Near midnight on a balmy Miami and the floor of one of the city’s hottest nightclubs is heating up night. All eyes are drawn to a collection of blonde ьber-goddesses who are dancing up a storm, attracting lascivious glances from every red-blooded man in the room as the DJ cranks up the music. However the girls, who will be uniformly blonde, leggy and flaunting their bodies that are perfect barely-there dresses, are not the ubiquitous supermodels which is why Southern Beach is famed. No, they are the increasing movie movie stars for the women’s tennis circuit enjoying a unusual particular date while they make an effort to get to be the next Maria Sharapova – whom, incidentally, is within the center associated with floor, waving her hands around wildly despite whining of a neck damage early in the day.
The event may be the kickoff celebration for the Sony Ericsson Open. That is one of many earth’s tennis tournaments that are largest following the Grand Slams, but additionally usually probably the most relaxed because of its location on Key Biscayne, a palm-fringed area simply south of downtown Miami but a million kilometers far from the pressures of Wimbledon.
The essential player that is promising of group is Daniela Hantuchova, a 24-year-old Slovakian that is rated ninth on the planet. As with any the girls, she talks in faltering English, is reserved and it is utterly centered on a very important factor – winning. Tonight she walks the carpet that is red one other young hopefuls through the previous communist nations of Eastern Europe whom decided to be interviewed and photographed exclusively for Live.
Intriguingly, girls, who include Russian-born Maria Kirilenko and Michaella Krajicek, the sis of 1996 Wimbledon champ Richard Krajicek, studiously avoid one another in the dancefloor, each creating court with regards to very very very own selection of salivating males in several spots across the venue that is lavish the Opium Garden. Them all fantasy of emulating the achievements of Sharapova singlebrides.net/asian-brides, the Russian-born Wimbledon winner that has channelled her success as an empire that is multimillion-pound to sponsorship relates to corporations such as for instance Nike, Canon, Land Rover, Colgate and Sony Ericsson. These earn her an approximated Ј20 million a year.
‘People see each one of these girls from Russia and Eastern Europe plus they think there clearly was a factory that turns us down,’ states Hantuchova in a barely audible throaty purr. ‘But I think the true response is that people all spent my youth in a tradition that promotes effort.
‘I knew when I ended up being five years old and first found a racket that we wished to be considered a expert tennis player. From a tremendously very early age that is all we dedicated to. It really is good for folks to just simply simply take a pursuit due to the method We look, but We guarantee you that tennis is my primary focus.’
Face-to-face, Hantuchova appears 5ft 11in inside her feet that are bare of which 44in are her perfect feet, stretching as much as this smaller mortal’s throat. She talks four languages – Slovak, German, English and Spanish – and studied classical piano for eight years.
Operating her pink-tipped hands through her locks, she states, ‘It is strange in my opinion whenever people consider exactly just how I look. It really is good to be complimented, but i’m an athlete, a sportswoman that is professional. I give attention to my tennis.’
Her face clouds once I talk about the topic of the press that is negative encountered at the beginning of her profession. In 2002, she reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon plus the United States Open and had been lauded given that next big thing. Then again arrived a time period of quick weight loss that left her body searching shockingly skeletal. Rumours of a eating disorder adopted and also by Wimbledon 2003 she had been a wreck, crashing out in the 2nd round.
Of the time that is painful she states, ‘It ended up being very hard.
I became young and I also read exactly what was written about me personally. We discovered a training from that, which will be that people choose to build you up only to tear you down once more.
‘we have always been prepared now and I also am a much more resilient individual.
I believe far emphasis that is too much wear exactly just how ladies look. You never hear individuals speaing frankly about padraig harrington’s weight or just just what David Beckham consumes.
However with the girls there’s this focus that is huge appearance. Individuals should concentrate on the game.’
Three more girls with Eastern vow
MARIA KIRILENKO: Age 21. POSITION: 32. From Moscow, Russia. Height 5ft 8in. ‘Stella McCartney required a model when she ended up being approached by Adidas to develop tennis gear. She looked through photographs of girls from the tour and picked me personally. I suppose I am her muse. I do not understand some of her dad’s music. I understand he had been in team called the Beatles, but this is certainly more my father’s generation. I prefer contemporary Russian pop music music We began playing at seven whenever my father took me to view a competition. I fell so in love with tennis, but I additionally love soccer – We help Chelsea. We just take a football it helps me warm up and stay supple and quick with me everywhere. We meet Stella twice a year in london. We practise in every the prototypes of her garments and advise her on how best to make sure they are much more comfortable.’