The Russian went into the French Open ranked first - as result of Henin's retirement - but was overtaken by Ivanovic, who left Roland Garros with her first Grand Slam title in hand.

Sharapova, who was knocked out by fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the fourth round at Roland Garros earlier this month, has decided not to play any warm-up grass-tournaments ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.

"I wanted to change things a little bit; sometimes your year becomes a routine, and I wanted to change pace," the 2004 champion told reporters this week at a school close to Wimbledon.

"I feel I needed a break from the road, and to recharge my batteries."

Sharapova won the first Major of the year at the Australian Open in January, and although the French Open remained the only Major missing from her collection, she did not dwell on the disappointment of losing on clay.

"It hurt for a few hours, but once I got on the plane, it was pretty much gone. Some losses take longer than others, but if it's meant to be, it's meant to be," Sharapova said.

"Within 24 hours of losing at Paris, I was at home in my coffee-shop looking through a cookbook and wondering what I was going to cook for dinner, so I have a very normal life outside of this tennis-world."

LOSING TOP RANKING

The 21-year-old took the top spot in the world-rankings after Belgium's Justine Henin announced her retirement last month, but on Monday she slipped to third place behind French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic.

Sharapova said she welcomed the emergence of her two Serbian rivals, and looked forward to facing them at Wimbledon.

"I think every professional athlete welcomes challenges. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, and that's what drives me to beat the better players," she said.

Sharapova was confident about her chances at the All-England Club, despite having just one week of practice on grass.

"My chances are just as good as everybody's. There are only a few chances you are going to be given, especially against tough opponents and tough players."

Last year, Sharapova's game was dogged by a shoulder-injury, and she claimed just one WTA title: at San Diego.

Her every skip and sashay can make the front cover of a magazine, while her arrival at a major tournament is greeted with the popping of flashbulbs as the world's photographers try to capture her latest outfit.

To remain fit enough to challenge for Major titles, yet lithe enough at 6'2" and 9st 4lbs to whip the photographers into a frenzy, must take the sort of work and dedication that would make most of us cry.

So to use and abuse Shakespeare with reckless abandon: Upon what meat doth this, our Maria, feed, that she has grown so great?

Fast food. Not all the time, but Sharapova admits to the occasional visit to the burger-bar and "having a bite of everything – I'm terrible."

As for long work-outs in the gym, that is not exactly her style either. "I'm not that type of girl who's going to be super-muscular or win with the great muscles of mine," she admits, with a giggle.

Sharapova, then, is the sort of celebrity that most women would loathe on sight – she looks great, she plays brilliantly, she is absolutely loaded, and she can eat what she likes.

To top it all off, Sharapova is great company. Sharp, unwilling to suffer fools gladly, and game for a laugh, she is not your run-of-the-mill celeb or sports-star. There is more to Maria than forehands and backhands, and far less of the drama-queen than seems possible for one so famous.

She knows her place in the pecking-order – and she loves it – but she is still down to earth and able, at times, to poke fun at the ludicrous world in which she lives.

Even though she is still only 21, Sharapova feels that she is already on her second career. Most of last year was spent nursing a shoulder-injury that stubbornly refused to go away. Living on pain-killers and playing to a fraction of her potential, it was a miserable time.

Then, over the Christmas-break, the pain subsided, and she could play and train as she pleased. So she did and, forsaking the gym (hardly a sacrifice), she hit balls on the practice-court for hour upon hour. The result was the Australian Open title, which she won without dropping a set. Refreshed and revitalised, she now feels as if she has been given a second chance.

"Last year was probably one of the toughest times in my career," she said. "I came back stronger and mentally stronger, and I just felt great about myself. In a way, after I won Australia, I said like it was my success the second time around. What I meant was: it was like a fresh breath of air; after having that slump, I was able to come back.

"In the future, that gives me confidence that no matter what happens, I can come back and be stronger. I'm fortunate that I was able to have this little slump and have the experience of it, and know that I was able to come back. So, in a way, I feel that I'm a veteran."

She kept herself sane during the lean periods by spending time with her close-knit group of friends and family, and recovered by hitting with the "young boys".

By the time the season started, Sharapova was back to her ferocious best. She added two more titles to her Australian crown before her momentum was halted by the European claycourt-season – on surface on which Sharapova admits she "moves like a cow on ice".

A calf-strain did little for her French Open preparations, but with a couple of weeks of rest and practice, she is now ready for grass, where she feels at home, while the theatre of playing on Centre Court still sends a tingle down her spine.

"When you just get on it, the first feelings on grass are great because it's so soft," she said. "I don't know why I feel like that – I love the first few practices on grass.

The 2004 champion has always looked good on grass, and last year she fell victim of a bad draw when she was dumped out by an inspired Venus Williams in the fourth round.

She has a 30:3 record this year - winning the Australian Open and the Tier I Doha event - and two of her defeats have come on her least-favourite surface of clay.

The Russian superstar started the 2008 season in the same spectacular fashion that she ended her 2007 campaign - winning a third career Major title with her first Australian Open triumph.

But she has experience of lifting the Rosewater Dish, and the hurt of loss to the bludgeoning Safina - and with it her top ranking - will undoubtedly spur her on.

There is more to her life than pouting under the arc-lights and having a spectacular party in New York this year to celebrate turning 21; Sharapova is just as interested in being at home in Manhattan Beach in California, serving up afternoon-tea or home-made mint-lemonade to her friends ("I get the lemons from the farmers' market on Tuesdays").

"It's strange for my friends when they see me on TV and in magazines, because the person that they see doing interviews and pictures on the red carpet is not the person that they know," said Sharapova: a between-tournaments wannabe domestic goddess. "The person that my friends know is much more low key than the person that everyone else sees. I'm a very low-key person. I don't need many things. I don't need glamour and attention to be happy. I'm very happy being settled, and working my butt off and trying to win Grand Slams. I want my tennis to speak for everything."

When the gangly, 17-year-old Sharapova beat Serena Williams on Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2004 to win the Venus Rosewater Dish, she immediately became an international brand. And so the received wisdom about Sharapova is that her life is measured out in photo-shoots, parties and premières. Yet Sharapova, the reigning Australian Open champion, does not consider her life to be one of unbridled glamour. Nor does she want it to be. She turned down a cameo-rôle on the television-show Desperate Housewives, on the not-unreasonable grounds that she isn't desperate and isn't a wife.

"The worst thing about my life is not being able to see my friends and family for a long period. Living from hotel to hotel, it's sometimes a nightmare. There have been numerous times when I've woken up in a hotel-room and I've forgotten which city I'm in. So I'll be phoning people at 2am to ask which city I'm in," said Sharapova, wearing a baby-blue dress, and with her fingernails painted a vampish dark colour.

"A lot of people think my job is very glamorous. Don't get me wrong: when you're successful, there are lots of amazing things you can get to do. But there's a lot of work that you have to put in to get there, when you have to grind, and there are times when there are parties I can't go to because I'm an athlete, and you have to be professional. Those are the sacrifices that you have to make."

Dealing with her fame doesn't always come easily. "I still find my celebrity weird - it's always weird, you know, when I see my image on the cover of a magazine. That's very, very strange. I remember: for a while, I had been getting a lot of praise from people, but I never felt as though I deserved it until I had won Grand Slams [sic] and held the world No.1 ranking. And then I thought, 'Okay, all that talk, I understand it now'. But before then, it was just random.

"I do get star-struck myself. I remember meeting Michael Jordan one time at the airport. He came up to me and asked me if I was 'that tennis-player'. I was so nervous that I could hardly speak. I said, 'Uh, yeah, I play tennis'. He's a great athlete and an inspiration, and a really nice person as well."

Sharapova is sufficiently self-aware to appreciate that she is not everyone's cup of tea. That much was obvious during this summer's French Open, when a crowd of hostile Parisians booed and whistled her off the court.

"But I can't really control that," she said. "The person that they see is through television, or through interviews or pictures, so the majority of the people looking at me from the comfort of their home aren't having a conversation with me or getting to know me. So that's normal.

"People are always going to have opinions, and you're never going to make everyone happy. That's fine with me. As much as I try not to have opinions about people, you do, because that's human nature.

"The best thing about my life is that I've had the opportunity to do many more things that I wouldn't have done if I was just in school or something. I absolutely love that, because if it was just 'tennis, tennis, tennis,' I would get mad. I've met some amazing people, and been a part of some great projects, and taken care of my family and my grandparents financially."

Sharapova has kept the same tight unit of friends. "I have only four or five good friends - one I've known since I was nine or ten. It's tough just to meet people and become really good friends with them. My friends sometimes think I'm a bit dorky. If I drop something, it's like, 'Yup, very typical of me.' At times, I'm clumsy.

