Tennis world en n 49 Tennis World issue 49 | Page 28

Hantuchova. The Slovak put on a bikini so
as to appear in the 2009 Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Edition in a pictorial entitled “Volley
of the Dolls” with Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana
Golovin.
A trained pianist who could speak three
languages (English, German and Slovak),
the leggy blonde had qualified in a Slovak
University but deferred it to pursue on her
sporting career that has capitulated her into
the status she currently is.
But no list can be complete without speaking
about Maria Sharapova. This tall and
elegant Russian entered the tennis circuit at
a young age of 17 with a bang, defeating top
seed Serena Williams to win her first Major
title at Wimbledon 2004.
The sizzling hottie with her chiseled face has
parlayed with exclusive global brands like
Nike, Canon and Prince for lucrative
endorsements.
Fortunately, and unlike some of her fellow
players, this 6 feet 1 inch girl has been
successful in maintaining a fine balance
between her profession and passion,
concentrating more on the game that has
given her fame and money knowing fully that
without enough credentials on the court, her
millions of dollars worth endorsements and
modeling stint could easily disappear into
thin air.