After missing seven months on the tour with a nagging right shoulder injury, that was finally diagnosed as a moderate tear to the rotator cuff tendon by Dr. David Altcheck, Maria is preparing to defend her title at the 2009 Australian Open in January. She is scheduled to play an exhibition in the second week of January, then if all feels OK she will come to Melbourne. Her injury was bothering her back in April, but was advised that it was just soreness and would go away. It didn’t go away, and fortunately for Maria she did not aggravate the problem. According to Dr. Altcheck she could have done some serious damage that would have required surgery, but rest and rehabilitation should put her back in shape by the end of the year. Can we expect her to play like the old Maria, or will she be tentative and defensive? Whichever is the case it will be nice to have her back in the mix of top players all vying for Serena’s Number 1 position. And it will be refreshing to see her without the cute little pekingese dog for a change.

The defending Aussie Champion, who has also won both the US Open and Wimbledon, would love to add the French Open to her resume of wins. Few players have achieved this feat that Stephi Graff did twice all in row. Off the court Maria’s life is a whirl of photo shoots and receptions for the many sponsors she represents. Of all the current lady players she is by far the most sought after, and lives the life of a movie star. She is only 21 years old but has been around so long that we sometimes forget how young she was when she first became a fixture on the WTA tour. Of all of her many off court endeavours the work she does with her own Maria Sharapova Foundation and the United Nations is of the greatest importance to her. She recently launched a project as the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Program to establish a scholarship fund for the further education of promising students from the Chernobyl effected area of Belarus. Maria says, “I have a personal connection with this area because my parents were forced to leave Gomel in Belarus after the nuclear catastrophe and flee to Siberia where Maria was born.

Although Maria has been reported to be the highest paid female athlete in the world with an annual income somewhere around $40 million, she retains her poise and elegance on and off the court. She seems to be unaffected by either the money or the constant presence of photographers who follow her wherever she goes much like they did with the other Princess. I’ve missed her on the tennis court and neither Wimbledon of the US Open was the same without her. It’s her long legs, her sexy smile, and the grunting that turns me, and millions of others, on.