How will Maria handle being a celebrity?

[Aonex]

Maria's been doing a ton of celebrity appearances recently here in the tri-state area, and this got me thinking about how she's going to handle all these new media demands. There certainly is a danger of her losing focus on tennis and becoming engrossed in the process of being a celebrity... as we've seen with Anna K., and other young players that became successful at an early age. From what this guy says in the article below, she seems overwhelmed by it all. It would be a shame if the people who are in charge of her career push her down this path further than she's willing to go. There are other examples though of players who have taken charge of their own image and shy away from all the demands from the media, such as Sampras.

Anyway, here is a segment of an article about her appearance in a tennis clinic at New Haven earlier this week:

Unfortunately, there was almost no interaction between her and the fans on the sidelines, and her handlers quickly ushered her between the court and City Hall. However, it is understandable that she is now being bombarded with interview requests and public attention, and it would not be feasible for her to appease all of her fans. Sharapova seems to be most comfortable allowing her representation to handle all aspects of her public showing.

Based on this appearance, Sharapova could best be characterized as a reluctant celebrity. Instead of basking in the limelight, playing to the crowd, and stopping for photo opportunities, when Sharapova was not on the court, she generally walked around with downcast eyes and let her handlers blaze the fastest path between points A and B. Despite her tough on-court persona, she is like a normal teenager, slightly uncomfortable with all of the attention she is receiving. She certainly seems likeable enough in person and has not appeared to have developed an elitist attitude, but there is a good deal of media overload, and it appears as if she would rather just be back on a tennis court playing the game that she loves.