Well listen, it has been a very tough year for Novak ever since the Australian Open!!!  Mainly because I HAVE MADE IT A POINT TO MAKE IT SO!!!

Prior to the Indian Wells tournament I communicated with Maria through FOX Sports Network & ESPN!!!  That was hardly the beggining of our relationship which had been years in the making with NIKE!!!  She actually started the year & her Australian Open campaign with Gatorade's "League of Clutch" Ad Commercial Campaign!!!  Which was something I had styled after the "League of Extraordinardy Gentlemen"!!!  Maria was originally the only female on the campaign and I was gradually told to pay more & more attention to her which I complied with!!!  It was the turn of the New Year that brought me such great joy!!!  It was a whimsical thought with Fox & ESPN that I had "It's not like I can just start dating Maria Sharapova!!!", was actually the comment I made in reference to my romantic life which I guess over the years I had learned more discipline than what is common or to think about common women!!!

It was not just a short time later that I had heard from Venus Williams that "Maria has a real deal boyfriend!!!"  Referring to me I was a bit shocked!!! O.K.!!!  So as I began to hear from Maria the first thing she told me, which still saddens me is "I don't believe in you!"  I remember a bit of shock about that because this was the first week of the Australian Open & I was sure she was going to win just off my word and my faith!!!  I could only reply to Maria understanding the thought that "I believe in you Maria!!!"  So if you want to know what was strange, I had moved into a new apartment at the begining of this New Year & I got the apartment to serve a studio/dojo network!!!  FOX & ESPN knew this!!!  And with all the wood floors and open space I found that tea candles were just the thing to help me meditate!!!  And I mean I would light tea candles all day long & drink tea!!!  So at that point I realized not only good tea etiquette but where it related to the queen good tennis etiquette!!!  And as the first week progressed Maria checked in with me in her sweetest voice to say "Eastern Bloc training"!!!  She called me Leonardo from day one!!!

So with the Australian Open it was just a thing where I knew all the yoga to do to get her through!!!  The day of her Saturday Australian Final it was Friday in Indiana & I had a traditional Catholic Friday Fish Dinner with a Lemonade Gatorade!!!  That was before starting my yoga practice at the same time her final was to begin!!!  Mind you I was not watching T.V. nor did I watch any of the Australian Open!!!  Just great meditation & dedication!!!  Now as they say the rest is history!!!  I know Maria knew to believe in me at that point, but I also knew Yuri was not going to be convinced so easily!!!  And I have seen a remember the look on his face when she went to hug him & what that was about!!!  You know Yuri has dedicated much of his life to making sure Maria was the best and so I understood the effort that was going to be required!!!

Through February & March I got to know Maria through the network & found out all about her the best I could!!!  I guess after the Indian Wells loss Yuri knew enough to be convinced himself!!!  I mean that was 20 something straight victories and I was training tough they way he wanted & dealing with life & running a family of networks!!!  So it was in March or right after the Indian Wells Tournament when Maria & I agreed to do it & go all the way!!!  Knowing what the end result was going to be, it would have been hard to imagine everything in between!!!

So with Maria injured having suffered her first loss of the year and heading to Miami I wanted her to have some fun!!!  She had gotten fined & I agreed to pay her fine which I had to concede I would do for any other WTA tour!!!  I guess I never thought or worried about what Yuri thought of that!!!  I just did it!!!  And then I was getting to know Camilla, who I am still not so sure about, so I suggested it was the way to go if Camilla joined Maria!!!  Anyway Miami was my first opportunity to open up the pocket book for Maria & Camilla was there to help!!! Again I was doing these things through my networks & not worried or concerned with gossip & rumors!!!

It was the week of the Amelia Island Tournament that I agreed to log on the mariasharapova.com and join the forum community!!!  As a championship athlete I never want to be or cause a distraction, so I was happy for her to return to her winning ways at Amelia Island & that is always good for confidence!!!  The Charleston tournament was a week where I was hoping Maria would win again & then Tag Heuer announced plans for her 21st birthday Party!!!  I was able to start sending her photos shortly before through the network for her birthday and I followed her at tournaments with surprises for everybody!!!  Particularly the charities in Amelia Island & Charleston!!!  So birthday week and my good friend David Letterman I was finally able to start talking to Maria & she would want to know everything at that time!!!  Keep me busy all day, whatever she wanted to know!!!  So, about that time as I got used to the forum is when I realized all these rumors and how she had put up with them for years!!!  I mean the doodle at that time addressed it, I was never in anythought of trying to dominate her life by means of the forum, mainly because I am her man not simply a fan!!!  I had generally trusted Novak to be one of her friends, but the rumors did make me uncomfortable, even though I can talk to Maria at anytime & I know she has always maintained her integrity!!!  However Novak did not know enough to think so critcally of his behavior around Maria despite knowing from Indian Wells the nature of our relationship!!!  Maria knows I train in the house on hard wood floors & I will do footwork with soccer & I have a woman who keeps house for me and helps me train!!!  There are some things people will not let me do for myself!!!  But a candid conversation is the nature of a good friendship & playing soccer to pass the time or work on footwork in plain view of everybody is hardly a date or anything to ensenuate a rumor!!!

