Back to School: Jelena, Maria, Nicole practicing @ Bolletieri this week

With all the tournament cuts the WTA made, looks like a lot of players are left on the courts.. practicing. Roadmap 2009.. is that what it is called now?



Well, the new Tour Road Map left out some of my favorite smaller tournaments in the US like the Bausch & Lomb at Amelia Island and the Acura Classic in San Diego. Boo.. road map!

Maria "One dollar at a time" Sharapova!

Still pulling in the Ca$h!



Thanks Maria Sharapova Blog

A girl named Maria... is back on court

She looks a little thicker! That is definitely not a bad thing when it comes to Masha! Is this a publicity stunt to show the world she's healthy and training? Why does she keep us guessing? Ok. I give up. I just want to know when she's playing again. I would love for her to return at Indian Wells, as I will be there next month, can't wait!

Busy Bee, Bu$zz$Z$Zz

Ms. Sharapova keeps busy while she nurses injuries, no? Check out her latest news provided by BrandWeek

Cole Haan is featuring tennis star Maria Sharapova in its new spring ad campaign, marking the first time the Nike fashion subsidiary has used a Nike athlete as its face.


The campaign for Cole Haan’s 2009 sporting collection will debut the week of Feb. 9 in the March issue of Condé Nast’s Vanity Fair magazine.

"We are able to leverage her interest in fashion and sport, while connecting with our consumer in a new and unique way,” said Cole Haan CMO Michael Capiraso.

Ads will appear in subsequent issues of Condé Nast’s Vogue and Lucky, Hearst Magazines’ Harper’s Bazaar, Time Inc.’s InStyle, and American Express Publishing’s Travel + Leisure.

A catalogue of the collection will be polybagged and included with the April issue of Hachette Filipacchi Media’s Elle—which is the first time Cole Haan has included a catalogue with a magazine.

The campaign also will have a presence on NYTimes.com, NYmag.com and Style.com. Out-of-home executions include billboards and phone kiosks in New York City and on buses and bus shelters in South Florida.

Fashion photographer Martyn Thompson shot the campaign. Assouline is the creative agency.

Cole Haan’s U.S. ad spending totaled $12.4 million through Nov. 2008, up slightly from $12.1 million in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
TrackBack

Surprisingly, looks like she's making more $$ off the court than on the court. Good for her, no?

Sharapova shoulder woes continue

Oh-oh, it looks like Sharapova's shoulder injury may end up being a career-ending one. The Sharapova Camp has been very hush-hush about her rehab progress, leaving fans wondering about the severity of her injury. What kind of injury requires over 8 months of rest?

Although her shoulder appears to be recovering, it may not be able to handle the high intensity of the professional tour. The grinding routine and the grueling training sessions would wreck havoc on a shoulder that seems to be chronically injured.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for the final verdict from Maria herself.

We all know she's a tiger, and I'm sure she's fighting hard to get back on the WTA tour. Let’s just hope luck is also apart of her comeback equation.

Maria Withdraws from Paris and Dubai

Season to start and Sharapova not ready

For 5 years straight, Maria Sharapova has used the upcoming Hong Kong Exhibition (Jan 7-10) to prepare mentally and physically for the Australian Open. This year, however, she has chosen to withdraw. Hmmm? One has to wonder if her shoulder will be ready when the world's best meet in the "land down under". To complicate matters, she only started hitting 16 days ago.

"I'm just not ready to play against the top class competition in Hong Kong, although I remain hopeful for Australia where I'm the defending champion."

Hopefully Masha will recover fully prior to the Australia Open. The JB Group 2009 Classic in Hong Kong features Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams, Vera Zvonoreva and many other young talents.