这篇太多了，也不好翻，不逐字，摘要+引言翻译。 (总而言之就是懒惰 XD) Sharapova opens 2010 healthy, motivated ... and still golden http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2010-01-11-maria-sharapova-interview_N.htm By Douglas Robson, Special for USA TODAY Six seasons since a little-known 17-year-old triggered a worldwide commercial revolution by capturing Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova's Madison Avenue magic continues to keep sponsors spellbound. （总之是前言） A one-person fiscal stimulus package, the Siberian-born, Florida-trained Russian routinely ranks as the highest-paid female athlete in the world with earnings of $22 million annually. But the economic juggernaut of Sharapova Inc. is in danger of diverging with her on-court success. 莎娃持续很赚。 Following right shoulder surgery in October 2008 and a 10-month layoff, Sharapova in 2009 was a shadow of the player that blew past opponents for major hardware. Now, for the first time in two years, she starts the season at next week's Australian Open healthy, eager and rested. 总算要以健康完善的状态回到澳网。 The last time that happened? January 2008, when Sharapova bulldozed her way through a brutal draw that included four former or future No. 1s to a third Grand Slam title and first in Melbourne without dropping a set. In a rare two-hour interview last month with USA TODAY inside her modern, three-story house in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Sharapova opened up about her fears and frustrations following surgery, her burning desire to compete and her outsize business ambitions. 去年底，难得的两小时专访，地点在莎娃加州的家。内容包括莎 娃这段时间的恐惧、挫折，还有对竞争的渴望，以及商业野心。 "There was a lot of downtime for me to think about what I wanted," says Sharapova, who sat at her dining room table overlooking the Pacific Ocean while Dolce, the famed Pomeranian, licked, sniffed and nipped at an intruder. ("He has a personality disorder," laughed Sharapova.) 「有很多停工时间可以想我要什麽，」莎娃表示。此时莎娃的狗 Dolce 正在骚扰访客。莎娃笑说，Dolce 有人格障碍。 For Sharapova, a 20-time Tour winner who has spent 17 total weeks at No. 1, the months away from tennis — her longest absence since becoming a full-time pro in 2003 — allowed her to engage in normal twenty-something activities. She honed her cooking skills, hung out with friends and spent overdue time with her mother, who didn't come over when Sharapova first arrived in the USA at age 7 and has always been in the background. It also left her in unfamiliar territory: bored and powerless. 对莎娃而言，那段复健期间，是个完全陌生的领域：无聊又无力。 "As much as I wanted to get back out there as soon as I could, as weeks and months passed by I realized I couldn't make the process faster," she says of the rehabilitation following surgery. "In tennis, if I want to improve something, I know I can go out on the court, I can work on it, I can give it extra time. This was something I felt like I had no control over." 「我想越快回到球场越好，但几个月过去後，我才了解复健进度无 法变快。如果是打网球时，想改善什麽，我知道可以去球场，可 以多练一下。但复健这事却是我无法控制的。」莎娃说。 As she bounced between rehab stints in Phoenix and Los Angeles, those closest to Sharapova could see it gnawing away. 亲友能感受到复健对莎娃的折磨。 "It was sad," says her media-shy mother, Yelena, who looks like a slightly older version of actress Uma Thurman. "She was like a bird in a cage." 「很难过呀，她看起来就像笼中鸟一样。」莎娃鲜少在媒体前露面 的妈妈 Yelena 如是说。莎娃妈看起来就像年长一点点的的乌玛舒 曼。 Sharapova says she distanced herself from thoughts her career might be over even as her recovery dragged past her doctor's most optimistic predictions. She avoided anything to do with tennis but never lost her motivation. She also gained perspective with time outside the proverbial athlete's bubble. As she agonizingly watched her peers snatch big trophies, the world around her took notice but then quickly went back to daily life. It was a wakeup call. 这段时间也让她对事情有不同的看法。 "You win a tournament, say a Grand Slam, it's such an amazing feeling, everyone is excited, you get text messages, all these congratulations, you're on top of the world," Sharapova says. "And the next day it's all over and you go home and you're in your normal life. … It's like nothing happened. My friends are still at work. Everyone's doing the same thing." 「当你夺冠时，比如说大满贯好了，那种感觉真的很棒，每个人 都很兴奋，你会收到一堆讯息、一堆恭喜，堪称就在世界的顶 端。但隔天，当你回到家，回到平常的生活後，一切就结束了 …好像什麽都没发生过一样。朋友们都在工作，一切如常。」 Don't be mistaken. Sharapova lives to win. But she can now appreciate that "a lot of work goes into lifting up a trophy for 10 seconds in your life." 但别搞错了，莎娃只是更能领会「为了那举起奖盃的十秒钟，需 要投注许多努力」。 Getting her groove back When the former No. 1 returned in May at a small event in Warsaw, she was beside herself. "Giddy," says Michael Joyce, who became Sharapova's full-time hitting partner in 2005. Still, progress came in fits and starts. She struggled through four consecutive three-set matches to reach the French Open quarterfinals but lost in the second round of Wimbledon. Employing an abbreviated service motion to preserve the repaired rotator cuff, Sharapova never found her groove. 复出之後，得慢慢找回正轨，身体、技术上都是。 Her power game resembled nothing of the player who had started 2008 by pummeling Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic— all past, present or future No. 1s — at the 2008 Australian Open during a season-opening 18-match winning streak. 难与 2008 年澳网时力压群雌的神勇状态相比。 Sharapova recalls the feeling as playing "like a horse with blinders — nothing bothered me." 莎娃回想当时就像蒙着眼罩的马一样─什麽都不会干扰她。 As she tried different deliveries, a cascade of embarrassing double faults — including a 2009 tour-high of 20 in a loss to American Melanie Oudin at the U.S. Open — rained down around her. Sharapova calls the constant tweaking "laughable" but admits the serving woes were troublesome 尝试不同发球动作时，莎娃的双误产量激增，最多的是 2009 年美 网输给 Oudin 时，莎娃轰了 20 个双误。莎娃说那状况很“好笑” ，但也承认发球状况很麻烦。 "The double faults were getting into her head a little bit," Joyce says, especially the more people talked about it. 「她会忍不住去想双误问题，」Joyce 表示，尤其是越来越多人讨 论时。 After the U.S. Open, Sharapova returned to a longer motion and promptly claimed her first title in 18 months at Tokyo in October. She started 2009 outside the top 100 but finished at No. 14. 去年美网後，莎娃回到较接近旧有的发球动作，随即夺下一年半以 来的首座冠军，最後以年终第十四名结束赛季。 "Finally I wasn't scared to go out and hit the ball," says Sharapova, who did deal with soreness during her comeback when she played a lot. 「我总算不会怕上场打球了，」莎娃表示，复出期间，比赛较多时， 就得处理疼痛的问题。 "You could just see that confidence come back — it was a relief to her," Joyce says. 「可以感觉到她的信心回来了，她就像如释重负一样。」Joyce 说。 Midas touch If Sharapova had to retool the muscle memory on her service motion, her boardroom acumen needed no overhaul. With a business sense as sharp as her down-the-line backhand, Sharapova continues to rake in far more each year than the $13 million in career prize money she has earned. In her abbreviated 2009 season, Sharapova earned $898,619 on the court, but her off-court earnings were consistent 虽然缩水的 2009 赛季中，莎娃在场上只有 $898,619 收入，但 场外收益可不断成长中。 What makes her so potent is her mix of looks, charisma, consistent performance and, so far, impeccable behavior, according to Bob Dorfman, analyst and author of the Sports Marketing Scouting Report. "I call it the three P's — performance, personality and purity," Dorfman says. "She's pretty much at the top in all three." At 22, Sharapova is working on a branding strategy that can outlast her playing days, similar to those successfully employed by retired Michael Jordan and Greg Norman. Instead of shilling her image, she has increasingly sought licensing agreements with her sponsors such as Nike and Tag Heuer that allow her to take a piece of the performance pie. Such deals are "really reserved for the upper echelon of athlete endorsers," says Bob Williams, the chief executive of Burns Entertainment and Sports Marketing, a firm that negotiates endorsements for companies. "The goal is to make the business live beyond her tennis," says Sharapova's longtime IMG agent, Max Eisenbud. 