Maria Sharapova Tennis Marvel Turns Fashion Mavin

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Maria Sharapova, the 20-year-old tennis star will be defending her U.S. Open title August 28 and she will be wearing tennis dresses decorated with various interpretations of the New York City skyline.

The designs are the creations of Nike designer Colleen Sandieson and were viewed on top of Rockefeller Center earlier this week. Sharapova will repeat the ritual, as she did last year, of wearing one outfit designed for day play and another for night play.

Sharapova will be wearing a red dress, a sleek little number made of ‘breathable’ jersey. It’s done with the no-sew technique where the fabric’s seams are attached with heat and silicone instead of the more common thread. This is the dress for nighttime and is said to have hundreds of Swarovski crystals incorporated into the design for the express purpose of adding a little flash to the fashionable tennis player. For the day-time, there will be no crystals and the dress will be black and white. The back of the outfit is scooped to allow for movement.

Although a fantastic tennis player, (she is the second ranked female in the world), Sharapova is a fashion star. Off court, she has major sponsorship deals with Parlux Fragrances, Samantha Thavasa, a handbag company and of course Nike. You may have seen her ads on television for Canon Power shot digital camera.

Maria Sharapova was born in Nyagan, Siberia Russia on April 19, 1987 and has been residing in Bradenton, Fl. since she was seven to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Sharapova still trains there.

Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, but lost in the semi-final rounds the following year to Venus Williams.