Updates...
Maria Esther keeps herself pretty busy.
Here are a few of her recent assignments and some photos: -
Birthday Celebration,
11 October 2007
It
was Maria Esther’s birthday on the 11th October and she was surprised
by all the staff at her club in São Paulo,
Sociedade Harmonia de Tênis, with three birthday cakes a
beautiful bouquet of red roses.
“I was told there was a fax for me in the supervisor’s
office,” she said.
“When I opened the door, there they all were –
everyone from the gardeners to the pros, the waiters
and pool guys, in fact the entire club staff, all
singing Happy Birthday to me! The only one missing was the
chef who was cooking lunch... I was so astonished and touched, I burst
into tears! It was really so nice of them all!”
Maria Esther
Bueno (top left) shows off her birthday roses and cuts the cake (top right)
watched by former tour pro Nico Mattar and brother Pedro...
...The whole group poses
for posterity (left) and a relaxed portrait of Pedro with his sister.
BRAZILIAN
WOMEN, 15 September 2007
Maria Esther appears in a beautiful coffee table book
published recently by AB editora & cultura of São Paulo
entitled ‘Mulheres do Brasil (Brazilian Women)’.
It covers how the role women in society has grown in Brazil
over the last decades to the point where they now shine on stages, in
laboratories, running big corporations, even to piloting a war aircraft. In
fact, women already account for more than 40% of the world’s workforce.
Recognizing that women face a series
of difficulties in the corporate world, Dow Brasil,
sponsors of the book, give men and women equal work opportunities.
Interestingly, the company has a goal to have women present in 30% of its
leadership roles by 2012.
The book ‘Brazilian Women’ portrays
the histories of 25 so-called famous working women.
With text by
Patrícia
Villalba in both Portuguese and English and plenty
of photographs, it makes fascinating reading, although unfortunately it does
show Maria Esther serving left-handed!
In the Preface, Pedro Suarez,
President of Dow Latin America, says: “Who would be able to divide oneself
between a just-born son and one of the world’s most modern astronomic
observatories? A woman, Thaísa
Storchi-Bergmann, astrophysicist
,
astronomer and mother of three sons.
“What can be said about Valeria De
Marco academic career, of one who has gone to public schools, started college at
17, and holds today a PhD by USP and is a reference as one of the most brilliant
scholars of José
de Alencar?
“And who else but Maria Esther
Bueno would be able to create a brilliant career in tennis,
with more than 600 titles?
“These women fight,
inspire us all, today and ever.”
For more details, visit
Antonio Bellini Editora .
STUNNING STARS WIN IN
NEW YORK,
12 September, 2007
Maria
Esther looks back after the second week
of the US Open: -
“It was an amazing performance by both
Roger [Federer] and Justine [Henin], winning in
New York.
I really admired the way they both played, dominating their opponents and
producing their best tennis when it really mattered.
And what a talent Novak
Djokovic is!
I think he found the occasion pretty
tough on Sunday and just couldn’t convert those set points, double-faulting
several times, which goes to show that it isn’t easy to put Roger away in a big
match like that.
It was all about pressure and who
could deal with it the best.
I was interested to see how Roger
found his way past the young Serb to win his 12th
Grand Slam. He didn’t have any answers for a while there and was really lucky to
win that first set. Then he began to dictate more and, like the great champion
he is, came up with something special when he was threatened.
I’m sure it is going to be a lot
tougher the next time these two meet.
Justine too deserves credit for a
great tournament. She not only managed to beat both the two sisters, Serena and
Venus [Williams], but also won the title – something no-one has done before.
Both the matches against the Williams sisters were highly competitive matches
and full of drama.
It
was just a pity the final against [Svetlana] Kuznetsova was not of the same
quality but then again, I think the Russian found the occasion a bit
too much, although, of course, she did win
here herself in 2004 and so we
expected more from her.
As usual the Open was a huge success.
We had beautiful weather for the full two weeks without any rain and
attendance was over 700,000, breaking the record and making it the biggest
sporting event in the world. The USTA also puts on a great
show - Lisa Minnelli was the star turn before the men's final and was great!