"I love making fun of myself. I do it all the time. I was doing that in the restaurant the other night," she said, and the very thought of mocking herself made her collapse into laughter again.

Returning to south-west London gives Sharapova more of a buzz than the shopaholic's rush of buying a new handbag. "When I get into the Wimbledon village, it's always so quaint," she said. "Wimbledon has a great tradition, and it's good to be part of that, and I've been fortunate in that I have been part of the Wimbledon-tradition and the history, by getting my name on that plate - and my goal is to hold it a few more times.

Nick's Thoughts:

Former champion Maria Sharapova insists she enjoys the challenge of the "new generation" of tennis-stars.

Sharapova, 21, is seeded third for Wimbledon, despite not playing since the French Open, having missed the DFS Classic in Birmingham through injury.

Her potential quarter-final opponent could be Dementieva, Davenport, or how about Safina? Sharapova had Safina on the ropes at Roland Garros, but let her back in the match, and Safina came back to beat her. If Sharapova gets a lead like that again, don't expect the same results.

The 21-year-old told BBC London 94.9: "I feel like I won it so long ago. I really want to relive that moment again - it's such a thrill winning.

"It came so unexpectedly, and it's been years now, and I'm so looking forward to hopefully getting the chance of holding up that trophy again."

"It's crazy it's been that long. I can't wait to relive that moment," the US-based Russian said.

Sharapova felt she had changed a lot since 2004. "I think I've become a smarter, more experienced player... I'm more aware of what's going on. I'm physically a lot stronger," she said.

But she added that just because her game suited the grass, it did not mean another win would come easily.

"There are a lot of big competitors in the draw - different types of players," she said.

Sharapova returned to Florida to get away from tennis after Roland Garros, and said she had benefited from "giving mind and body a rest."

"I'm going with the traditional shorts, believe it or not," said Sharapova, the 2004 champion.

"I've never worn shorts at a Grand Slam [sic]. I'm gonna be débuting that. Call it menswear, obviously. It's kind of like a tuxedo-look, very simple lines, classic."

For Wimbledon, where the dress-code is strictly enforced, she's decided on a radical change from the stylish dresses that have been her trademark at Major events.

The two pin-ups of the women's tour, with four Major titles between them, and lengthy multi-million-dollar endorsement-lists, are seeded to meet in what - for sponsors, fans and the British tabloids - would be the dream-final.

But Ivanovic - the new world number-one and French Open champion - and Sharapova - the 2004 winner here - insist they will not get carried away by the hype over the next two weeks at the All-England Club.

Both are focused on graft, not glamour.

"Just because my game suits grass, or just because I feel comfortable on it, doesn't mean that a win is going to come easy," said Sharapova.

"There are a lot of big competitors in the draw - different types of players."

Whoever triumphs will find their bank-balance swelling even further.

Ivanovic has earned just over five million dollars in her career so far - a figure dwarfed by the Russian's $12 million.

When Sharapova won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, her bank-account swelled virtually overnight and, with an estimated $23 million in off-court earnings alone, she is comfortably the world's richest sportswoman.

A Sharapova v Ivanovic final would also provide a fascinating contrast in personalities between Ivanovic with her permanently sunny optimism, and Sharapova's steely determination.

Both have an ingrained competitive streak forged from the harshness of their childhoods.

Sharapova famously left her mother behind in Russia to make the grade in Florida, while Ivanovic practised tennis in an abandoned swimming-pool during lulls in the NATO bombing of Belgrade before leaving for Germany.

Sharapova, who beat Ivanovic in the Australian Open final in January for her third Major title, has not returned to a Wimbledon-final since her 2004 triumph over Serena Williams.

She was a semi-finalist in 2005 and 2006, and a fourth-round loser to eventual champion Venus Williams last year.

The No.3 seed, Sharapova will be looking to make this her 20th Tour-title. Holding the 2004 title, there's no reason why the Russian can't do it again.

Third seed Maria Sharapova shrugged off a minor second-set downturn to claim a 6-1 6-4 victory over Stéphanie Foretz in the first round at Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old took the first set in 26 minutes, as Foretz struggled to match the 2004 champion's power.

Foretz played far better in the second, but the result was never in doubt, as Sharapova sealed it after 75 minutes.

First-round win pleases Sharapova [CEEFAX 495]

Fashion-star Maria Sharapova was pleased with the way she played in her 6-1 6-4 victory over Stéphanie Foretz.

"It was my first match on grass this year, so I did pretty well. I still have some things to work on, though, and it will get tougher with every round."

As for her tuxedo-inspired T-shirt and shots, she said: "I've been very inspired by menswear this year.

Maria Sharapova wasted little time in sealing her passage into the second round with a dominant display against France's Stéphanie Foretz.

The former champion overpowered the world No.105 as she blitzed through the first set 6-1 in just 27 minutes.

Foretz put up more of a fight in the second set, but Sharapova was simply too good as she eased to a 6-4 win and set up a meeting with Alla Kudryavtseva.

Sharapova happy with win [Teletext 499]

Maria Sharapova admitted she was happy to come through her first match on grass this year after her victory over Stéphanie Foretz in the opening round.

The third-seeded Russian, who claimed the title in 2004, did not compete in a warm-up tournament before Wimbledon.

Sharapova's outfit threatened to be the biggest talking point of the No.1-Court clash as she eased through a totally one-sided opening set, but Foretz found her feet in the second set, and Sharapova had to work a bit harder to seal a 6-1 6-4 victory.

Initially, Sharapova prospered against an apprehensive opponent, who had won just two matches in seven previous appearances at Wimbledon. The Russian broke serve at the first opportunity, and coasted into a 3-0 lead.

But even at that stage, Foretz, who was wearing tinted glasses, was prepared to punish the Sharapova second serve, although her own delivery too often left itself open for thumping returns, and the opening set was over in 27 minutes.

Foretz did better by prolonging the rallies in the second set, when Sharapova did not respond in the expected fashion by coming forward in a bid to shorten them. So Foretz edged herself more and more into the match, but without managing to make much impression on the score.

Sharapova held off that renewed challenge to break for a 5-2 lead after a lengthy game of four deuces, and a routine-victory seemed to be just minutes away.

But Foretz, spectacles glinting in the sun, started hitting deeper and harder, and Sharapova's bid to wrap up the match was foiled as the Frenchwoman closed the gap to 5-4.

"I love how ten of the questions are about what I'm wearing," she smiled. "It's amazing. Every time I get asked about it, it still amazes me."

Oh, all right then. So, for the record, she was of course pleased with her start to the Championships.

"It was definitely good, considering I didn't have a warm-up tournament like I usually do," she said. "My main goal was just to get a feel for the grass as fast as I could, and get the job done." That was exactly what she did on No.1 Court – and she did it wearing a waistcoat-and-shorts ensemble, with the waistcoat-part just a touch translucent.

"I do usually test-wear clothing for one practice, but I do it seven months or so ahead, because the process takes quite a long time," she disclosed. "It's pretty far in advance. I mean, I already know what I'm wearing in 2009.

"I love tuxedo-jackets and menswear in general: a bit baggier and wider. I loved when the whole wide-legged-pant trend set in. I didn't wear my pants on court today, but they're very wide-legged and high-waisted. You can't go wrong with that trend. I'm tall, and I can pull those things off. It was fun to do because there's only so much you can do with white. So I thought, 'Why not do shorts this year?' I've never done it at a Grand Slam, and if there's one place to do it, it's here."

So, as a dedicated follower of fashion, what did Sharapova make of the white double-breasted raincoat worn by Serena Williams, and the cream cardigan sported by Roger Federer in their opening matches yesterday? Alas, the number three seed had not seen the raincoat. But she judged the cardigan "classic and beautiful".

"I think the attention paid to what we're wearing is great," said Sharapova. "Tennis is not a sport where you have to wear uniforms. I can have a voice in what I like, what I don't like, my inspirations, the colours I feel like wearing. I've loved fashion since I was very young. I've loved creating things. I loved working with thread and needles, making things."

She enthused at great length about the inventiveness of her clothing-supplier Nike, although she was prepared to admit that there are bumps along the way.

"Numerous times – tons of times – they've brought in a concept to show me where I shook my head," she conceded.

Anything else we need to talk about? Ah yes. The football. Russia are in the semi-finals of Euro 2008, and Sharapova is thrilled.

"I'm so proud," she said happily. "It was nerve-wracking in the quarter-final against Holland when it was tied with five minutes left. I thought we'd had it. But we're brave. We're strong. We work hard at what we do. Good things happen."

The 2004 winner and third seed, playing her first competitive match on grass this year, took full advantage of some error-strewn hitting from Foretz, who is ranked outside the top 100.

