Self-confessed chocoholic Maria Sharapova will get a chance to taste some post-Christmas forbidden fruit in the privacy of her hotel as she arrives on Friday in Singapore for a weekend tennis exhibition.
The Russian former number one is facing compatriot Anna Chakvetadze on Sunday night as a first preparation for the Australian Open starting January 14.
Sharapova is expected to be greeted by a full array of chocolate products when she reaches her five-star riverside hotel suite in this prosperous city-state.
With no-nonsense father Yuri not making the trip, the 20-year-old double grand-slam champion now has the chance to break her strict training regime — at least for a day or two.
”The moment she knew her dad was not coming along, she told us she wanted chocolate,” Kipple Chan, from Hong Kong-based organiser Entertainment Group, told local media. ”She’s always had a sweet tooth, so we’re arranging a special chocolate buffet for her.”
Sharapova will be accompanied for the Sunday-night exhibition earner by American hitting partner Michael Joyce. She flies out of Singapore on New Year’s Eve. — Sapa-dpa