I personally had a lot of fun working
with the TV Globo/Sport TV team and we had plenty of laughs. We all put in some
pretty long hours but I understand it was all well received back in Brazil
so we should all be pretty happy for a job well done.
It
was also fun to catch up with some old friends at the Final 8 Club cocktail
party (see the pictures taken by Bev Raws), like
Wendy Turnbull and
Anne Smith
to name but a few.
..
And so the last Grand Slam of the year
is over and we all get to travel to points across the world, until it all starts
again next year in Australia.
For now, we look forward to the Davis
Cup and the build-up to the year-ending championships on the men’s and women’s
tours.
That’s the great thing about tennis –
there is always something going on somewhere… Let's
enjoy!”
For full results and details on the US Open >
Click Here .
BREAKING BARRIERS IN
NEW YORK,
1 September 2007
Maria
says: -
"Now
I am in New York
for the US Open and it is the middle weekend and things are beginning to hot up.
On Monday evening the USTA held a special ceremony
commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Althea Gibson’s first singles title at the
1957 US National Championships themed “Breaking Barriers”.
Althea died a few years ago and it was a pity she couldn’t
see everyone honouring her.
It was also an opening night tribute to a host of
African-American women who have broken barriers in the world of sports,
entertainment, science, politics and the arts, pioneers like Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, astronaut Dr Mae Jemison and Aretha Franklyn
and others.
The very impressive list of high achievers included the
Chief of Police of Detroit, a billionaire and the first senator, who were
presented on court in front of a sell-out crowd.
Then
there was a unique programme of back-to-back singles matches featuring Serena
Williams, the first African-American woman to win the Open since Althea in 1999,
followed by her sister Venus, the first African-American woman to win
Wimbledon since Althea that same year.
All
week we have been hearing about Althea and her achievements. She had such a huge
influence on so many people, it is amazing. Check out the section on the US Open
website >
Althea Gibson
for more on all this.
I feel proud to have played a small part in her life as her
partner at Wimbledon in 1958. It was funny
because I had lost my singles and we were going on for our doubles match when
she told me to get a grip because she was not going to lose the
ladies doubles championships!
It was quite a lesson for me and we did go on the win that year, my first Wimbledon title!
So far the women’s matches here have been rather one-sided
and the seeds are only now beginning to be pressed by the opposition. It should
get more interesting from here on in.
Actually, it has all been a bit routine until the James Blake
/ Fabrice Santoro match on Wednesday night which finally set alight Arthur Ashe
Stadium and was full of drama, going the full distance into the early hours of
the morning. This is what New Yorkers love!
Then yesterday we had a great battle between Novak Djokovic
and Radek Stepanek on Armstrong that seem to last all day.
It took 4 hours and 44 minutes and came down to the final
set tiebreak and you couldn’t get an extra body onto that court to watch these
two fight it out if you had wanted to. There were huge lines outside hoping to
get in to see the match, which was played in a wonderful spirit of sportsmanship
that is a credit to both players.
Djokovic is certainly one to watch and is a real threat to
both Federer and Nadal.
As
always at the Grand Slams, conditions are improving and this year there have
been enormous changes to the player areas, particularly the locker rooms and
lounge.
The organisers are always trying to make things better for
the public, players and media so the experience improves all the time. The USTA
is being rewarded with record attendance.
There are a lot of new faces around too and I am busy each
day doing the live transmission back to Brazil for TV Globo and Sport TV.
It’s very different to playing, or being a spectator, and I have to make sure I
am up to speed on what is going on, doing research into the players who are on
court and picking up on newsworthy items.
It is keeping me on my toes!"
After the Pan American Games,
August
2007
Maria
sums up her thoughts in the Games: -
"The
Pan American Games was quite an experience.
The weather, unfortunately, was at its worst for the full
two weeks and the courts got soaked day after day so it was a real struggle to
prepare them for the matches.
The conditions were difficult for the players, some who had
to play two or three matches a day to complete the schedule.
Somehow Flavio Saretta from Brazil won the gold medal. He was in
huge trouble against the Argentine Eduardo Schwank in the semi final, going two
match points down and scrapping his way to win the tiebreak. His opponent
collapsed after that!