Sharapova, 21, broke twice in the opening set, and although the bespectacled Foretz proved more resilient in the next - breaking her opponent for the only time - the Russian sauntered to victory without ever producing her best tennis.

The 2004 Wimbledon-champion broke Foretz's serve four times, and had little difficulty in her first match on grass this season.

Much was made of what the 21-year-old Russian player was wearing when she walked onto Court 1, which she described as a tuxedo-inspired coat and shorts.

Sharapova wore a belted tuxedo warmup-jacket onto Court 1, along with a sheer bib-style blouse and - for the first time at a Grand Slam event - shorts. Of secondary interest: she beat qualifier Stéphanie Foretz 6-1 6-4.

The 21-year-old Russian said she wanted to do something classy for Wimbledon, so she decided to step up a gear in the tennis fashion-parade when appearing on court for the first time in 2008. "It's the tuxedo-look. I was very inspired by menswear this year, and every time at Wimbledon, I want to do something classy and elegant," she said after seeing off French qualifier Stéphanie Foretz 6-1 6-4.

"This year, I said, 'Why don't we do shorts?' and I have never worn shorts before at a Grand Slam. There is a place to do it and that's Wimbledon," the former Wimbledon-champion told BBC Television right after stepping off court.

At a sun-kissed Wimbledon on Monday, Serena Williams took to the court wearing a white raincoat. On a gloriously hot afternoon, defending champion Roger Federer opted for a white cardigan after two years sporting a white blazer.

Sharapova missed seeing Williams' raincoat, but loved Federer's cardigan. "I thought that was classic. It was beautiful," she told reporters.

Her post-match press-conference was dominated by questions about fashion. Sharapova, relaxed and laughing, was happy to answer them all.

"I love how ten of the questions are about what we are wearing. It's amazing," she said.

Working within Wimbledon's strict dress-code is a challenge she relishes. "You know, it's hard to do things different with white — there's only so much you can do," she said.

Sharapova was clearly relieved to have got her first match out of the way at the tournament where she became an instant overnight sensation with her win as a teenager: the first of her three Major wins.

"It was great to get out there and get a feel for Court Number One. It was my first match on grass this year, so I did pretty well considering," she said.

Her possible semi-final opponent, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, stepped on court dressed to impress in a stylish white tuxedo complete with shorts. The third seed's performance on court, though, was an understated yet assured 6-1 6-4 win over France's Stéphanie Foretz.

After the fashion faux pas caused by Serena Williams and Roger Federer on Monday, when the American turned up on a scorching day wearing a raincoat while the men's top seed opted for a heavy cardigan, Sharapova showed that she had at least dressed for the occasion.

"I was very inspired by menswear this year, and every time at Wimbledon, I want to do something classy and elegant," Sharapova said after completing a regulation-victory.

The 21-year-old, who won this event in 2004, is trying to get her season back on track after a disappointing fourth-round loss at the French Open.

"It was great to get out there and get a feel for Court 1, and get my first match on grass out of the way," Sharapova said. "As much as you want to win the match, you also want to get out there and work on some things."

"I love menswear in general," Sharapova said Tuesday after beating French qualifier Stéphanie Foretz 6-1 6-4 in the first round. "I love tuxedo-jackets."

The 2004 champion played the match in a sleeveless top with a tuxedo-style bib-front. She strode onto Court One sporting a single-breasted jacket with gold stitching on the collar-lapel and front edge, which she hung on her chair.

Sharapova also wore shorts — the first time the 6-foot-2 player has done so in a Grand Slam tournament. But not just any old shorts: ones worn low on the hip with a wide-tailored waistband, pinstripe-effect and gold-stitched buttons.

"It's hard to do things different with white," Sharapova said, referring to Wimbledon's strict dress-code. "I thought, 'Why not do shorts this year?' I've never done it at a Grand Slam. You know, if there's one place to do it, it's here."

Sharapova didn't wear the other half of her tailored, tuxedo-inspired warmup suit: wide-legged pants.

"I love things that are actually a bit baggier and wide," she said. "I loved it when that whole wide-legged-pant trend set in. I'm tall, and I can pull those things off."

If Serena Williams can wear a short raincoat on court when there is not a cloud in sight, as she did on Monday, why shouldn't Sharapova wear men's clothes? Even if Williams described hers as "ladylike".

The 21-year-old Russian's outfit was inspired by "London's history in bespoke tailoring," according to her clothing-sponsor. It may have been inspired by a man's suit, but she made the seamless, lightweight vest look feminine. Perhaps the $5,000 Tiffany diamond-and-platinum dangly earrings helped.

While Federer played up to Wimbledon's old-style traditions by donning a herringbone-patterned cardigan on Monday, Sharapova's take on the classic tuxedo caused more of a stir.

Her post-match news conference was dominated by questions about her outfit, to the extent that she remarked it was "amazing".

She thought Federer's gold-trim cardigan was "classic and beautiful." And Serena's raincoat? "I didn't see it," Sharapova said.

What does she think of all the attention being paid to players' clothes?

"I think it's great," she said. "I mean, look, tennis is not a sport where you have to wear uniforms. It's an individual sport. I've loved fashion since I was very young. I loved working with thread and needles, making things on my own."

Sharapova also revealed that because of retail-demands, she already knows what she's wearing in the autumn of 2009. But when asked what she will wear next year at Wimbledon, she laughed.

The glamorous 2004 winner - the world's most photographed sportswoman - took to the court in a chiffon top that her sponsors Nike said had a "tuxedo bib-front", teamed with a pair of men's shorts.

Dressed to kill, the Florida-based Russian wasted little time in ending French opponent Stéphanie Foretz's involvement with an untroubled 6-1 6-4 victory.

Sharapova, seeded three, will face fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva in the second round.

Still only 21, Sharapova is looking to add a second Wimbledon-crown to the Australian Open title she won in January.

"It was my first match on grass this year, so I did pretty well considering it was my first one," Sharapova said.

The "tuxedo bib-fronted" chiffon top and men's shorts that Sharapova wore on Tuesday made it 15/Love to the Russian in the fashion-stakes, which this year seem to be almost as keenly contested as the chase for titles at the All-England Club.

"I love menswear in general. You know, I love tuxedo-jackets," Sharapova said after easing past French opponent Stéphanie Foretz 6-1 6-4 with, frankly, her clothes impressing more than her tennis.

"It was fun doing it because, you know, it's hard to do things different with white. You know, there's only so much you could do.

"I thought, 'Why not do shorts this year?' I've never done it at a Grand Slam. If there's one place to do it, it's here."

Sharapova, who at 21 is already the world's most photographed sportswoman, had a tough act to follow at these championships after reigning champion Roger Federer set the ball rolling by donning a cream-and-gold cardigan in his opener.

As Sharapova said, "I love how ten of the questions are about what we're wearing. It's amazing."

The marriage of fashion and tennis is not a new phenomenon. They have gone hand-in-racket since the 1920s, when Coco Chanel sketched her outfits for the tennis-court, consisting of jersey-pants, and simple but elegant dresses.

But Sharapova said the growing trend of clothing-sponsors creating one-off, eye-catching outfits was deadly serious - and essential to raise the profile of tennis in a viciously-competitive sports-market.

"We have to realise that in this world, tennis is sort of small compared to soccer and compared to American football in the States," she said.

The 21-year-old took the first set in 26 minutes, as Foretz struggled to match the 2004 champion's power.

Foretz played far better in the second, but the result was never in doubt, as Sharapova sealed it after 75 minutes.

Sharapova's encounter with Foretz had looked to be heading for a swift conclusion after a totally one-sided opening set.

Foretz, the best part of a foot shorter than her 6ft 2in opponent, showed occasional fine touches at the net, but could do little about the stream of winners that flowed from Sharapova's racquet.

But having finally adjusted to the pace and intensity of the encounter, Foretz showed far more of her ability in the second set.

Some unforced errors crept into Sharapova's game, culminating in her losing serve for the first time to allow Foretz to close to 4-3 behind.

Any hopes of an upset were soon ended though, as Sharapova - sporting shorts and a tuxedo-style shirt - finally put an end to Foretz's brave challenge.

"It was great to get out there and get a feel for the court," Sharapova told BBC Sport.

"It was my first match on grass this year, so I did pretty well. I still have some things to work on, though, and it will get tougher and tougher with every round."

As for her latest contribution to the Wimbledon fashion-parade, she said: "I've been very inspired by menswear this year.

Today, the third-seeded Sharapova spread a different sort of scent across Court 1 at Wimbledon. Playing with the potency of smelling salts, Sharapova administered a 6-1 6-4 pounding to French qualifier Stéphanie Foretz.

