I'm Uncomfortable With the Sharapova-Kournikova Comparisons

My intent with this post was to call the media (particularly the non-sports media) to task for continuing to mention in tandem current tennis star Maria Sharapova and former player Anna Kournikova. I wanted to contrast the two: Kournikova embraced her role as a sex symbol, became a model, and never lived up to her potential as a player; Sharapova is a tennis nerd, as awkward off the court as she is graceful on the court, who just happens to be attractive. Canon commercials notwithstanding, she has not played up her appearance. My argument was weakened when a basic Google search informed me that Sharapova signed a modeling contract as early as 2003 and last year did a sexy photo shoot for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. So much for that.

Still, Maria Sharapova is simply one of the best tennis players in the world and has been for the past two years. While she has won only one major tournament, she has been consistently competitive against the best players in the world. Kournikova, by comparison, never won a singles title and was never consistently ranked in the top ten. That's not to say that Anna Kournikova was not a good tennis player in her prime. She was; just not nearly as good as Maria Sharapova.

And Sharapova is a tennis nerd with the personality of a gawky teenager, so much so that the idea of her posing in a bikini just seems wrong. Sharapova is in action today against top-seed Amelie Mauresmo.