He did the same in the final against Adrian Garcia from
Chile, who
couldn’t close out the match either. The final was moved indoors to complete and
had no spectators whatsoever, which was a great pity as the surroundings were a
bit sad.
It’s rather a coincidence that the same thing happened four
years ago when Fernando Meligeni came back against Marcello Rios to take the
gold.
The two weeks in
Rio was
hard work and the level of tennis was rather low compared to the pro tours,
which we’re more used to, but I think it was a good experience for everyone
involved."
At the Pan American Games,
26 July 2007
Maria has
been in Rio de Janeiro covering the Pan American Games for TV Globo and Sport
TV.
With 42 countries from the Americas participating over 16
days, the Pan is a regional edition of the Olympics and although many top
athletes are not competing in their sports, it is a good training ground for
aspiring young sports men and women.
Full details can be found on
the official Rio 2007 website.
The tennis event was restricted to 48 men and 32 women
singles players and held at the
Clube Marapendi where Maria has been watching with interest: -
“This
has been quite an experience for me as I have had no involvement with the Pan
American Games since 1963 when I won the singles gold medal in Sâo Paulo. Then
of course, I was playing and now, here in Rio, I am seeing things from a quite
different perspective as a television commentator.
“I have been very privileged to spend time
with many of the VIPs, including Mario Vazquez Ranã, President of ODEPA
[the Pan American Sports Organisation or La Organización Deportiva Panamericana].
We watched some of the tennis together.
“The women’s tennis events have been
completed and, as expected, Milagros Sequera, the top seed from Venezuela who is
ranked 49 on the WTA Tour, won the gold medal in the singles, while the
Argentine pair of Jorgelina Cravero and Betina Jozami took the doubles gold.
“Brazil
won the bronze medal in the doubles when Joanna Cortez and Teliena Pereira beat
the Americans Audra Cohen and Megan Falcon in the third place play-off. They
saved three set points and then won the next 11 games and the crowd went wild,
even doing the Mexican wave!
“The event is being played on clay courts
and the awful rain we had last week hasn’t helped the playing conditions at
Marapendi. It’s a credit to the ground staff that the courts are playable at all
but they are still soft and slippery.
“So far the Brazilian men are still in
contention with Flavio Saretta and Marcos Daniel reaching the quarters. Saretta,
who is now ranked 139 on the men’s tour, is the top seed, while Daniel is seeded
four and is in the same half of the draw. We also have Thiago Alves who is the
third seed but he is a round behind in the lower half of the draw.
“It
hasn’t been easy for the players as the weather has been so bad. Apart from the
rain delays, it has been very windy and they have had to play two matches a day
to try to catch up the schedule, which is never easy. It got so bad, the Pan
flame went out in the cauldron at the Maracanã Stadium and they had to relight
it overnight.
“It’s been hard for the spectators too, to
wait for the events to get going. I had fun signing tennis balls and hitting
them up into the stands for them one evening.
“I’ve been amazed at how many people ask for
my autograph here, even young people from other sports far away from tennis! To
find such interest in me by the people of Rio, I’m really touched by their
friendly reaction.
“As for the Pan, I think it‘s a pity that
some of the better players have opted to stay away when countries like Mexico,
Colombia and Venezuela fielded their top players. The standard in the tennis
could have been so much better in both the men’s and women’s events.
“Many say that tennis shouldn’t be in the
Olympics at all but the fact is it helps the sport develop around the world
because it ensures that funding received from the IOC is directed towards the
growth of tennis.
“The Pan is important too because it gives
players a taste of competing in an Olympic-style event and, believe me, it is
quite a different experience to playing on the tour or at a Grand Slam. All the
events are treated the same so imagine tennis being played along the same lines
as track-and-field or volleyball!
“If a player is serious about winning an
Olympic gold medal, then they have to know how to cope with these types of
conditions. Tennis players are so well looked after these days wherever they
play around the world that they have come to expect certain things. These things
are not around at an event like this and maybe that’s not such a bad thing, once
in a while.