Sharapova surrendered serve only once in raising her Wimbledon record to 24:4.

The 2004 Wimbledon-champion cruised through the opening set in 27 minutes as the 105th-ranked Foretz missed the mark on her groundstrokes, strewing errors around the court, and struggling to cope with the Siberian-born Sharapova's power-game.

Two former champions in action, No.3 seed Maria Sharapova and No.25 seed Lindsay Davenport, moved through in much different fashion. Sharapova clubbed qualifier Stéphanie Foretz 6-1 6-4, her only struggles coming late in the match with Foretz closing the gap from 2-5 to 4-5; Davenport dropped the second set, but rebounded in the third for a 6-3 5-7 6-3 win over Renata Vorácová.

But perhaps we can leave all that for a moment. To paraphrase the title of Lance Armstrong's autobiography, it's not about the clothing. It's about the tennis, and Sharapova's game looked in fairly robust shape in the course of a sporadically testing first-round match on No.1 Court.

Her opponent, Stéphanie Foretz, is a 27-year-old French journeyperson who has never made it beyond the quarter-finals of a Tour-event, and whose recent history consists largely of failed attempts to qualify for proper tournaments. She made it into Wimbledon, though, and her brave Gallic heart must have sunk when she heard about the draw.

Nothing in the form-book suggested that Foretz would be any more threat to Sharapova than a road-bump en route to the press-conference. That was the way that it looked in the opening set, when descriptive notes resembled the station-log at Peckham CID.

The 2004 champion slaughtered Foretz's feeble serve, murdered her groundstrokes, and beat up her occasional lobs. Sharapova captured the first set 6-1 in less than half an hour, and at the changeover, her diminutive opponent looked more in need of a comforting hug than an energy-drink and a bite of banana.

But Foretz's eight-year trophyless career has a defining characteristic, and that is persistence. So she tore into the second set with undiminished self-belief and a modified game-plan. "If that blasted blonde is going to treat my serve with contempt," she had presumably reasoned, "I'm going to treat hers the same."

The beauty of this approach - which is far from original - is that the more oomph the Florida-based Russian put into her opening deliveries, the harder they came back at her. Rallies started to develop in which Foretz's compact form displayed great agility and speed across the ground, and Sharapova was often stretched into the far corners of the court.

The vocal French contingent in the crowd began to make their feelings felt, and when Sharapova was broken when serving for the match, there was just a hint of an upset in the offing.

Affronted, Sharapova served out at the next available opportunity. She will play better against a better opponent. The clothes? The tuxedo is not - repeat not - a tuxedo, despite its wearer having described it as such. It is a waist-belted jacket with wide lapels, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Kudryavtseva had some tough draws in 2007, losing to Sharapova in the third round of Roland Garros and to the 2007 champion, Venus Williams, in the first round of Wimbledon.

But this time, she is one round on, and faces the 2004 Wimbledon-champion, Sharapova, once again. The No.3 seed stormed through her first match against Stéphanie Foretz, winning 6-1 6-4, and with the gleam of the Wimbledon-trophy in her eye, the Russian star is as determined as ever.

Sharapova, 21, was way off colour on Court One, losing 2-6 4-6 to record her worst Wimbledon-performance.

The 20-year-old Kudryavtseva, ranked 154th in the world, has never won a WTA tournament, and is now in the third round at Wimbledon for the first time.

"I did expect to win," she said. "I did think about winning, not just going and playing. Beating her is a big deal for me: the best day of my tennis-life.

"I think what helped is last year's match with Venus Williams [in the first round of Wimbledon last year].

"I guess it wasn't my day," she said. "Alla just did everything better than I did. She played much better.

"She had nothing to lose, and I was just pretty tentative.

The world No.154 put in a nerveless display, and broke a below-par Sharapova twice on her way to claiming the first set 6-2 with some assured play.

The 2004 champion, seeded third, suffered a shock exit on Court One, losing 6-2 6-4 to the world No.154.

While Ðokovic's departure could be classed as explosive, Sharapova's went out with a whimper. Although the victory was celebrated jubilantly by Kudryavtseva, it was her higher-ranked compatriot who engineered her own downfall.

Sharapova committed eight double faults - three of them in one game in the first set - served poorly throughout, and never managed to get her forehand working effectively. Meanwhile, all Kudryavtseva had to do was play steadily, throw in the occasional inspired shot, and she was home and dry for the biggest win of her career.

The tougher things got for Sharapova, the louder the notorious shriek accompanying her shots grew. But tennis-matches are not won by shrieks, rather by solid play, and in this respect Sharapova came up short.

The third seed, who was widely expected to enjoy an undemanding afternoon, was never at the races. A break down early on, she went on to lose the first set in 32 minutes.

No need for the alarm-bells yet, surely. The 2004 champion has fought back from such situations before. But she remains clearly handicapped by problems with her shoulder, which reduce her serving-speed to a near-laughable level at times. Add to that a wonky forehand, and the potential for disaster is big.

The first real alarm-bells rang when Kudryavtseva - wallopping away and enjoying the odd spot of good fortune in the way of bad bounces - broke for a 4-2 second-set lead with a scorching crosscourt forehand.

Defiantly, Sharapova broke right back, and then levelled at 4-4 in the shakiest game imaginable. Down 15/40, she appeared to have dropped her serve, only to be saved by a Hawk-Eye ruling that a ball called out against her was in fact just in. Service was held in rousing style with an ace, but by now, saving the match was looking a tough proposition.

The 2004 champion elaborated in her post-match press-conference: "She played much better, she hit the ball harder, served and returned better. I guess it just wasn't my day.

"On grass, those are important elements. Once you don't have a lot on the ball, your opponent can take advantage. She went for her shots; I was pretty tentative. Obviously, she had nothing to lose."

And those with nothing to lose, she felt, were often the most dangerous people to face.

Although she won the Australian Open in January, Sharapova struggled towards the end of 2007 with problems in the shoulder of her serving-arm, and things have clearly not been right in that department this year, either.

Sharapova admitted that the match whizzed past a little too quickly for her to analyse so soon afterwards. "I'll have to look at a tape of it to see what really went on. But my first thoughts when I went off court were that I wasn't playing my game; I was letting her take control of the majority of the points."

And was she disappointed? "There is only one winner in a tournament and everybody else is disappointed, so I'm one of them."

Disapppointed, yes. But downhearted? No. "The number-one thing is not to be discouraged by losses or negative things. You have to find a way to keep your head up, even though it's pretty tough, because you put the effort in and dedicate yourself every single day to being a better player and a better professional.

"I'm experienced enough to know that life goes on, and there are lots worse things in life than losing a tennis-match, even if it's at Wimbledon, and even if it means a lot to me.

Sharapova created headlines when she debuted her new look at the Championships: a shorts-suit with tuxedo-style sheer top.

But it was the world's 154th ranked player who will be making the headlines tomorrow after her spectacular 6-2 6-4 win.

Kudryavtseva, who lost to Sharapova at the 2007 French Open, said one of her motivations to win had been a dislike of Sharapova's outfit and the domination of fashion in the news over tennis.

"I don't like her outfit," Kudryavtseva said. "I liked her outfit at the French Open, so probably that's why. It's a little too much of everything - of the same thing.

"She experiments, and I give her credit for that. She's brave enough to experiment. Sometimes she has good ones, sometimes not."

Sharapova had bigger problems than her outfit on Centre Court. The 2004 champion made an unprecedented 22 unforced errors, and converted just two of her six break-points.

"I realised she was not playing that great when she double-faulted three times," Kudryavtseva said.

"I don't know what score that was. That was the first time I broke her, and she double-faulted three times in the same game.

I was trying not to keep the score in my head so much, 'cause it puts a lot of pressure. I think then I realised that she's not at her best."

Kudryavtseva said her 2-6 6-3 7-5 loss to Venus Williams at Wimbledon last year had helped shape her winning-strategy against Sharapova.

"I was so close to winning [against Venus], but I played too passively in the end. This time, I thought if I had a chance, I was going to take it."

Kudryavtseva, whose father was a world-champion Greco-Roman wrestler, rated this as the greatest day in her tennis-life.

The 2004 champion never got going against her 20-year-old opponent, and produced a performance littered with costly errors at crucial moments.

Sharapova struggled with her service throughout, and was broken in the sixth and eighth games to lose the opening set.

The 2004 champion's game fell apart against her fellow Russian, and she suffered her earliest defeat at a Major since going out of the US Open in the second round in 2003.

Her defeat to one of Russia's lesser lights made her the latest high-profile casualty at the grasscourt Major after men's third seed Novak Ðokovic baled out on Wednesday.

Ðokovic's defeat by former world number-one Marat Safin was a surprise, but Safin's pedigree was without question.

