Maria Sharapova - a star of women's tennis

With less than a month to go until the start of this year’s Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship, it’s time to take a look at some of the players in contention for the most famous prize in tennis.

Roger Federer is the clear favourite to retain the men’s’ title, with some bookmakers offering odds of 1-2 on another victorious campaign for the Swiss champion. The ladies’ event on the other hand is still very much up for grabs. In fact, this year the ladies’ championship could be a more attractive spectacle than the traditionally dominant male event. So who are the main contenders in ladies’ tennis?

The current world number one is Amelie Mauresmo from France. She won the Australian open in 2006, and reached the Wimbledon Doubles final last year. Although her busy tennis schedule doesn’t give her much time to relax, she doesn’t waste what time she has. Amelie enjoys skiing, riding horses and listening to the music of Dido. She was also the first ever French woman to become world number one in September 2004.

World number two, Kim Clijsters, comes from a sporting family. Her father was a footballer, and was Belgium’s 1988 Player of the Year. Like Mauresmo, Kim enjoys playing sports and skiing in her free time, and her groups are Bon Jovi and Destiny’s Child. The highlights of her career include winning the US Open in 2005.

One of the most glamorous players is world number four Maria Sharapova. The Russian player began tennis at the age of four and then moved to the USA when she was nine. One of her main interests off the court is fashion; she joined IMG Models, a modelling company, in September 2003.

Another Russian, Nadia Petrova, occupies third spot. She also comes from a sporting family - both her parents are athletics coaches. This aggressive player is sure to move up the rankings in 2006.

One player who is possibly less likely to win but is always well-received at Wimbledon is Venus Williams. With her sister Serena, Venus has become one of the most famous players in modern tennis. She won the Wimbledon Singles title in 2000, 2001 and 2005, and the Wimbledon doubles, playing with her sister, in 2000 and 2002. Currently 13th in the world rankings, some think she may be past her best.

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GLOSSARY 詞匯表 (收聽發音, 請單擊英語單詞) 

in contention 爭奪	retain 保持, 保留
bookmakers 以賭賽馬為生的人, 以賭賽馬為主的賭場	odds 賭注與付款的差額..., 幾率
up for grabs 獲取, 爭取	attractive spectacle 吸引人的精彩場面
main contenders 主要競爭者, 有實力的運動員	current 目前的
waste 浪費	highlights 巔峰
career 事業	glamorous 迷人的；富有魅力的...
off the court 球場外	occupies third spot 位居世界第三
athletics coaches 體育教練	aggressive 主動進取的
rankings 排行	well received 深受歡迎的, 受好評的