“Brazil
is eager to demonstrate it can host a large international event like this well
and I think on the whole the organising committee here in Rio has done a great
job. So much is involved, from providing sports venues up to international
standards to housing and security.”
There’ll be more from Maria after the
completion of the games.
A FINE WIMBLEDON IN THE END, 9 July 2007
Maria continued her live daily news reports to
TV Globo and her Blog as
‘Wimbledon by Maria Esther’ last week.
Here she wraps-up her thoughts on another spectacular
fortnight at SW19…
“It really is amazing how Wimbledon could
manage to finish on time after two weeks of horrible weather. It got quite
controversial as some players had matches lasting for days and others had a week
off but in the end the final weekend saw the sun and some great tennis.
“I was honoured to be a guest in the Royal Box for ladies
finals day and was surrounded by friends, legends like [Bjorn] Borg, Billie Jean
[King] and Martina [Navratilova] and other past champions.
“Sandra Reynolds from South Africa was there too, my
opponent in the 1960 final, so we had a chance to catch up a bit, which was
nice.
“I also talked to the Duke of Kent
and Prince Michael and
saw lots of international friends from around the world.
“Sitting there, watching Venus win, felt rather strange,
not in terms of the tennis but because she was never really in contention at the
start of The Championships, let alone Marion Bartoli who came from no-where.
“The French woman was very ill earlier in the year and
played only two events before Wimbledon – Birmingham and Eastbourne – so it is
quite something that she got to the final, playing really well.
“Venus spoke to me after most of her matches
and told me she was taking it all very seriously. She found her form when she
beat Sharapova in the quarters, returning unbelievable well.
“Once we got to the final itself there was never really any
doubt though, mostly because of Venus’ desire to win. It can’t have been easy to
play someone as unconventional as Bartoli who wasn’t supposed to be there so
that was added pressure, but both players handled the occasion very well in their
own ways.
“I was surprised at Bartoli and what a character she is.
She was very amusing and the crowd loved her for it. She also put up a credible
fight but it was Venus’ time again.
“On Sunday we had the dream men’s final with [Roger]
Federer against [Rafael] Nadal but it wasn’t a great classic, other than the
historic significance of the match for Roger – to win 5 times and equal Borg’s
incredible record. They played some magnificent points and also made some
horrible errors but, fittingly, it went to five sets of real drama.
“I’m really pleased Federer won because he is the
best player around on the grass but I’m sure Raffa will win at Wimbledon one day
soon bec
ause he wants to be the best. It’s nice to see such commitment, particularly
as grass is not his best surface. He has always said he wants to win Wimbledon.
“It’s been wonderful to be back at Wimbledon again, even if
the weather was poor and there was no roof on centre court.
“Sitting there, watching, I remember every
single moment I spent out there on that court. It’s like a movie in my head,
reliving all the situations
I faced and enjoying those when I won.
“It seems like only yesterday!”
Looking back over the first week of
Wimbledon, 30 June 2007
Maria
has been filing a live daily report on the behind-the-scenes news to
TV Globo as well as doing her
Blog as
‘Wimbledon by Maria Esther’.
We caught up with her today to give us some of the
highlights.
“The star of the week has been the weather,
always posing the question – will there be play or won’t there? There is nothing
worse than a tournament with no tennis so we keep hoping for play but today we
only had about an hour’s play, which is a shame for the crowds.
“No matter what the weather, Wimbledon still
has full capacity every day with plenty more standing in line outside.
“It’s also very unique because players like
to stay nearby rather than in hotels in town. About 200 beautiful homes are
available for rent costing between £400 to £8,000 a week and we know that
Federer, Nadal, Mauresmo, Navratilova and Billie Jean King take advantage of
this, and lots of others.
“It gives them a chance to relax and do
their own thing.
“Nadal has fellow Spaniards Feliciano Lopez
and Albert Costa staying with him and he loves to cook so he baked a cake for
Costa on Monday because it was his birthday. His father has a restaurant and
Raffa thinks he is a great chef specialising in pasta and fish!
“Security has been a big feature here,
particularly after the discovery of two car bombs in London that, thankfully,
did not detonate.