The 20-year-old Kudryavtseva is ranked 154th in the world, and apart from a close battle with Venus Williams here last year, had never made a mark at the Majors.

Sharapova, also a former number-one, served atrociously throughout the match, and many of her eight double faults came at crucial moments: three of them in one game.

The last one gave Kudryavtseva a match-point, which she grabbed with both hands, pummelling a forehand into the corner before shrieking with delight at the biggest triumph of her unspectacular career.

"All losses are disappointing," Australian Open champion Sharapova told reporters. "But I can't be really happy about anything today.

"Some days, they don't bounce where you want them to bounce, and they don't land where you want them to land. She just did everything better than I did.

"She had nothing to lose. She went for her shots, and I was just pretty tentative."

Kudryavtseva had played her illustrious compatriot once before - losing 6-1 6-4 at last year's French Open - but said she felt she could win as soon as she walked on court.

"Maybe it will sound a little too much for me, but I did expect to win," she told reporters. "I did think about winning, not just going and playing.

"She's not playing her best tennis at the moment, so, yeah, I was thinking about winning. I put myself in the frame of mind that if a chance came, I would take it."

A woeful smash into the net put Sharapova in trouble in her opening service-game, and although she escaped on that occasion, the alarm-bells were sounding when she again had to save break-points two games later.

At *2-3 (30/30), Sharapova gave Kudryavtseva yet another opportunity after serving a double fault, and this time she was punished, slipping 2-4 behind after being wrong-footed.

Serving to stay in the set at 2-5, Sharapova offered little resistance as Kudryavtseva - whose father was a world champion Greco-Roman wrestler - closed it out in 32 minutes with a nerveless forehand into an empty court.

Sharapova spluttered briefly back to life to lead 2-0 in the second set, but the retaliation fizzled out with the loss of the next four games.

The second-seeded Russian was upset in the second round at Wimbledon on Thursday, dropping a 6-2 6-4 decision to unseeded countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva: the world No.154.

"I guess it wasn't my day," Sharapova said. "She just did everything better than I did."

Sharapova was appearing in her first tournament since falling to fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the fourth round of the French Open. She was up a set and 5-2 in that match, before Safina rallied for an improbable three-set win.

This was Sharapova's earliest exit at a Major since losing in the second round of the US Open 2003, and she has never lost a Major match to a player ranked this low.

"She had nothing to lose and went for her shots," Sharapova said. "She served and returned better, and on grass, they are two important elements.

"I was just pretty tentative. I'm not sure why. It's a question I'll be asking myself. I wasn't playing my game, and I let her take control on the majority of points."

Sharapova won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004, but has been in steady decline here in recent years - she was a back-to-back semi-finalist at the All-England Club following her title, and was eliminated in the fourth round last season.

"I am experienced enough to know that life goes on, and there are much worse things in life than losing a tennis-match, even if it is at Wimbledon," Sharapova said.

Kudryavtseva, 20, has never won a WTA singles-title, and came into the match just 4:5 this season.

"For sure, absolutely," said a giddy Kudryavtseva when asked if this was the best win of her career. "I want to keep going, but it will be hard to get ready for the next match after beating someone as big as Maria."

Sharapova, who was dominant in winning the Australian Open earlier this year, played from behind during most of the match, and was uncharacteristically sloppy as she committed 22 unforced errors and eight double faults.

After dropping the first set in just 32 minutes, she quickly fell behind 2-4 in the second set before breaking Kudryavtseva to put the players back on serve.

Ranked 154th in the world, Alla Kudryavtseva had barely registered on the tennis-radar, but that did not stop her humiliating 2004 champion Sharapova 6-2 6-4.

After a driving forehand sealed the biggest win of her career, Kudryavtseva leapt into the air and shrieked in delight.

"I did expect to win, so yes I believe it!" said a beaming Kudryavtseva, who had come within two points of knocking out Venus Williams in the first round 12 months ago.

"Last year, I was so close, and I thought I missed it once, so I'm not going to miss it a second time."

FRAGILE RUSSIAN

Sharapova certainly looked very fragile on Thursday and, for the second Major running, she had no one but herself to blame for her listless performance.

The Russian hit 43 double faults during her four-match stay at Roland Garros and, on Thursday, produced another eight.

The last one gifted Kudryavtseva match-point, and the 20-year-old made sure it did not go to waste when she snatched victory moments later to end Sharapova's 84-minute ordeal.

"All losses are disappointing," the Australian Open champion said. "But I can't be really happy about anything today.

The third seed's 6-2 6-4 defeat on Court One made it her worst showing at a Major for five years, when she lost in the second round of the 2003 US Open.

All the hype surrounding her new outfit seemed completely out of place after an insipid performance that was more tatty jeans than shiny tuxedo.

After serving eight double faults and missing the kind of balls she normally eats for breakfast during an insipid, passionless display, Sharapova was blunt.

"She just did everything better than I did. She played much better. She hit the ball harder. She served and returned better," the 2004 Wimbledon-champion told reporters.

"I can't be really happy about anything today. It just went a little too fast to analyse it right now.

"I wasn't playing my game. I was letting her take control of the majority of the points."

Sharapova, who began the year by winning the Australian Open, suffered a disappointing fourth-round exit at the French Open to Dinara Safina.

That Paris defeat may have been tough to take, but to lose to a player ranked 154th in the world - who had won just five matches all year before Wimbledon - was a huge shock.

"A loss is a loss. There's only one winner in the tournament and everybody else is disappointed, so I'm one of them," added Sharapova, who said she was determined to come back and win the tournament that rocketed her to fame.

"There are a lot worse things. I still have the desire - even 30 minutes after the match - to go back on court and to get better, because that's the only thing that's going to get me to hold that plate again."

Sharapova's defeat, and the narrow escape for top seed and world number-one Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday, at least prove that the women's game cannot be accused of being predictable.

The 20-year-old Russian produced the shock of the championships so far to beat former champion Sharapova 6-2 6-4 - far and away the biggest achievement of her tennis-career - and her glee was undisguised when she spoke to reporters.

"It's very pleasant to beat your... you know, Maria," world number 154 Kudryavtseva told reporters with a mischievous smile on her face. "It's a big deal for me. It's a big match."

Asked to explain exactly why, she said: "Why? Well, I don't like her outfit. Can I put it this way? It's a little too much of everything - of the same thing. It was one of the motivations to beat her."

Kudryavtseva - the daughter of a world-champion Greco-Roman wrestler, and a lover of classical Russian literature - answered questions as expertly as she had earlier dispatched the tuxedo-wearing Sharapova, who, she said, only started saying "hello" to her after a recent Fed Cup match.

"I'm not very good in fashion. I don't know the trends," Kudryavtseva said, adding that she disliked the obsession with what the women-players wear on to court.

"She experiments, and I give her credit for that. She's brave enough to experiment. That's my personal opinion. Maybe someone will tell me I dress terribly.

"If I'm not afraid to go play her - and she's the world number-three - I'm not afraid she's going to catch me in the dressing-room and say, 'You know what, you said you don't like my outfit. You were wrong.'"

Kudryavtseva, who like Sharapova trains in Miami, said Thursday's victory banished the frustration of last year's Wimbledon, when she came within a couple of points of beating eventual champion Venus Williams in the first round.

She said she has learnt valuable lessons from that defeat.

"I still remember it, because before today, it was the biggest match of my career," she said. "I was up in the second set, and I had some easy shots, and I decided to make a high-percentage shot. I ended up losing.

"Today, I just went for my shots. I missed a couple very long and very ugly. Then I thought, 'Okay, at least I went for it. Sooner or later it has to go in.'"

Upon climbing a stairway to the players' patio, Yuri Sharapov encountered the father of two other former Wimbledon-champions: Richard Williams. They shook hands without a word, and Williams began to giggle at the seething Sharapov, who couldn't resist cracking a rare smile.

They belong to an exclusive club of dads who know what it's like to watch their little girl flop as the world watches. Sharapov endured the experience on Thursday, when his daughter lost 6-2 6-4 in the second round to Alla Kudryavtseva: a fellow Russian ranked 154th.

"There's only one winner in the tournament, and everybody else is disappointed," Sharapova said. "I'm one of them."

US fans might want to claim Kudryavtseva, who was born in Moscow but lives in Boca Raton, Fla. She sent Sharapova to her earliest exit at a Major tournament since 2003.

Adding insult to the result, Kudryavtseva trashed the tuxedo-style ensemble worn by Sharapova that had been the talk of the tournament.

"I don't like her outfit," Kudryavtseva said. "It's a little too much of everything... It was one of the motivations to beat her."

