DOHA: Maria Sharapova sounded like the most prolific romantic of all the female tennis players on Valentine’s Day by suggesting that she had many lovers.

The highest paid female athlete in the world hinted – perhaps tongue in cheek – that she might also have the highest sex drive.

True or not, her reply, which created a minor sensation, outdid that of all the other players at the Qatar Open on Thursday.

Asked if she was celebrating Valentine’s Day with the one she loved, Sharapova replied: “Well, I’m in Doha, so my team consists of my coach and my trainer, and my hitter and my physio. I don’t have a love relationship with either one of them, so ...” and she tailed off amidst laughter.

She then admitted that she had received “many” messages, adding: “I’m very lucky”.

But when asked if she therefore had many lovers, Sharapova, who split with fiance Sasha Vujacic, a former NBA player last year, brazened the question away.

“Maybe,” she said. “Why not, right? Life’s too short.”

The Russian outdid Caroline Wozniacki, the former world No. 1 from Denmark, who humorously agreed that her boyfriend, the world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy, had Valentine’s Day under control.

“He certainly did, yeah. I got a nice bouquet of roses, so that was nice,” said Wozniacki.

“And maybe something else too – but that’s private,” she added.

Wozniacki was prepared to reveal that she sent McIlroy something too.

“He hasn’t received it yet, though,” she said. “But I think it should be there any minute. It’s, like, just a lot of chocolate, a huge basket of chocolates.”

This was all a big contrast to the reaction of Serena Williams, the winner of 15 Grand Slam titles, but not a winner in love if her responses were to be believed.

Her Twitter comments have been suggesting she is single, even though it is widely believed that her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who is present at the Qatar Open, has also been her boyfriend.

“I don’t celebrate Valentine’s, so for me just another day,” Williams said. “I really don’t do the holidays in general, so, yeah, I don’t do the Valentine’s stuff.”

That was very different from the attitude of Victoria Azarenka, the world No. 1, who started by saying that she didn’t celebrate the day as she was alone.

She continued by saying that text messages were the only gifts she got, then admitted that she had had them from a lot of people, and eventually agreed that she had had one from a “musician, yeah, one in particular, but it’s still too early in the States”.

This was a reference to her boyfriend, Redfoo, the Californian singer, dancer, DJ and rapper, whom she knows as Stefan Gordy, and who later reportedly sent her a video containing a song he had just performed. — AFP

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