“Strangely, defending champion Amélie
Mauresmo was stopped taking her bike into the grounds when Martina Navratilova
was allowed to ride her’s in. Perhaps this is something to do with the number of
titles you have won and I might qualify?
“It is quite surprising what some players
get up to when it is raining. We know some play cards or computer games, listen
to music or read books but Vince Spadea spends his time writing Rap music and he
has written a special one for Andy Roddick which he tested out on a pretty girl
in one of the sales kiosks.
“John McEnroe and Boris Becker are off to
Wembley tomorrow for the Princes’ Concert in memory of their mother, Princess
Diana. Mac is a rock musician, married to the lead singer of a rock group, but
apparently will not be performing. He and Boris are introducing a band from
Hollywood called Orson.
“There have been no real surprises as yet in
the tennis with the favourites doing enough to win through to the second week.
“We need the weather to improve so the best
players can play the better players in good conditions. The roofless centre
court is windier and brighter than usual and we want to see some exciting
matches in the sun.
“One thing that has struck me is how well
the French players, and there are many of them – both men and women – play on
the grass. They all seem to be able to serve and volley well.
“At Queen’s Mahut came through to be beaten
by Roddick in the final after having match points, then played through three
rounds of qualifying and made it through to the second round before losing to
Gasquet.
“Now another newcomer worth watching is
coming through the draw, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who looks like a young Mohammed Ali.
He is in the last 16 and now he plays the French number one, Richard Gasquet.”
Any predictions? “Not yet!”
WIMBLEDON BLOG, 23 June 2007
As
part of her duties for TV Globo and Sport TV, Maria will be producing her own
Blog on the TV Globo website.
This will be in Portuguese but some of her
thoughts will be reflected here on this website over the coming fortnight at
Wimbledon.
For starters, she has been explaining to
Brazilian fans all about the intricacies of Wimbledon.
“Wimbledon is the most traditional
tournament in the world and yet it is also the most innovative,” Maria says on
her Wimbledon Blog.
“The club was the first Grand Slam to accept
professionals and amateurs in 1968 and while it has no on-court sponsorship, it
is probably the most commercially run of all the tournaments.
“By 2009 the Centre Court will have a
retractable roof so play can continue when it rains and we all know it always
rains at Wimbledon!
“Building work has been going on for a
couple of years but you would never know it when it comes to The Championships
as there is hardly any sign of the changes.
“It will be a very different Centre Court
this year though as it has no roof at all. I took a look today and spectators,
even those in the Royal Box, will have to have hats or umbrellas to fend off the
weather. We are all hoping for the hats!
“This year they are introducing Hawkeye onto
Centre and No 1 courts with big screens that will make it look quite different.
“This is the line-calling system that has
been so successful elsewhere on the pro tours. Players can query the line calls
and a computerised system replays the flight of the ball onto the screens in the
stadium.
“Spectators love it and it has improved the
line-calling because players are embarrassed to get it wrong and umpires don’t
have to over-rule anymore.
“It has been used at Wimbledon as a
television aid for the past few years but this year the players will have the
right to 3 incorrect calls as opposed to 2 at other events. This is because the
serve is so important on the grass. If a player gets it right, he gets to keep
his calls. When they reach a tie-break, they get an extra call.
“The idea is to keep everyone honest but,
interestingly, at the Davis Cup final last year players had unlimited challenges
that prompted very few challenges so there is an argument for having no
restriction on the number of incorrect calls a player can make.
“The build-up to Wimbledon is always so
exciting. You only have to look at players like Federer and Nadal with their
sights on the title.
“Nadal has always recognised that Wimbledon
is the most important tournament in the world and although he is clay court
player, he has been working on his
grass
court game since the beginning.
“So many players try to say Wimbledon
doesn’t matter, the grass is for cows and so on. How wrong they are. A Wimbledon
title puts you up there with the best for ever.
“As for the women, this is the first time
Wimbledon is offering equal prize money with the men and the debate will
continue on that. Some compare the number of sets played and the difference in
standard but really it is about men and women being treated equally on all
stages.”
FULLY RECOVERED, 1 June 2007
Maria
had her left hip reviewed in April and is now well on the road to full recovery.
