The new No.1 on the WTA Tour ranking Lindsay Davenport had to withdraw from the Swisscom Challenge players list. At midnight the tournament director Beat Ritschard was notified that Davenport was not coming to Zurich this time. Another setback for the tournament while another favourite Serena Williams also had to withdraw a few hours earlier with an ongoing knee-injury.

“I am very disappointed having to withdraw from the Swisscom Challenge”, Davenport stated through the WTA Communication Staff, “the tournament and the fans in Zurich were always very good to me”. The 28-year-old Davenport, who won the tournament three time (1997, 1998 and 2001) was defeated in Moscow’s semifinal on Saturday by Anastasia Myskina, who also won the title on Sunday. Davenport is heading home with a severe cold.

“Surely I am very disappointed”, said Ritschard, “ but I am not angry about Davenport’s decision, I don’t doubt her statement. The times that players kept on playing half-ill are over”. Due to the withdrawals of both Americans Swiss Patty Schnyder is moving up in the ranks taking the 10th seed. The 2002 title winner Schnyder will be meeting the 1994 title winner Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria. “Maybe this will be the tournament of the Swiss players”, Beat Ritschard added looking at the bright side of the last events.

With next year-retiring Lindsay Davenport out of the tournament one of the new generation of tennis players is making her debut. Russian Maria Sharapova will be playing the Swisscom Challenge for the first time in her career. The 17-year-old Wimbledon champion won her last two tournaments in Asia before coming back to Europe.

“I can’t walk the streets in Asia, I am more popular in Asia than in Europe, people just don’t believe you visit their country. Maybe I am so popular in Asia because of my blond hair, everybody else’s hair is dark over there. But also in Europe things have changed after winning Wimbledon. People just want to meet me and you have to be careful whom you meet, not everybody wants to meet me for the right reasons. I also have to be more careful with the things I do. But I am still a normal person although I can get into restaurants easier than before”, Sharapova said about the aftermath of Wimbledon.

With fame comes the chance to make money for sponsors who see a chance selling their product with a little help; showing a famous face. Sharapova recently signed a deal with Motorola and is making sure she can call her mom the next time when she wins Wimbledon. Her attempt to notify her mom that she won her first Grand Slam failed because her phone didn’t work. “The believed in me and now I am having a mobile phone that works all the time”, said Sharapova doing a bit of sponsor work on the spot. “I don’t see my mom that much and I like to talk to her on the phone”.

“Next year I will have my own perfume line, with the smell that I like. I am also involved with making the product. I tell them what I like, the smell, the colour and the shape of the bottle, so I am always involved in the process”.

All the things happening after Wimbledon does not distract Sharapova from what she wants to do. “Tennis is the thing that I do and love, I still practice five hours a day. I still have a drive to play tennis, I always hated to practice but I love the competition. I am improving since Wimbledon, it is a slow process and you know that it is impossible to win just every match. But I won my last two tournaments so I feel good.”

It was the first time that the 17-year-old played 3 tournaments in a row in Asia; they had put that on the schedule last year. She will be playing the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt next year, “I am only 17 years old,” she said about not playing the European tournaments.

Sharapova always brings her father to the tournaments, “One of the most important things to have is my dad on the tour with me. With me its always good to know that there is someone by your side, specially when you are 17-years-old. I always want to spent time with my parents. When I am in my hotel room I can do home school, sit down and do my homework. I also like to stay in one of my homes. Bradenton being my first home, second Los Angeles and I also practice in Spain, also last week.”

Yesterday Sharapova was talking to Martina Hingis, who is doing a job as intermediary between players, sponsors and press at the Swisscom Challenge for the first time, she told Maria all the good places to go to in Zurich. This is Sharapova’s first visit to Switzerland. “It’s good to have a person like Martina around”, she said about the meeting.

Looking towards the future Sharapova said: “My main goal is to become Nr.1 and win Grand Slams. At junior tournaments and in the top 10 of the ITF I thought I might be good enough to compete at top level. I never expected that I would be successful so soon; I didn’t expect to win Wimbledon so soon. But if my goals don’t happen it’s ok, the main thing is to be happy”.