There are pros and there are stars on the women’s tennis tour.
Pros compete for prize money, get free racquets, and practice four to a court in isolation. Stars get appearance money, big-time endorsements, and attract crowds and autograph seekers to their practice sessions.
Maria Sharapova is a star. After practicing Sunday afternoon for 45 minutes in the Stadium Court and chatting with fans and sponsors, she’ll play her first match Monday night at The Racquet Club in the Cellular South Cup.
She’s heavily favored to win it, but I wouldn’t bet my Canon camera on it until we see if she has cured the problems with her serve that resulted in 21 double faults at the 2009 U.S. Open. The woman who beat her in New York, Melanie Oudin, is also in the Memphis field.
