Serena, Sharapova sign up to play in China Open
BEIJING: Serena Williams and her Wimbledon conqueror Maria Sharapova have signed up for the inaugural China Open, a tournament organisers want to make the premier tennis event in Asia.
Also on board are hometown favourite Zheng Jie and Jelena Dokic, looking to pull herself out of a slump stemming from a bitter feud with erratic father Damir, who claims that she needs psychiatric and drugs tests.
“I am very excited about playing in front of the Chinese people,” said Williams, a six-times Grand Slam winner still reeling from her shock 6-1, 6-4 Wimbledon final loss to teen pin-up Sharapova.
The 17-year-old Siberian-born, Florida-trained Sharapova said she too was eager to play in China and lift the trophy.
“To win the first-ever China Open would be great,” said the blonde starlet.
While her supermodel good looks have drawn attention, Sharapova insisted that she wanted to be remembered for her tennis abilities and not her physical attributes.
“A lot of people are saying I am pretty, I have a good figure and all that,” she said. “I know a lot of fans also like me because of my looks. But my target is to make a mark in the world of tennis as a great player.”
The men’s event has also drawn a clutch of top ranked players, including Spain’s Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero, German Rainer Schuettler, Marat Safin of Russia and Argentinian David Nalbandian.
The tournament, from Sept 10-26, will be played on hard-court at the Beijing Tennis Centre, which is still under construction.
China is attracting a growing number of top-rate sports events in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. – AFP
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