Maria Sharapova got beat by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko at the Australian Open. Even though Sharapova’s serve looked better, it was those 65+ unforced errors that did her in. A lot of people were surprised and disappointed by such a weak attempt by Sharapova.

I have been discussing this match with friends on Twitter and Facebook. One friend blamed it on her shoulder injury and claimed that a shoulder injury is not easy to come back from. "Just ask Tommy Haas," he said.

I guess he has a point but my concern is that Sharapova might has just given up reaching any greater thresholds in the sport. .She recently signed a 70 million dollar clothing deal with Nike and is now considered the richest female athlete in the world, ousting Serena from the coveted position. 

What does this have to do with her ability to play tennis? I think everything because where is the incentive to succeed, to push herself forward.  If she stopped playing now, she would be well off enough for it not to matter or have any major impact on her life financially.

I think what we witnessed at this year's Australian Open was a different Sharapova from what we remember. Gone is the fire that fueled her serves and focused eyes of 2008. Her lackluster performance was a clear indication of a waning competitive spirit while her business savviness continues to thrive.

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Just when you thought you've heard everything. . .. .

I found out that during the first round match between American Donald Young and Belgian Christophe Rochus, a ball boy had an accident which delayed the match for about 40 minutes. I'm not talking about tripping or throwing a ball to the wrong player kind of accident. Instead the poor guy pissed himself.

According to Young:

"The ball kid peed on himself. It was unfortunate.

"It took a while to replace him. Then they had to put the sawdust down, or whatever you put down when somebody throws up.

"Then they had to use the blower (to dry the court) but the blower had no
gas in it, so that took even more time."

I feel sorry for the poor kid. He probably drank  too much PowerAde and didn't listen to when tournament officials went over what to do in case of a restroom emergency. This will probably be the most embarrassing moment of his life.

Fans at the Australian Open -- the first of the year's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments -- found an interesting way to poke fun at Tiger's recent marital woes.

During the match on Court 6 at Melbourne Park in which Martin Damm and Filip Polasek defeated the Australian duo of Marinko Matosevic and Bernard Tomic, fans displayed signs that read "I've been with Tiger" and a held a photo-shopped poster of a pimped-out Tiger.

The poster shows Tiger in a large purple hat with a sceptor in his hand instead of a golf club, a gaudy diamond bracelet, and money sticking out of his pocket.

Apparently, Tiger has entered a sex rehab.

Recently, Roger Federer said he was relucant to discuss his homboy's situation and said, ""I'm not going to talk about his personal life but I wish him all the best getting back, hopefully on the golf course, resolving his problems, and see how he goes."

We have all heard about how strict and demanding Caroline Wozniacki's father can be. Well, apparently he is threatening to sue an author for an unauthorized biography , "Miss Sunshine," of his daughter. 

The book heavily criticizes Piotr Wozniacki as being a hard-driving, pushy father to Caroline, having pressured her into a life of intense work on the tennis court.

It also asserts that many sources close to the family expressed their concern for Caroline’s well-being due to her father’s tough agenda.

Caroline Wozniacki denied she was pressured into her career by her father and said she had no plans to read the book.

‘I don’t know the guy who wrote it and I haven’t personally contributed to it, so there’s not much to say about it,’ she said.

Wha do you guys think of Wozniacki's father and his control over his daughter? Do you think he does more harm than good?