「目标是让这事业可以延展到她不打网球以後，」莎娃长期的 IMG 经纪人 Max Eisenbud 如是说着莎娃目前的品牌策略。 Sharapova is even branching into TV production, forming a company called 30001 Productions (named for the zip code of the Australian Open in Melbourne). Sharapova will executive produce two shows in development, one animated the other an Entourage-like drama whose pilot has been optioned to cable outlet CW. 莎娃甚至还将触角伸到电视制作，成立一个制作单位（还以墨尔本 的邮递区号命名），目前有两个节目正在培养中，其中一个类似大 明星小跟班的戏剧节目会透过 CW 试播。 "It's pretty tough as a 22-year-old to sit here and say, 'One day I'm going to have an empire business,' but I certainly want to keep things moving when I'm done with tennis," Sharapova says."I don't want to just sit on my butt. I'm young, I have many goals, and I want to keep going." 「很难坐在这里说“有天我要有多伟大的事业”，但我的确想要 　在不打球之後继续保持一些事情。但我不打算纸上谈兵，我还 　年轻，有很多目标，我想继续前进。」莎娃说。 On cue, three of her biggest sponsors, Nike, Tag Heuer, and Prince, are launching products tied to her name this month to coincide with the kickoff of her 2010 season. 莎娃最大的三个赞助商，Nike, Tag Heuer, 以及 Prince，这个月 都会推出属於莎娃的系列产品。 Nike, for instance, is preparing to announce a new Maria Sharapova clothing line in Melbourne, including a dress she will debut that was inspired by drawings from the small sketch book she carries with her all over the world. 像是 NIKE 会发表一个新的莎娃衣服系列，包括莎娃会在澳网穿的 战袍，而这件球衣灵感来自莎娃随身携带的素描本。 "She's the whole package, and resonates with that young consumer across the globe," says Chad Haws, general manager for the shoe and apparel behemoth. "Her brand has opened doors for us," says Steve Davis, vice president of global product development for Prince, which has a lifetime contract with Sharapova and is using her in a campaign for its new EXO3 Black racquet. Offers come in all the time, but Sharapova — wary of comparisons to Russian Anna Kournikova, who cashed in on her looks but didn't have the on-court success to back it up — is not afraid to say no. 不同的赞助邀请很多，但莎娃不怕拒绝。 "I know my limit … and I also know what keeps me interested and what makes it fun for me," she says of keeping tennis her top priority. 「我知道自己的限度，我也知道什麽让我感兴趣，」莎娃谈到 要保持网球在最优先位置。 Sharapova's Midas touch is not lost on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. As much as any player, Sharapova drives ticket sales, media coverage and TV ratings for women's tennis. Tournament directors clamor for her in their draws. Producers juggle their schedules to broadcast her in prime time. And the buzz she generates attracts more casual fans to the sport. ESPN officials say she is one of the few players that move the needle "regardless of the score." Indeed, ESPN2's highest-rated tennis telecast was the 2007 Australian Open final, when tennis' other dial-moving diva, Serena Williams, defeated Sharapova in straight sets. "For women's tennis, Maria provides a diverse array of marketing platforms and brand values that drive consumer engagement across our events, along with television ratings, digital media consumption and sponsorship," WTA CEO Stacey Allaster says. Her return to elite status certainly can't hurt the tour, which is in negotiations with title sponsor Sony Ericsson, whose six-year, $88 million deal ends in 2010. (Sharapova also has a separate global sponsor deal with the mobile phone maker.) "Having a branded global superstar that lacks baggage and controversy — as Sharapova does — provides an important story line and marketing buzz for those associated with the Tour," according to David M. Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California Sports Business Institute. （总之，大家都来赚。） Off the court On the personal front, Sharapova is evolving. Always preternaturally mature and unafraid to take charge of her career, Sharapova's once omnipresent (and often controversial) father, Yuri, has faded into the background. He was seldom seen at events in 2009, a trend that started four years ago. 