The procedure was necessary due to the
gradual deterioration of the original hip replacement that was done in 1991.
“Despite the fact that replacing a
replacement is always a more difficult operation, it all went very well,” said
Maria.
“I was on crutches for 6 weeks but now I am
walking pretty normally without any aids and it’s amazing!”
Maria is gearing herself up to go back to
work at Wimbledon for TV Globo, and hopes to start hitting tennis balls again
soon.
“It’s a good incentive for me to get well,”
she said. “First it is Wimbledon, then I am off to the Pan American Games being
held in Rio de Janeiro from 14th July, and on to the US Open in
August.
“I’m going to take it very easy when I do
get back onto court as I really want be fully recovered and to build up my
strength without putting too much pressure on the new hip. It is really a
miracle to be pain free and walking well. Playing again will be an added blessing!”
BRASIL OPEN AT COSTA DO SAUIPE, February 2007
Maria
spent five days at Costa do Sauipe in the north of Brazil, co-hosting with the organisers various events
over lunch and dinner, including lots of TV celebrities and singing groups as
well as politicians and other personalities who attended the ATP Tour event
there.
She also conducted a clinic for guests of
the organisers, Octagon Koch Tavares, plus a further exclusive clinic for six
lucky winners of a Sport TV competition draw who also received a special kit
including a towel, shirt, cap and other goodies in a beautiful promotional
sports bag.
“In the end we let in more people as so many
turned up just to watch,” said Maria. “It was amazing!”
Alongside these activities, Maria spent
many hours in the commentary box helping to provide Sport TV’s extensive
coverage of the tournament with a healthy dose of her unique insight and humour
into the game.
On the final day she had to sprint down
from the box onto court for the prize-giving to the eventual winner, wild card
Guillermo Canas after he upset top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6 (4) 6-2 to win
his first tournament since returning from a 15-month doping ban and securing his
first title since 2004 in Shanghai.
"I'm really happy to win this first title
after my return," said Canas, the 29-year-old Argentine afterwards. "The match
was really close with both of us playing very well. I played better the key
points of the match to win this final.”
Canas resumed his playing career unranked
in September and won five challenger tournaments in South America to get his
ranking up to just outside 100, warranting his wild card entry to the main tour.
“It’s a real credit to his tenacity that
Guillermo was willing to fight his way through the smaller events to
re-establish himself on the tour,” commented Maria. “I’m sure he will do well as
he feels he has a lot to prove and make up for.”
FUN PIX,
January 2007
We are indebted to
photographer Art Seitz who has sent in the following great images of Maria from
his extensive library for exclusive use on this website: -
Any ideas when and where these were taken?
To contact Art Seitz, please
email
ASeitz2690@aol.com
TENNIS ON THE BEACH,
December 2006
Maria
spent several days in
Rio de Janeiro
for the Copa Petrobras, the $75,000 ATP Tour Challenger
tournament that is the culmination of the South American men’s summer circuit.
She was
kept pretty busy both on and off the court
entertaining a host of
sponsors by the
organisers Octagon Koch Tavares, including guests of Petrobras and TAM, the
Brazilian airline, but also found the time to hit with Younes El Aynaoui from
Morocco who also joined in her Sportv Clinic.
The event
takes place in a magnificent temporary stadium built on the famous Copacabana
Beach and is a sell-out.
This
year Guillermo Canas beat local hero Flávio Saretta in the final, which was
covered by Sportv. Maria had to switch roles on completion of the match when she
ditched her headphones to help pre
sent
the prizes on court.
During her
stay, Maria also recorded several ‘specials’ for Sportv and TV Globo, including
features for the forthcoming Pan American Games which are being staged in Rio de
Janeiro in July.
She also
supported and promoted Petrobras' community programme when she visited a group
of local kids at one of Rio's infamous favelas.
A BLOSSOMING TV COMMENTATING CAREER,
December 2006
Maria has been honing her
commentating skills on Sportv, TV Globo’s
sports channel that is aired in
Brazil
via cable and satellite.
In November she featured as
colour commentator for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai when Roger Federer won
his third ATP year-end final title in four years with a 6-0 6-3 6-4 victory over
James Blake.