Now I have trained in so many ways so as to retrain the NFL & elite military divisions & other specialists!!!  So the one thing that did get me very angry was the photo from Miami where Novak has his hand on Maria's back not around her!!!  I am pretty smart & I know that I cannot stand to go to a night club!!!  I just don't fit in, I generally sit in the corner or just by myself and try to wait it out for my friends!!!  And I am also old enough to remember a time or two,  years ago when I had known a friend was not having so much fun, seeming aloof & and the conversation about leaving may have looked like that and you just try to comfort your friends and make sure that they can hold it together for whatever is agreeable!!!

Now listen, Novak may have done another thing or two that made me angry!!! One was trying to wear Nike at Wimbledon!!!  I am the NIKE HERCULES!!!  Do understand how often people win with me!!!  I don't even like these people all the time!!!  Other than that adidas is a good name and another great representation of quality & excellence!!!  In both cases patent, trademark, theme all originated with me!!!  And I told Maria to say away from Novak & he went looking for her on the practice courts when I was just not in the mood!!!  I also had to threaten his life about is impersonations of Maria & I felt like he needed some counseling to strenghten his mind and to refocus and discipline himself!!!  Can anybody understand in the first year of this courtship Yuri demanded I go through a year of some very spartan like training!!!  Just how in the hell do you think I want her wondering, partying & having fun!!!  YURI HAS LISTENED TO SOME OF MY ANGRY GRIEVANCES!!!  Besides that I continued to acquire business properties, develop products and help manage the American Economy!!!  Novak has a lovely girl friend!!!  Maria & I in a courtship process & I can enjoy it and have fun until Novak shows up with his self AS IF HE CANNOT RESPECT IT & think the same very dignified way of his own relationship!!!  I mean at Indian Wells Maria says to me, "Mrs. Andy Roddick"!!!  And she knows I get ticked, but I was not worried!!!  She was in no way heartbroken and I found out Andy had engaged to Brookly Decker!!!

Now as a point of illustration I guess you know I would have felt like there wasn't much Maria could do to prove her love & the only way I was going to find out the truth was that SOME THINGS WERE GOING TO ME MONOPOLIZED & SOME PEOPLE WERE GOING TO FALL!!!  THAT METHOD WAS QUITE CONSISTENT!!!  I DO FIND MYSELF PLEASED & MORE RATIONAL AT THIS TIME!!!  IT IS STILL WISER FOR NOVAK TO LEAVE MARIA ALONE RIGHT NOW & LET US GET THROUGH OUR SITUATION & DO NOT BECOME A DETRIMENT TO HER IN THAT WAY!!!  As it is with Maria things are going great and are stable as can be as long as everbody knows to Check on their Backyard & stay out of mine!!! 

Now it's been a year where I have not only tried to help WTA players, but I helped the ATP with their realignment lawsuit & I funded the US Open Tour Series and helped the Unicef Ambassadors from Serbia and the UNDP program!!!  I also was not so stuck up about finding out my ENW(Estimated Net Worth)!!!  Just angry as hell the won't let ME play with it yet, until everything is done faithfully with Maria!!!  You question what kind of man I am most women who know me can identify with Superior Quality!!!  I know the hot topic in Russian Culture & at the same time I could be helping develop Olympic training  programs with people like Aleksander Karelin!!! 

BUT MORE THAN OFTEN DO I FIND MISINFORMED FANS TO BE RUDE PEOPLE, WHICH IS REALLY HELPING NONE OF THESE YOUNG TENNIS PROFESSIONALS, THEIR DEVELOPMENT, MATURATION OR FOCUS!!!  I thing Novak is an excellent young player, BUT YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH ANOTHER MAN'S WOMAN IN ANYWAY THAT MAY MAKE HER UNCOMFORTABLE & MARIA DID EXPRESS A BIT OF DISCOMFORT ABOUT THAT & THOSE ARE THINGS SHE IS GENERALLY NOT USED TO!!!  So alot of these players need a rest, RAFA IS GENERALLY A GOOD BOY, which at first I found hard to believe because he's so good looking!!!  But Novak again is an excellent young player, better when he respects boundaries and can be worthy of support!!!  He knows nothing about being a Playboy or a gangster & MORE THAN ANYBODY NEED SOME VERY HARSH CRITICISM TO RAISE HIS AWARENESS & LEVEL OF PLAY!!!

So Maria & Novak has never been & will never be a possibility!!!  And further suggestions will just be a monkey on his back & I will be on tour will Maria very soon!!!  SO IF I MAY FEEL AT PEACE I DO LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING HIM, although some of these guys have allowed themselves to be intimidated over the year!!!  I guess that sometime is my way of having fun!!!  But when everybody can respect family & relationships I think the '09 Tour Year could be far more equitable and you will see some more breakthroughs but the young players emerging to the top!!!  IF Everybody can demonstrate the proper respect!!!

You cannot think I even wanted Federer to win a Grand Slam this Year, but I sponsor the guy!!!  I had nowhere to go with it after Nadal lost!!!  Other than that, Novak started the U.S. Open in an outfit the just was trying to say too much!!!  At the end there I thought he looked like he had learned some lessons, was starting to take it all in even after a big win & the criticism, his uniform looked good on him!!!  But he's got to learn to tough it out & be a man & don't look in the stands for mama!!!

That's all Fans!!!

Leonardo

P.S. - real stupid thing if you ever read the DaVinci code to think the U.S. Government would let me marry any other woman than Maria!!!  If you think I couldn't wait ten years, they kept me busy!!!  Take life seriously & if you want to help Maria support her efforts at tournaments & in business enterprises!!! Moreso than making me angry!!!