莎娃爸 Yuri 从四年前开始减少参与莎娃的比赛，去年就很少出现 在场边。 "We've been a great team for many years, but there's a life for me, there's another life for you," Sharapova says her father told her after winning the Australian Open. He follows her matches religiously, says Sharapova — an only child — but spends most of his time hiking, skiing and pursuing business interests in Russia. 「我们一直是很好的团队，但我有自己的生活，你也有其他的生活 ，」莎娃说父亲在她赢得澳网後如此告诉她。莎娃说，他还是持续 会追踪自己的比赛，但多数时间他都在爬山、滑雪，还有从事俄罗 斯那边的事业。 Filling some of the void for Sharapova is new romantic interest Sasha Vujacic of Slovenia, who plays guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. They started dating when she returned from Tokyo in the fall following her breakup with Charlie Ebersol, the son of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol. Sasha Vujacic 填补部分私生活的空白，他们去年秋天开始交往。 An apparently smitten Sharapova says a big part of the attraction is their common experience as world-class athletes. 莎娃说，最吸引人的一点是双方身为世界级运动员的共同经验。 "We rarely talk about sports, but it's just an understanding of what we do," she says. "We never have to talk about it. We just know. It's there. It makes it easier and nicer." 「我们不太常聊运动，但就是能了解我们在做什麽。不需要去谈 　，因为就是知道，就是存在着，这让关系更轻松也更好。」 Sharapova won't be taking it easy or nice on the competition. That has always been her forte: laser, deadly, clinical focus. The question is whether she can win more majors and be a dominant player again. Joyce for one is convinced she can. "She finished the year in a pretty good spot, and it looks to me like she could have a pretty good Act II," Joyce says. 回到场上，问题在於莎娃能否找回自己的顶尖状态，Joyce 表示 相当有信心。 Sharapova insists she will as long as her shoulder stays healthy. 莎娃坚信只要保持健康，她可以做到。 "It's definitely not the easiest thing to be watching Grand Slams and to see a few suspect candidates in the later stages of the tournament," says Sharapova, who clearly believes she should be holding the trophy, regardless how fleeting the euphoria is. Observers say this season could reveal where Sharapova will stand in the pecking order. Says ESPN's Pam Shriver: "If she doesn't have a run of supreme confidence in 2010, it will be a concern whether she'll have another run again. It's a huge year for her to show whether she'll be a force in her mid-to-late 20s or not." In that sense, Melbourne's loaded draw will be a litmus test. "A name like Maria's is always good for fans to see in the draw," 2009 U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters says, "and as a competitor you like to play against those players who bring out the best in you." Not since the 2006 Australian Open have the most prolific Grand Slam winners of the last decade — Serena and Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Clijsters and Henin— joined Sharapova at the same major. 竞争激烈的澳网。 "It's going to be a pretty full deck," Sharapova says. Plus, there are paybacks. Sharapova is winless against the Williams sisters in their last six meetings, and her 0-4 stretch against defending Melbourne champion Serena goes back to 2004, the year she deposed the 28-year-old American at Wimbledon. 而且很久没赢大小威。 However, she doesn't expect to be crisscrossing the globe chasing trophies much past 30. 但莎娃并不期待自己超过三十岁还在全球跑的追逐奖盃。 "Not because I don't love the sport," she says. "I think at a certain point, especially as a woman, there are other things to life." 「不是因为我不爱网球，但我想某方面来说，对一个女人而言，生 命中还有其他的事情。」莎娃说。 Sharapova wants to have kids, though she can't replicate her family's recent history. Her mother gave birth to her at 20. 莎娃想有孩子，虽然她无法依循家庭的历史─妈妈在二十岁时就生 下她。 "We're already past that," she laughs. 「已经超过了喔，」她笑说 --

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