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Maria:
From
Russia
with
talent |
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CENTRE
Court
dazzler
Maria's
new-found
wealth
is
a
far
cry
from
her
early
years
in
the
frozen
wastes
of
Siberia. |
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She
was
raised
in
grim
poverty
by
parents
who
made
incredible
sacrifices
for
their
only
child.
Oilfield
worker
dad
Yuri
and
mum
Yelena
noticed
her
special
talent
when
she
was
fiveut
could
not
afford
a
child-size
racket.
Instead
they
bought
an
adult
version
and
cut
it
down
to
size. |
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Maria's
ability
was
first
spotted
by
the
outside
world
at
a
Moscow
tennis
tournament.
Tennis
legend
Martina
Navratilova
hit
balls
with
Maria,
then
sevennd
urged
her
parents
to
take
her
to
America
to
train.
This
seemed
impossibleut
the
family
scraped
together
?00
to
fly
her
to
the
Nick
Bollettieri
Tennis
Academy
in
Florida,
where
she
won
a
scholarship. |
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Maria
said:
"When
you
come
to
a
different
country
when
you're
seven
everything
takes
you
by
surprise."
As
the
years
passed
she
polished
and
improved
her
tennis
skills
...and
yesterday
the
family's
sacrifices
were
rewarded. |
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2.
Roger
Federer |
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Federer
Wins
in
Rout
After
Wimbledon. |
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7/6/04
6:07
PM |
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Roger
Federer
picked
up
where
he
left
off
after
winning
Wimbledon,
routing
Germany's
Tomas
Behrend
6-1,
6-1
Tuesday
in
the
first
round
of
the
clay-court
Swiss
Open.. |
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A
ceremony
was
held
on
center
court
before
the
match
to
honor
the
top-ranked
Swiss
star's
second
straight
Wimbledon
crown.
Federer
joined
in
to
play
a
tune
on
a
traditional
Swiss
alphorn.. |
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"I
came
to
Gstaad
without
any
expectations,"
Federer
said
after
the
match.
"If
I
play
that
well
again
in
the
second
round,
of
course
I'll
be
happy.". |
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Federer
recorded
his
21st
victory
in
his
last
22
matches.
He
has
won
three
titles
during
the
stretch:
Hamburg
and
Halle,
both
in
Germany,
and
Wimbledon. |
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Federer,
who
posted
his
24th
straight
grass-court
victory
in
Sunday's
Grand
Slam
final,
is
making
his
seventh
appearance
in
Gstaad
but
is
still
seeking
his
first
tournament
title
in
his
home
country. |
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3.
... |
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4.
... |
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5.
... |
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Links
:- |
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http://www.tennis.com |
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http://www.wimbledon.org |
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Copyright
?
2004
Nicam
Associated
Press.
All
rights
reserved.
This
material
may
not
be
published,
broadcast,
rewritten,
or
redistributed. |
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