Spraying shots from the start, cover-girl Sharapova disproved the adage that anybody looks good in a tux. The 2004 Wimbledon-champion had eight double faults, including three in one game, and wore the net out with her groundstrokes.

"I guess it wasn't my day," Sharapova said. "I was just pretty tentative."

And why was that?

"Not sure. Very good question. A question I'll be asking myself later today."

The second-ranked Sharapova won her third Major title at the Australian Open in January, but has experienced dismal defeats at two Major events this month. She blew a big lead in a fourth-round loss to Dinara Safina at the French Open.

Kudryavtseva, the daughter of a world-champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, has been ranked as high as 59th. She came within two points of upsetting Venus Williams in the first round last year.

"I was so close to winning, and then just played a little too passive in the end," Kudryavtseva said. "So today I was like, 'There's no way I'm going to do the same mistake again,' so I went for my shots."

In the final game, Sharapova shanked two shots, then double-faulted to reach match-point. Kudryavtseva fulfilled her pledge to stay aggressive, smacking a forehand winner for the victory, then hopped backward toward the net with glee.

"She beat me, and it probably made her tournament," Sharapova said.

Sharapova, the third seed, tumbled out of the tournament she won in 2004 after a lacklustre display on Court One.

The pin-up of the women's game had reached at least the fourth round on all five of her previous visits to the All-England Club, but she could have no complaints after being overpowered by her compatriot, who now plays China's Peng,Shuai.

It was the performance of a lifetime from Kudryavtseva.

She has never been past the third round of a Major, and this was only her second singles-victory at Wimbledon.

But for Sharapova, it was an hour and 23 minutes of misery, and another crushing disappointment after her fourth-round defeat to Dinara Safina at the French Open.

Sharapova, once again playing in her 'tuxedo' top-and-shorts combo, found it hard to get into her stride from the start, and had to save a break-point in her second service-game.

If that was a warning that Sharapova shouldn't take Kudryavtseva lightly, she didn't heed it.

Pressured by her compatriot's huge groundstrokes, the Australian Open champion was completely out of sorts, and three double faults in the sixth game saw her fall 2-4 behind.

Kudryavtseva, 20, was growing in confidence, and Sharapova, who had won their only previous meeting at the French Open last year, could muster little response.

Another wayward shot from Sharapova gave Kudryavtseva her first set-point, and she wasted no time converting it.

Sharapova needed a quick break to get back into the match in the second set, and she got exactly that in the first game when a return at break-point glanced off the net and trickled over.

But not even that stroke of luck could galvanise Sharapova, and another double fault gave Kudryavtseva a break back.

When Sharapova berated herself after sending a forehand wide midway through the set, it was as if she could sense her impending demise. Kudryavtseva went for the kill, and a perfect forehand earned a 4-2 lead.

With the match slipping out of reach, Sharapova managed to summon up a break back.

Sharapova was ousted by a 154th-ranked Russian, marking her earliest exit from a Major tournament since her first full season on tour in 2003.

Her game littered by double faults and ugly unforced errors, the third-seeded Sharapova slumped to a 6-2 6-4 loss to 20-year-old Alla Kudryavtseva on Court 1.

The upstart winner even rubbed it in by trashing the fashion-icon's widely publicised Wimbledon-ensemble of tuxedo-style blouse and shorts.

"I don't like her outfit," Kudryavtseva said. "It was one of the motivations to beat her."

Sharapova, who won the 2004 Wimbledon-title at age 17, hadn't lost so early in a Major since going out in the first round at the Australian and French Open and second round at the US Open in 2003.

"She had nothing to lose," Sharapova said. "She went for her shots. I can't be really happy about anything today."

Sharapova is the second marquee-player eliminated in as many days. But her defeat to a little-known player with a career Major record of 4:5 was a much bigger shock than Ðokovic's loss to former No.1 Safin on Wednesday.

On paper, it seemed inconceivable that Kudryavtseva could beat the three-time Major winner and reigning Australian Open champion — especially at the tournament where Sharapova made her Major breakthrough four years ago.

Kudryavtseva, who was born in Moscow and now lives in Miami, lost in the first round at Wimbledon to eventual champion Venus Williams last year. She has been ranked as high as No.59 last year.

In their only previous meeting, Sharapova won easily: 6-1 6-4 at the French Open last year.

"Maybe it will sound a little too much, but I did expect to win," Kudryavtseva said. "I did think about winning, not just going and playing."

It was clear from the start on Thursday that Sharapova was off her game: other than her shrieking grunts, this wasn't her usual self. She looked listless, and finished with 22 unforced errors and eight double faults.

Asked what went wrong, she said, "Not sure. It's a question I'll be asking myself. I think I've got to look at the tape to see what went wrong. It went a little fast to analyse it right now. I felt that I wasn't playing my game. I was letting her take control of the majority of the points."

Sharapova served three double faults in one game and Kudryavtseva took her chances and swept the first set easily in 32 minutes. Kudryavtseva also looked shaky at times in the second set, serving three double faults in the opening game. Sharapova went ahead 2-0, then dropped four straight games.

With Kudryavtseva leading 4-3, Sharapova's second serve on break-point was called out, but she challenged the call and the Hawk-Eye replay system showed the ball was in, giving her another chance. When Sharapova served an ace on game-point to make it 4-4, she shouted and pumped her fist, and seemed to have the momentum.

Sharapova, 21, was way off colour on Court One, losing 2-6 4-6 to record her worst-ever Wimbledon-performance.

The 20-year-old Kudryavtseva, ranked 154th in the world, has never won a WTA tournament, and is now in the third round at Wimbledon for the first time.

Kudryavtseva will play China's Peng,Shuai for a place in the last 16.

"Maybe it will sound a little too much for me, but I did expect to win," she said. "I did think about winning, not just going and playing. For sure, beating her is a big deal for me. The best day of my tennis-life? Yes.

"I think what helped is last year's match with Venus Williams [in the Wimbledon first round last year]. I was so close to winning, and then just played a little too passive in the end. Today, there was no way I'm going to do the same mistake again, so I went for my shots."

And Kudryavtseva revealed that Sharapova's much-publicised Wimbledon tuxedo-style top-and-shorts outfit helped spur her to victory.

"It's very pleasant to beat Maria," she added. "Why? I don't like her outfit. She experiments, and I give her credit for that. She's brave enough to experiment.

"But it's a little too much of everything. It was one of the motivations to beat her."

Sharapova - who dropped only five games in her first-round win over Stéphanie Foretz - was odds-on for another simple victory against an opponent she defeated 6-1 6-4 at last year's French Open.

But this year's Australian Open winner never got into her stride, and was unable to cope with Kudryavtseva's powerful groundstrokes.

The pressure led to Sharapova collecting a total of 22 unforced errors and eight double faults.

"I guess it wasn't my day," said Sharapova. "She just did everything better than I did. She played much better, she hit the ball harder.

"She served and returned better. On grass, those are two important elements. Once you don't have a lot on the ball, then your opponent can take advantage of that.

"Obviously, she had nothing to lose. She went for her shots. I was just pretty tentative. I can't really be happy about anything today."

And Sharapova said she was determined not to let the disappointment of defeat get to her.

"I still have many years ahead of me," she added. "I've had to deal with a lot of ups and a lot of downs on and off the court, and I have the experience behind me. The number-one thing is not be discouraged by losses or by negative things.

"You have to find a way to keep your head up, even though it's pretty tough, because you put the effort in and you work hard, and you dedicate yourself every single day to be a better player and a better professional.

"Sometimes the work doesn't pay off till you never know when. I don't know when that work's going to pay off.

"I had a great off-season, came into Australia and played really great tennis. Sometimes I've had experiences where I've done the same thing and the results just don't come. It's not just for me. Everybody goes through it.

"But I'm experienced enough to know that that there are a lot worse things in life that can happen than losing a tennis-match, even if it means a lot to me.

"I still have the desire to go back on court and to get better, because that's the only thing that's going to get me to hold that plate again."

Kudryavtseva started the match well, holding her serve twice while forcing Sharapova to save a break-point in her opening service-game.

The breakthrough came in the sixth game, Sharapova double-faulting three times to help give Kudryavtseva the break.

Kudryavtseva, whose father Alexander was a Greco-Roman wrestling world-champion in the 1980s, broke again in the eighth to seal the first set in just 32 minutes.

There was a hint of nerves from Kudryavtseva at the start of the second set as she double-faulted three times to lose serve from 40/15 ahead.

But Sharapova could not take advantage of the slip, losing serve in the fourth and sixth games, the second break coming with a wonderful Kudryavtseva forehand winner.

Sharapova did battle back to 4-4, but she double-faulted again when serving at 4-5 down with the score poised at 40/40, and Kudryavtseva sealed the famous victory with another crunching forehand to the corner.

