4 мин.

Maria Sharapova’s romance with Grigor Dimitrov plays out at Wimbledon

546

Интересное мнение про пару Мария - Григор

History tells us that tennis love matches are tenuous at best, most likely to endure only when one member of the pair is retired or if both members are of similar ranking. This would suggest that Dimitrov needs to hurry his climb on the tour if this romance is to succeed.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Thursday, June 27, 2013, 3:04 PM

Updated: Thursday, June 27, 2013, 11:51 PM

 WIMBLEDON — The hunk with the alleged black heart, Grigor Dimitrov, was playing out on Court 3 Thursday, and Maria Sharapova was sitting in the front row behind a baseline, in the rain, attentively observing her fella. She leaned forward and screamed, “C’mon!” on the big points, as if they were her very own.

This was no small commitment. Under normal circumstances, Sharapova would be long gone from the All-England Club, headed back to the States, after she was eliminated a day earlier in a second-round upset. But Sharapova is in this romance to win it, focused on the man at hand, taking love one day at a time and not looking too far ahead in the matchmaking brackets.

For what it’s worth, at least from a tennis point of view, Dimitrov has potential. The 29th seed is a comer. His first serve is fearsome, topping out Thursday at 138 mph. His sweeping, one-handed backhand is erratic, but refreshing.

Unfortunately, he demonstrated little of his girlfriend’s mental toughness in his suspended, five-set, second-round match with Grega Zemlja of Slovenia.

Dimitrov frittered away six break points in the fifth game of the fourth set, when he might have made this a much shorter day. He saved two match points. Then as play dragged on in the drizzle, Dimitrov quickly packed his bags and left the court serving at 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 4-6, 8-9 when the two men were given the option to continue. He slipped often behind the baseline, an ode of sorts to Sharapova.

Sharapova walked out of the show court and declined comment, except to Dimitrov, who hopefully received a good lecture on body language and internal strength. If Dimitrov loses this one, Sharapova should break up with him on the grounds of irreconcilable wimpiness.

History tells us that tennis love matches are tenuous at best, most likely to endure only when one member of the pair is retired (Roger and Mirka Federer) or if both members are of similar ranking. While Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are a good fit, Martina Hingis was far too good (according to the computer) for her reported dating partners Radek Stepanek, Magnus Norman, Julian Alonso and Ivo Heuberger. This would suggest that Dimitrov needs to hurry his climb on the tour if this romance is to succeed.

Dimitrov is just 22 years old, which casts both Sharapova, 26, and Serena Williams, 31, as cougars during their recent catfight. While all three in this triangle have tried desperately to change topics once the tournament started, Sharapova and Dimitrov have strolled hand-in-hand this week in Wimbledon Village, doing nothing to discourage voyeurs and photographers.

That doesn’t mean Dimitrov wants to talk about any of this.

“I definitely won’t comment is the first thing,” he said, after his first-round match. “Second thing is I’m here and I just want to talk about my tennis.”

As long as Dimitrov hangs in this tournament, however, the nasty remarks will not disappear. Williams reportedly dated Dimitrov briefly last year. Soon after they parted, and before she began seeing her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, Williams was ready to quit on men.

“I’ve given up on dating,” she said in May of 2012. “The last relationship was just too much of a heartbreak for me. I have to remove myself from that atmosphere for about the next decade or so.”

This month, Williams was quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article, presumably about Sharapova and Dimitrov, saying, “If she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it.”

Sharapova fired back at Williams in her pre-Wimbledon interview with an equally transparent jab at Williams and Mouratoglou, “Maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids.”

Even without these famous, feuding girlfriends, Dimitrov is a good tennis story. He is the first Bulgarian man to crack the top 30, to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event and to earn $1 million in prize money. Then there’s the twist: Dmitrov’s parents, both athletes, sent him as a motivated teenager to train at Mouratoglou’s Tennis Academy. It’s not a good idea to ask Mouratoglou about Dimitrov’s progress, at the moment.

While Sharapova watched Dimitrov’s stalemate on Court 3, Mouratoglou saw Williams dismantle Caroline Garcia, 6-3, 6-2, on the more prestigious Court 1. In Mouratoglou’s case, as coach, it is his job to watch and critique Williams.

Sharapova is a volunteer. If Dimitrov doesn’t get his backhand going, she’s free to leave.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/bondy-sharapova-tennis-playing-beau-league-article-1.1384278#ixzz2XUEvrwDP

logoГригор Димитров
logoATP
logoМария Шарапова
logoWTA