little known outside the sport.

That the young Czech lefthander Petra Kvitova is the 2011 Wimbledon champion -- defeating Maria Sharapova, 6-3,  6-4, Saturday on Centre Court -- was a surprise to some, but not all.

Especially not to another lefty who came from what then was Czechoslovakia, is now a naturalized U.S. citizen and won nine Wimbledon singles.

"A new star,'' Martina Navratilova said of  the 21-year-old Kvitova. "It didn't happen overnight, but she's a champion. It's great.''

Depending on one's viewpoint. Sharapova, 24, who for nearly three years has struggled back from 2008 surgery on her rotator cuff, is the sort of personality tennis needs.

She won Wimbledon in 2004, as a 17-year-old, the U.S. Open in '06 -- remember that commercial built around the song "Maria'' from "West  Side Story"? -- and the Australian Open in 2008. She's engaged to the Nets' Sasha Vujacic and although Russian  by birth, she speaks flawless English.

But she didn't have much chance against the 6-foot Kvitova, who ended the match with a service ace.

"She was hitting really powerful, and hitting winners from all over the court,'' said Sharapova, who is 6-2. "She made a defensive shot into an offensive one.

"She just kind of laid on a lot of those shots. I think she was more aggressive than I was, hit deeper and got the advantage in points.''

Kvitova, who was a semifinalist last year, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams, opened  the match by losing her serve, and seemed affected by the pressure of reaching  her first major singles final.

But she broke back immediately, and took control in the sixth game when Sharapova made four straight double faults.

"It's still unbelievable,'' Kvitova said among giggles when asked to describe her feelings. "I don't know. Maybe I accept it.''

She's the third lefthander to win the women's title here after Navratilova and Ann Jones.

"She served quite hard,'' Sharapova said. "The second serve, also, she was going for it. And, yeah, I could have reacted a little bit better. She placed the ball well.''

Sharapova was caught between dismay and hope.

"Besides the fact that I lost,'' Sharapova said, "I think this is a big step for me, being here in the final. You know I feel like I'm proving this year. That gives me a tremendous amount of confidence for the rest of the year.''

Winning certainly didn't hurt the confidence of Kvitova (pronounced Kuh-VIT-uh-vah), who entered the tournament eighth in the WTA rankings, two places down from Sharapova. Kvitova had won three tournaments this year.

"Hopefully not last Grand Slam,'' Kvitova said. "I try play everything. Yeah, my game was improve.''

Caroline  Wozniacki, ranked No. 1, has been the star of the new generation, which includes Victoria  Azarenka and Agnes Radwanska -- all Europeans -- but Kvitova is the only one  of the group to win a major.

"I think she's a much more powerful hitter [than the others],'' Sharapova  said of Kvitova. "She has bigger strokes, and I would say a better serve.''

Navratilova and fellow Czech Jana Novotna (the 1998  winner), who watched from the Royal Box, talked to Kvitova afterward.

"They were so happy,'' Kvitova said. "I cried after I met them.''

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/tennis/kvitova-beats-sharapova-for-title-1.3000678
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Yahoo! Sports: Czech point: Kvitova looks like new Navratilova

By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange


WIMBLEDON, England — Czech, mate. The new generation from the land of the Martinas and Janas has arrived. Prodigiously.

Petra Kvitova found splendor on the grass Saturday, a surprise winner of the Wimbledon women's singles title, 6-3, 6-4 over one-time champion Maria Sharapova. Then again, considering Kvitova's strength, length (she's 6 feet tall) and youth (she's 21), maybe it wasn't a surprise.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Yahoo! Sports: Sharapova’s comeback continues—she's in Wimbledon final

By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange


WIMBLEDON, England — Yes, there were doubts for Maria Sharapova. You undergo an operation on your right shoulder, the one with which you serve a tennis ball, the one with which you made your reputation, and the demons fly, taunting and teasing.

The imperfection. The impatience. The disappointment as defeats mount and skeptics question.

"I set myself certain goals," Sharapova said ...

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

Yahoo! Sports: Sharapova, now the "old woman" at 24, advances to semis

By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange

WIMBLEDON, England — She was an ingenue with a forehand and determination. Maria Sharapova hit the top when she was hitting her teens, and then after an injury she has struggled to return.


She carries a Russian passport but has lived in the United States for years, speaks better English than many Americans and plays her game better than most people anywhere.



Sharapova went under the roof at Wimbledon on Tuesday ...

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CBSSports.com: Wozniacki is an ascending star -- who keeps shining brighter

By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com


NEW YORK -- She's not there yet, not holding the winner's trophy. There still are three more matches. "I feel like everything is possible," said Caroline Wozniacki. She is in full flight, an athlete in ascendancy, for whom nothing seems impossible.

This time the opponent wasn't one of those wild cards like Chelsey Gullickson or one of those players from the depths like Kai-Chen Chang, No. 84 in the rankings, or Yung-Jan Chan, No. 77, that Wozniacki was certain to beat.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.