Today, 154th-ranked Russian Alla Kudryavtseva delivered a dress-down to the 2004 Wimbledon-champion, scoring a shocking 6-2 6-4 upset of the third-seeded Sharapova.

It was Sharapova's worst Wimbledon-loss in six appearances at The Championships: she had reached the fourth round five straight years prior to today. Sharapova summed up a listless loss by simply saying she got outplayed in every aspect of the game.

"I guess it wasn't my day. She just did everything better than I did," Sharapova said. "You know, she played much better. She hit the ball harder. She served and returned better. On grass, you know, those are two important elements. You know, once you don't have a lot on the ball, then your opponent can take advantage of that. Obviously she had nothing to lose. She went for her shots. I was just pretty tentative."

Playing cleaner tennis, Kudryavtseva committed just nine unforced errors compared to 22 for Sharapova. The Sharapova serve let her down: she hit eight double faults and won just six of 22 points played on her second serve (27%), while Kudryavtseva won 13 of 21 (62%) of her second-serve points.

A year ago, Kudryavtseva held a 6-2 2-0 lead over Venus Williams as well as a 3-1 advantage in the third set before Williams battled back for a 2-6 6-3 7-5 triumph to escape with an opening-round victory.

There was no such comeback for Sharapova today.

"Losses are all disappointing, obviously. I try to sort of find a way to get back in the match, to sort of dig anywhere I could," Sharapova said. "But, you know, like I said, a loss is a loss. There's only one winner in the tournament and everybody else is disappointed, so I'm one of them."

The reigning Australian Open champion beat Kudryavtseva 6-1 6-4 in their only previous meeting: at the French Open last year.

They are separated by 151 spots in the rankings and a world of success in Major play, but none of that seemed to matter much to Kudryavtseva, who competed with conviction from the outset. She regards her forehand as her best shot, and persistently pounded away at Sharapova's forehand like a fighter targeting a cut on a wounded opponent.

Kudryavtseva converted two of four break-points in the first set, and did not face a break-point herself in collecting the opening set in 32 minutes. Sharapova donated a service-break in the sixth game, dumping three double faults to drop serve. Dropping her head on her second serve, Sharapova never looked completely comfortable on serve in the opening set.

The proud owner of a rottweiler named Ralph, Kudryavtseva played with the perseverance of a pitbull throughout the match.

Racing out to a 4-2 second-set lead, she withstood a rally from Sharapova, who fought back to 4-4.

Undeterred, Kudryavtseva showed her strong sense of self-determination in holding for a 5-4 advantage.

Yesterday Novak Ðokovic. Today Maria Sharapova. Gone. Wimbledon 2008 is history for these two expectant superstars.

They both rode the wave of triumph by winning the Australian Open in January, but their trough here was deep, especially for Sharapova, who found herself humiliated on No.1 Court by a player — a Russian to make it worse — ranked #154 in the world. Alla Kudryavtseva stunned Sharapova 6-2 6-4.

Kudryavtseva - a 20-year-old who trains at the ITA Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, FL - did manage to reach No.59 a year ago, but has sunk back since, winning just five matches in nine tournaments so far in 2008 on the WTA Tour. She did, however, get within two points of beating Venus Williams here last year, and seems to have what it takes to climb toward the higher echelons of the game.

Certainly she played with more conviction than a strangely passive Sharapova, and will remember the point with which she won the match for the rest of her life. The No.3 seed pulled her wide on the forehand side, and Kudryavtseva swung freely through a gigantic forehand that hit the baseline as Maria lunged in a desperate attempt to stave off this crushing loss.

As usual, Sharapova took that loss with style. No excuses, no tears — not in public anyway — and just a very mature reaction to life's vicissitudes.

"I guess it wasn't my day," she said. "She did everything better than I did. You know, she played much better. She hit the ball harder. She served and returned better."

Introspective and intelligent with her answers in a situation most of us would find intolerable, Maria continued: "But I'm experienced enough to know that life goes on, and that there are a lot worse things in life that can happen than losing a tennis-match - even if it's at Wimbledon, and even if it means a lot to me. There are a lot worse things. I still have the desire - even 30 minutes after the match - to go back on court and get better, because that's the only thing that's going to get me to hold that plate again."

Kudryavtseva has less experience of these occasions, and so maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt when she was pushed into commenting about how significant it was for her to beat Sharapova in particular.

"It's very pleasant to beat... you know, Maria," she replied hesitantly. Why? There was a pause. "Why? Well, I don't like her outfit. Can I put it that way?"

Well, Alla, you can if you want, but some people will see the claws and find them not very attractive. Later, she did elaborate on why beating Maria might have been especially satisfying. "Personally, I don't know her well. I think I'm quite sure no one on the Tour knows her well, because she's not a very talkative girl and not very outgoing."

But Alla did admit that Maria had been nice to her when they were both on the Russian Fed Cup team. "After that, she started saying hello."

The 2004 champion was beaten 6-2 6-4 in the second round on Thursday.

This was Sharapova's earliest exit at a Major since the 2003 US Open, where she lost in the second round to Emilie Loit. At the time, Sharapova was ranked at No.54.

It was a shocking loss for the three-time Major champion, who struggled to keep the ball in play and her serves out of the net.

"I guess it wasn't my day," Sharapova said after the defeat. "She just did everything better than I did."

Alla Kudryavtseva, currently ranked No.154 in the world but as high as No.59 just over a year ago, pulled off the first big upset of the tournament with a 6-2 6-4 stunner over No.3 seed Sharapova. She was aggressive from the very start, pounding her huge, flat forehand into the corners throughout the one-hour, 24-minute win, keeping an erratic Sharapova off-balance throughout, and clinching it with a risky crosscourt forehand into the corner that flew by Sharapova even though she was right there.

"Maybe it will sound a little too much for me, but I did expect to win; I didn't just think about going and playing," Kudryavtseva said. "I realised Maria wasn't playing that great when she double-faulted three times - I don't know what score that was - but it was the first time I broke her. She picked it up towards the end of the match, and started playing some really good, aggressive tennis, putting more balls in the court, not overplaying the shots. I did a good job dealing with that. I knew she'd pick it up at some point. She always does. Thank God that last forehand went in!"

"I guess it wasn't my day," Sharapova said. "She just did everything better than I did. She hit the ball harder, served and returned better... On grass, those are two important elements. When you don't have a lot on the ball, your opponent can take advantage of that. Obviously she had nothing to lose. She went for her shots. I wasn't playing my game. I let her take control of the majority of points."

Kudryavtseva had lost her first two career-matches against top-ten players, both last year: to Martina Hingis at the Australian Open and to Sharapova at Roland Garros; she was even 0:4 against top-twenty players, having lost to Nicole Vaidišová and Patty Schnyder last summer. But in that first match against Sharapova, she did lead 4-1 in the second set before falling in straights, and right here last year, taking on a No.31-ranked Williams, she was up a break in both the second and third sets of a 2-6 6-3 7-5 first-round loss; Williams would go on to win the title.

"For sure, my first match with Maria helped, but I think what helped more was last year's match with Venus," Kudryavtseva said. "I was so close to winning, and then I played a little too passive in the end. So today I thought, 'There's no way I'm going to do the same mistake again.' So I went for my shots."

This is the first time Sharapova has lost this early at a Major since she débuted at all four of them in 2003, falling first round in Australia and France, and second round at the US Open; she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon that year, and hadn't fallen before the fourth round here until today.

Last night, the hush was one of sheer incredulity at the raggedness of the Russian's display - in a hail of double faults and flunked forehands, she lost emphatically to her far-less-starry compatriot, Alla Kudryavtseva, and scuttled off the grass as fast as her gold-embossed shoes could carry her.

Sharapova paraded on to court in the tuxedo-jacket she has had tailored for the tournament, but here her fashion-conundrums ended; she will, after all, be nowhere near the champions' ball. Instead Kudryavtseva - who must have been feeling thoroughly upstaged in her tracksuit - chose the moment of her 6-2 6-4 victory to offer a wonderfully catty put-down. "It's very pleasant to beat Maria," she said. And why would that be? "Well, I don't like her outfit."

A season that began so auspiciously for Sharapova, with her triumph at the Australian Open, is now in danger of unravelling around her. Her agent Max Eisenbud, who sat pensively alongside her father Yuri throughout, does not have to worry unduly - his client will preserve her status the highest-earning sportswoman on Earth - but she is suffering some serious dents in her form, and popularity. Booed off court for perceived stroppiness in her French Open quarter-final defeat to Dinara Safina, there was hardly the sense at Wimbledon - at least judging by the ovation accorded to Kudryavtseva - that her passing was mourned much either.

