因为太多、新闻也很多篇，只稍微撷取引言翻罗。 Naturally, when Maria Sharapova took the call on her mobile phone to inform her that Wimbledon would be paying equal prize-money to women this summer, she was out shopping. That was probably about the only news which would have dragged her from the boutiques. The 20-year-old Russian earns more cash than any other sportswoman on the planet, and so she had not been bothered by the money, just by the principle. It is 123 years since the first women's champion received a silver flower basket valued at 20 guineas, while the men's winner was given a gold prize worth some 10 guineas more. But this summer there will be full parity of pay for the first time, headlined by the ￡700,000 prize for both the men's and the women's champions, and the 2004 winner said this has confirmed Wimbledon's status as "my centre of tennis". Even money: Sharapova praises newfound equality "It had seemed as though we had been fighting and fighting the whole time for equal pay, and we had been ready to fight for it again this year. But we've got it now, which I heard when I was shopping, so we don't have to fight for it anymore," said Sharapova, the world No 2 for tennis, but probably the world No 1 for shopping. "It's going to make Wimbledon even more special for me. They are treating us as equals. It has definitely always been a special place for me. For me, it is the centre of tennis, and so I'm especially thrilled that we will be earning the same money as the men. It's amazing. It's so exciting. I'm so thrilled about it." “我们似乎一直都在争取平等奖金，今年也准备这麽做。但现在 得到了，我在逛街时听到的，现在我们不用争了。那让温网对 我来说更特别了。他们平等的对待我们。温网对我来说一直是 个特别的地方。对我来说，这里是网球的中心，所以得知平等 奖金的事情会特别兴奋。很不可思议、很令人开心，我真的很 高兴。” Little wonder. It was Wimbledon that made her. Aged 17, she defeated Serena Williams to lift her first grand slam title and a victory that presented her with the sort of endorsement contracts which would have allowed her, had she wished, to have bought millions of silver flower baskets. "I love coming back to Wimbledon, as this is where my career kind of started. But it had always been my favourite grand slam, ever since I was a junior," she said, and that was certainly not just talk to woo her British tennis public; she meant it. “我喜欢回来温布顿，这是我生涯某个层面的起点。但温网本来就 是我最爱的大满贯比赛，从青少女时期就是了。” "The craziest thing about winning the Wimbledon title was that I never expected it to happen. After each of the early rounds, I was thinking to myself, 'well, okay, now I'm probably supposed to go home'. And then after another round and then another round, I was thinking, 'now, I really have to go home'. After each match, I really could not believe that I was still in the tournament. So, after winning the final, it really took a while for me to believe that I had done it," she said. “温网夺冠最疯狂的就是我没料到会发生。前几轮之後，我都会想 说‘好吧，现在我大概该回家了’，然而却一轮又一轮的打下去 。每场比赛完，我真的都难以相信自己还在比赛。所以，夺冠之 後，真的花了好一段时间去相信自己做到了。” "When I won my second grand slam, at the US Open last year, I truly believed it. I knew that I had been ready to win it, that I was physically and mentally ready to win another grand slam. I had worked really hard for it. But when I arrived at Wimbledon in 2004, I just never thought I was ready to do that. I've watched bits and pieces of that match on video. Every once in a while, I look back at the greatest moments in my career, and everything I have achieved, as that shows me what I am capable of doing." The innocence of 2004 has long since gone. Sharapova has done a lot of growing up since then. “当我去年赢得第二座冠军时，我真的很相信。我知道自己准备去 赢，我在身心上都准备好了。也很努力地练习着。但2004年温网 ，我就是没想过已经做的到了。我看了那场比赛的片段，偶尔看 一次，我会看看生涯中那些最棒的时刻，我达成的一切，就像告 诉自己能做到什麽。。 As well as her campaigning for equal pay at Wimbledon, she became an ambassador for the United Nations this year. Her role is to highlight those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. This is an issue which she feels passionately about because when the reactor blew up in 1986, Sharapova's parents were living only 80 miles away. Just months later, Sharapova's mother was pregnant with the future tennis player, and was worried about what the toxic fall-out might do to her unborn daughter. So the family moved to Siberia, and Sharapova sees herself as a 'Chernobyl survivor'. "I feel so lucky I got out of there," she said. This season, during a long stretch at home because of a shoulder injury, the America-based player has learned all about doing chores around the home. "I was able to live a normal life by myself for a few weeks, going to the grocery store and cooking my own breakfast and lunch. It was so unusual for me. Usually I'm only there for a week at a time and my mum does all that stuff. She'll be the one going to the shops to buy toilet paper. I ran out of toilet paper and had to go to a friend's house next door to get some, which was a new experience for me," Sharapova said. "I'm 20 and in a way I'm so mature because of what my career has brought me, but in other ways I've missed out on the normal things of life. And that was wonderful being at home, I loved it. The first time I went shopping I was lost, absolutely lost. Now I've got it under control. I know where the vegetables are, where my favourite cheese is. But my cooking is awful. I always call my friends over to help me. I'm not very patient. I can't wait for things to boil or fry." Life on the court has been a challenge too, as she was thumped in the final of January's Australian Open by Serena Williams, and was also thrashed in the French Open semi-finals by Ana Ivanovic. But now she is back at her "centre of tennis", with her flat-hit shots suited to the Wimbledon grass. Wimbledon is always her best chance of winning a grand slam. Wimbledon and Sharapova are a great fit. And, anyway, she adores being in London, listing it as her second favourite city, behind New York: "Apart from the weather, London is one of the trendiest cities. And I love English men's sexy accent." Perhaps it is the accent which has made her name Prince William as one of her "dream" mixed doubles partners. "People do come up to me in the street in London, or in the bars and restaurants, to say hello," Sharapova said. "Everyone is always so friendly to me. I love being in London. And I love Wimbledon."," Sharapova said. "Everyone is always so friendly to me. I love being in London. And I love Wimbledon." 总之，莎娃：I love Wimbledon. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/06/23/stwimb1.xml --- 偷懒中:p (有谁要接手翻完，我不介意XDD) --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 59.117.49.70 ※ 编辑: jcshie 来自: 59.117.49.70 (06/23 15:16) ※ 编辑: jcshie 来自: 59.117.49.70 (06/23 18:53)