She was back in action In
early December for the Davis Cup final when Russia beat Argentina in Moscow to
win the trophy for the second time in the 105 years of the competition.
“I’m enjoying the
challenge,” Maria says. “I try to give viewers some insight into the background
of the players, the event and the setting rather than a point by point account
of the match. After all, they can see what is happening on the screen, can't
they?”
She must be doing something
right as, according to TV Globo feedback,
viewing figures spike when she is on air, and so talks are under way about
extending her commitment through 2007.
ARTICLE IN FORTY FIVER MAGAZINE
The
autumn edition of Forty Fiver, the official magazine of the 45-Club, carries a
unique interview with Maria by Henry Wancke.
To read it, click on the link >
Maria Bueno - Still a champion
US OPEN GALLERY
Click on the link
for some fun pictures of Maria at the US Open >
US Open Photo Gallery
BUSY AT THE US OPEN,
September 2006
Maria
was on hand at the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s ‘Vive el Tenis!’ exhibit
at the US Open Gallery to sign autographs yesterday and the line extended well
out across the public concourse near Armstrong Stadium.
“I was
really surprised,” said Maria. “I saw this line there and thought they were
heading for the exhibition and then realised they all were waiting for me!”
Maria is
having a busy US Open. She is doing colour commentary for the Brazilian station
TV Globo all this week and
helping to promote
The Silver Tennis Collection, a unique collection of tennis themed jewellery
and memorabilia, which is on display for sale at the
USTA Tennis & Education Foundation stand located on the public concourse
near court 11 throughout the US Open being held in New York.
The USTA
T&EF is a not-for-profit entity that is dedicated to improving the quality of
life among the nation’s youth and encouraging children to pursue their goals and
highest dreams by succeeding in school and becoming responsible citizens.
Through
its collaboration with The Silver Tennis Collection, funding is being raised to
provide support for organisations that use tennis as a vehicle to help
youngsters finish high school and qualify for college scholarships.
“It’s
a worthy cause,” says Maria. “Besides which, I really like the jewellery.”
These days
Maria is sporting a stunning miniature black rice pearl necklace with a silver
tennis court pendant and a white round pearl bracelet interlaced with solid
silver tennis balls while conducting her activities at the US Open.
HONOURED IN THE ROYAL BOX AT WIMBLEDON ON SUPER SATURDAY, July 2006
Maria
was honoured as one of the “superstars of the women’s game” in the Royal Box
before the start of play on the middle Saturday of Wimbledon, alongside Margaret
Court, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, who between them
have amassed a staggering 202 Grand Slam titles.
The five players - who have won 67 titles at Wimbledon between
them - were each presented with an inscribed Waterford Crystal Lismore bowl by
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester.
"It came as a great surprise to me," said
Maria. "To be acknowledged together with Martina, Steffi, Margaret and Billie
made it very special and then to watch Andre Agassi's final match at Wimbledon
made for a pretty historic occasion! I was the first and had to walk down the
Royal Box steps to the Duchess and I had to make sure I didn't fall!"
A CLINIC AT AMIDA, BECKENHAM, June 2006
Maria
appeared at the Amida Racquets & Fitness Spa in Beckenham on 14 June, 2006,
demonstrating what a trooper she still is.
Three months earlier she fell down some stairs in Sâo
Paolo and dislocated her shoulder but managed to rehabilitate herself
sufficiently to produce an impeccable demonstration of her on-court skills for
the assembled group.
After a couple of hours on court the group was treated to
lunch with Maria and a talk about her life and experiences. She also showed them
some of her famous dresses.
Click here to see Maria in action
on court at Amida
AWARDED THE GOLDEN RACKET IN ROME, May 2006
Maria
was invited to Rome during the ATP Tour Master Series tournament held In May
2006 to receive the prestigious Raccheta D'Oro Award.
The award was presented to her on the Saturday night at a
special dinner by Lino Cascioli, President of the Racquetta D'Oro, and Nicola
Pietrangeli who is Honorary President of the Club. The following day she was introduced to the
spectators at the Foro Italico as the award recipient before the men's final.
