There is something disarming about Maria Sharapova. Something at odds with her ready smile and glamorous attire. And that something on Monday lifted her to world number one.
Poised beyond her years, the Siberian-born teenager took just four years as a professional to become ranked the world's best tennis player.
However, that rapid ascent in a fiercely-competitive world in fact began nine years ago with a level of sacrifice few children would be prepared to endure.
Sharapova had not yet celebrated her 10th birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States.
That trip to Florida with her father Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom, but it also required a heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother Yelena who stayed in Siberia because of visa restrictions.
From that young age Sharapova learnt that tennis excellence would only come at a price.
"I was so lonely," she recalls. "I missed my mother terribly. My father was working as much as he could, so he couldn't see me.
"Because I was so young, I used to go to bed at 8 p.m., and they (other tennis pupils) would come in at 11 p.m. and wake me up and tell me to tidy up the room and clean it.
"But it toughened me up, and I learnt how to take care of myself. I never thought about quitting because I knew what I wanted. When you come from nothing and you have nothing, then it makes you very hungry and determined. I would have put up with much more than that to make it."
TOUCHED HEARTS
That toughness runs through the teenager today and was central to her winning Wimbledon last year and to becoming world number one on Monday.
While her journey from the frozen plains of Siberia to the summit of tennis has touched the hearts of tennis fans, for Sharapova there appears no room for sentiment.
The straight looks and answers she gives when asked of her ambitions leaves no doubt there is any question in her mind the sacrifice was worth it.
"I am very, very competitive," is her mantra. "I work hard at what I do. It is my job."
A marketing man's dream, the blonde, six-foot (1.83m) tall Sharapova is a blend of cultures and contradictions.
While she talks baseball-cap American, she proudly parades her Russian nationality.
"I'm Russian. The U.S. is a big part of my life. But I have Russian citizenship. My blood is totally Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me," she says as if any doubt lingers.
Like any number of 18-year-olds she lists fashion, singing and dancing as her hobbies yet devours the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle.
Her penchant for sophisticated evening gowns and glamorous nightlife would appear at odds with her love of pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.
Sharapova can not be pigeon-holed or easily categorised. She is a one-off whose talent, unwavering desire and readiness to sacrifice has lifted her to the top of the world.
Few would deny her the riches she is now reaping. But if her rewards are monetary, her motivation has always been more Corinthian.
"Of course, money is a motivation. Tennis is a business and a sport, but the most important thing is to become number one in the world. That's the dream that kept me going."
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
