It was a wet and windy Wimbledon with frequent stoppages for rain. In fact, it was depressing till the 17-year-old scantily clad “Siberian Siren” Maria Sharapova trapezed beyond her sexy looks and won the title.

Her performance and nubile beauty overshadowed the great talent of the men’s champion Roger Federer. The Page 3 voyeurs of the tabloids deserted en masse to the sports front page plastered with pictures of Sharapova in action. In 55 years I have not seen a phenomenon like Sharapova.

Her story, which readers must have read a million times, is much more than a Bollywood fantasy. Two glamour girls of the past come to mind. Glamorous Gussie Moran in the early fifties with her lace panties, modest by today’s standards and in recent times, Anna Kournikova.

But they never came close to winning Wimbledon or a Grand Slam title. Overall in looks and performance, Sharapova is unmatched in the history of tennis.

She is a spectacular figure, as she flits about the court like a ballet dancer her blond ponytail splayed in the wind. Sharapova’s high decibel banshee like scream summons the adrenalin when peak effort is required. In contrast Serena’s grunting has a deep ominous depth. In long rallies the final sounded like a musical seesaw.

For Sharapova, difficult times lie ahead

Serena was not her best. An eight-month injury lay off, during which time the restless lighthearted Serena indulged in a host of frivolous activities, like dress designing, acting in movies etc. destroyed her focus.

Getting to Grand Slam winning form requires total focus and it takes a lot of time to get to fine tune to top most form. Sampras was a master at this; otherwise he would never won 14 Grand Slams.

But make no mistake the Williams sisters will be back. Graceful losers, there is still plenty of fuel in their tanks and I am sure their father Richard will put them back on the rails.

Sharapova seems to be destiny’s child.

In the semi-finals, Davenport, Wimbledon champion in 1999, was wiping the floor with Sharapova, leading 6-2, 2-0 when play was stopped due to rain. A dramatic turn around after resumption saw Davenport slump and Sharapova find her range to win 2-6, 7-6, 6-1.

Sharapova’s victory has given the kiss of life to women’s tennis. Interest in women’s tennis was ebbing away. Martina Navratilova’s first-round victory in Wimbledon at 48 years of age was an indicator of the lack of depth in the ladies field. Now, with a new famous star and the awaited comeback of the Williams sisters, the expected return of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters and the good form of Amelie Mauresmo, the competition is going to hot up.

The Russian brigade — eight of whom are in the top 20 are also clamouring at the gates. With Anastasia Myskina winning the French Open, beating Elena Dementieva in the finals; Russian girls have now won two Grand Slams in a row. Both have shown the path to the others. They are all hungry, very strong, focussed and intensely competitive. The success of Sharapova will spur them to even greater effort.

For Sharapova, difficult times lie ahead. At 17 years of age she has to run through the gauntlet of having millions, worldwide fame and the continuous irresistible prodding of merciless sponsors. IMG, who promote her activities, have already got her involved in modelling assignments. Soon her fresh look and innocence will vanish. Apart from this there is great pressure on her to keep winning as sponsorship amounts are linked to performance.

One fervently hopes that Sharapova will not be a one-Slam wonder. The road ahead is very tough and she will need much resolve, the strength to overcome setbacks and not fall prey to money and fame.