Earlier that weekend she also received a special award from
the Mayor of Rome in the form of a ring shaped like the Coliseum by the Deputy
Mayor, Maria Pia Garavaglia, at the Campidoglio (Town Hall pictured left).
"I felt truly honoured," says Maria. "To be recognised on the
stage where I won my very first big tournament brought back wonderful memories."
SAUIPE BRAZILIAN OPEN, February 2006
Maria
attended the Brazilian
Open, Costa do Sauipe, again and had a lot of fun with the local
characters...
She also gave several demonstrations at her clinics and was on
court together with Guillermo Vilas for the prize giving presentation to winner
Nicolas Massu from Chile.
A SCARY HIT!
Early this year Maria was flown out by helicopter to one of
the largest off-shore oil rigs at Aracajú in Sergipe
where she had hit and was shown around the facility.
She had lunch with some VIPs and the crew,
and found the whole excursion fascinating.
"It was very scary playing in the middle of the ocean with no
boundaries," she said. "Now I know how Agassi and Federer must have felt playing
on that helipad on the top of that hotel in
Dubai last year! Even the helicopter ride was scary!"
A HIT WITH MARTINA HINGIS, December 2005
On
the 10 December, 2005, Maria found herself having
a
hit with Martina Hingis in front of a capacity crowd on Copacabana Beach and
thoroughly enjoying the impromptu challenge.
Maria was in Rio de Janeiro to conduct clinics for the event
sponsors while Martina was there to play Anna Kournikova in an evening
exhibition match.
When Anna was forced to retire after a whitewash
first set because of blisters on her hand, Martina invited
Maria out of the stands to help entertain the spectators.
(Photos by
Netscape Sports - Photo Search)
GROUP CLINICS FOR THE KIDS
Kids of all ages love her!
Can you pick Maria out in this group?
Its just one of the many groups of youngsters that she has helped introduce
to the game in her home town of Sâo Paolo and all around Brazil.
SAUIPE BRAZILIAN OPEN,
February 2005
Here on the left she is explaining the finer points of the game to some of
the many VIPs who attended the
Brazilian Open, Costa
do Sauipe
in February.
When she wasn't on court conducting teaching clinics she could be found
giving a series of media interviews.
There's a video of Maria hitting on the website, click on the link >
Maria Esther Jogo...
125
YEARS OF BECKENHAM GRASS, June 2004
On Saturday 19th June, 2004, Maria helped
Beckenham
Lawn Tennis Club celebrate 125 years of grass court tennis on the famous
Foxgrove Road courts.
Beckenham holds a very special place in Maria's heart and she has been an
honorary member there for over 15 years. She even has her own lounge, named in her honour!
The 100 year old listed tennis pavilion was thoughtfully restored by a group
of dedicated tennis members, officially re-opening in 2003 and including the
Maria Bueno Lounge which is full of interesting memorabilia relating to
Beckenham's glory days.
This year Maria presented the prizes to the winners of the club tournament.
Here she is pictured with triple crown winner Brett McLennan, the club pro
who won the singles, doubles and mixed.
AWARDS
Maria (photographed left Joan Chandler) was inducted
into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in October 2004 at the 25th
anniversary of the Annual Salute to Women in Sports Award Dinner held at the
Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Some of the best female athletes in the
world were presented in the Grand March during the gala event, and awards were
given out for their significant contributions to the development of women’s
sports, raising more than $1 million to help advance the lives of girls and
women through sports and physical activity.
Attended by over 1,400 corporate and
individual benefactors, the benefit featured some 80 Olympic and champion female
athletes representing over 35 amateur and professional sports.
Photographed on the right are IWSHF
inductees Nancy Hogshead-Makar (Swimming), Beverly Kearney (Track & Field Coach)
and Maria with Wilma Rudolph Courage Award winner jockey Julie Krone and
Sportswoman of the Year Misty May (Beach Volleyball) at the press conference on
Monday, October 18 2004 (Photo by CAFoell)
Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the
Women’s
Sports Foundation is a charitable educational organisation seeking to
advance the well-being and leadership skills of girls and women through sports
and fitness.
The Website of Maria Bueno, Tennis Champion