But then sometimes Sharapova does herself few favours, at least at her press-conferences.

Replacing the tuxedo with a shapeless sweater, she turned the sarcasm-dial up sharply as she was asked where she went from here, whether this was the worst day of her life - that kind of thing. Asking her to emote, though, is rather like asking Andy Roddick to go easy on the wisecracks. It never works, as one hapless inquisitor found upon asking if she was "hurting". She snapped back: "What do you think?"

Part of a problem like Maria is the subjective first impressions. She and Kudryavtseva might be more than 150 places apart in the world-rankings, and even further separated in terms of earnings, but there are certain similarities. Both of them live and train in Florida, and yet where the cadence of Kudryavtseva's English remains exotically Russian, Sharapova delivers all her answers in that faintly irritating mid-Atlantic twang. The world No.2 plays the part of the sultry fashionista to perfection - and yesterday, the catwalk seemed to be where she had left her tennis.

At times, Sharapova's play was inexplicably dreadful: as she toiled to impose herself on the first set, she served three double faults in the first game in which she was broken, and repeatedly snatched at routine passing-shots. But perhaps we had been too quick to dismiss Kudryavtseva: a peripheral player on the women's tour all year, but with some impressive form at Wimbledon. On her début last year, she had been two points away from beating eventual champion Venus Williams before losing 7-5 in the final set. In that context, her expectations were very different.

"I think what helped was last year's match with Williams," she explained. "I was so close to winning, and then just played a little too passive in the end. Here, there was no way I was going to do the same mistake again, so I went for my shots."

Sharapova endured the darkest moment of her sparkling career when world number 154 and Russian compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva sent her spinning out in the second round.

Sharapova, the 2004 champion, became the latest marquee-name to crash out at the All-England Club in successive days following men's third seed Novak Ðokovic's defeat to Marat Safin.

"She played better, served and returned better, and on grass, they are the important elements," admitted Sharapova after slumping to her worst defeat in six visits.

"She had nothing to lose. I was far too tentative. My game wasn't there and she took advantage of it."

"You have to find a way to keep your head up even though it's pretty tough, because you put the effort in and you work hard, and you dedicate yourself every single day to be a better player and a better professional."

Her anger at losing would hardly have been eased when Kudryavtseva later laid bare the frosty relationship between the richest sportswoman in the world and the majority of the other Russian players.

But Sharapova insists the humiliation of being dumped out of Wimbledon has only fuelled her determination to win the tournament again.

Kudryavtseva, who now plays China's Peng,Shuai, then added insult to injury by revealing the frosty relationship between Sharapova and many of the other Russian women on tour.

First, Alla Kudryavtseva muscled the 2004 champion out of Wimbledon in the second round 6-2 6-4 on Thursday. Then, she took a swipe at the glamorous Russian.

Fashion-icon Sharapova's tuxedo-inspired outfit got exposure all over the world, and was the subject of 13 questions at an official news-conference after her first-round win.

"It's very pleasant to beat... Maria," the 20-year-old Kudryavtseva said. "Why? Well, I don't like her outfit. Can I put it this way?"

"It was one of the motivations to beat her," she added.

Kudryavtseva joked that she had no fear of her father Alexander - a world-champion Greco-Roman wrestler in the 1980s - so she had no reason to feel daunted by Sharapova — on or off the court.

"If I'm not afraid to go play her - and she's world No.3 - I'm not afraid she's going to catch me in the dressing-room and say, 'You know what? You said you don't like my outfit. You were wrong!' I will say, 'Sorry. That's just my opinion.'"

They're both Russians, both living in Florida, and they're only a year apart in age. But they're worlds apart in profile. They've both been involved in Russia's Fed Cup team, but barely know each other except for a casual "hi".

Kudryavtseva has a No.154 ranking, has never won a title, and had earned $358,450 in prize-money coming into Wimbledon. Sharapova, 21, has 19 titles and more than $12 million in prize-money.

And then there's the millions in endorsements, including the Wimbledon-apparel range that irked Kudryavtseva.

Not that she wanted to elaborate.

"Oh, c'mon. Now you're going to take me to the fashion-discussion," she said. "I'm not very good in fashion. I don't know the trends."

Sharapova's "brave enough to experiment — I give her credit for that. Sometimes she has good ones, sometimes not. That's my personal opinion, again."

Twelve months after being two points from upsetting eventual champion Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon, Kudryavtseva wanted to talk about tennis.

"Maybe it will sound a little too much for me, but I did expect to win. I did think about winning, not just going and playing," she said.

Sharapova beat her in straight sets in the third round at the French Open last year - Kudryavtseva's previous best run at a Major.

But Kudryavtseva had a 4-1 lead in the second set of that match and lost it.

"Definitely it helps when you know the player, when you know how she plays, you know what to expect," she said. "Of course I watch Maria a lot on the TV, but it's different when you're on the other side of the court.

"For sure that helped. But I think what helped more is my last year's match with Venus Williams."

Kudryavtseva said she tried to play it safe and just get the ball into play against Williams, and paid the price for that.

"So today I was like, 'There's no way I'm going to do the same mistake again, so I went for my shots," she said. "I still remember it quite good, because before today, it was the biggest match of my career."

Kudryavtseva reached a career-high No.59 last June, but said some personal issues and injuries had hampered her progress. Now, she's over those, and working with coach Christian Zahalka in Boca Raton, Fla.

Sharapova made a rash of 22 unforced errors, eight double faults, and was completely off her game. Kudryavtseva sensed it early, and pounced.

"I realised Maria is not playing that great when she double-faulted three times," she said. "That was the first time I broke her," she said. "But she picked it up towards the end of the match, and she started playing some really good, aggressive tennis, put more balls in the court, not overplay the shots. I think I did a good job dealing with that."

Sharapova said the upset would likely be the highlight of Kudryavtseva's campaign — so they did find some common ground.

While Alla Kudryavtseva deserves huge credit for the bold manner in which she dispatched her compatriot, Sharapova was a shadow of her usual self.

The world number-two made 22 unforced errors and threw in nine double faults - including three in one game, which saw her fall 2-4 down in the first set.

More worryingly perhaps, at 4-4 in the second set, just when Sharapova - the ultimate fighter on the women's tour - would be expected to push on, she crumbled.

Sharapova said all the right things afterwards. She denied she was injured, said it just wasn't her day, and vowed to come back stronger.

But she cut a disillusioned figure. Wimbledon is her favourite tournament, and barely had she unveiled her special tuxedo-inspired outfit than it was time to pack it away for good.

The former world number-one started the season with a bang, bludgeoning her way to the Australian Open title and picking up another two titles in the US, but the wheels have come off in recent months.

In May, she launched a wide-ranging attack on the WTA for "forcing" her to take part in an obligatory publicity shoot in Rome ahead of the Italian Open. "The Tour does not care what any of the players think - not just top players. This is one in a long list of things that the Tour has ignored the players. This is not about just one shoot; I could not just sit back anymore."

Then came defeat by Dinara Safina at the French Open, despite leading 7-6 5-2 and holding two match-points.

Sharapova opted out of her traditional grass-court warm-up event at Birmingham in order to rest, but the break apparently wasn't enough.

"Now I have more time off," she said, drily. "Better be careful what I wish for."

Tracy Austin believes the shoulder-injury that troubled Sharapova throughout most of last season is a major factor in her fluctuating form.

"She hasn't even made the quarter-finals in four of the last five Grand Slams," the American told BBC Sport. "I think the shoulder-injury has got into her head, and the lack of confidence in her serve creeps into the rest of her game.

"She's not the athlete Venus and Serena Williams are. She needs her big serve; she counts on it to set up the point, and when she doesn't have it, she's in trouble."

Sharapova has also referred to a problem with her immune-system, which leaves her more susceptible to illness, and her comments following Henin's retirement were perhaps revealing.

"If I was 25 and I'd won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too. She's an inspiration. There's so many things to life, and I'm sure she wants to explore them. I definitely don't blame her for retiring."

At 21, and with three Major titles, Sharapova is surely not yet on the point of following Henin into early retirement, but with his most bankable star struggling with the stresses and strains of the game, WTA chief Larry Scott should be more motivated than ever to carry out his pledge to overhaul the schedule.

"I do continue to worry about the health and wellbeing of the players," Scott said ahead of Wimbledon.

"A person like Justine Henin retires at 25, and almost every one of our players suffers with an injury of some kind. It's something not in your direct control, but it's one of the reasons I've been so laser-focused on the need to change the calendar and reduce the commitment of players."

Venus and Serena Williams have long been criticised for their take-it-or-leave-it attitude to the game, but they are still out there, as Major contenders, at 28 and 26 respectively.