Maria Sharapova: Why Fans Can't Get Enough of Sharapova

Back in December, Yahoo! released its "Year In Review" data, a collection of information gathered to show what the Internet-browsing public was interested in during 2011.

Among the topics of discussion was a list of 10 professional athletes who were searched more than all the rest in 2011.

Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova came in at No. 4 on the list, just behind boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and just ahead of 13-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

At the absolute very least, Sharapova's standing on that list tells us one thing: That people really can't get enough of her.

The question, of course, is why people can't get enough of Maria Sharapova.

That's something we have to discuss in further detail.

Sex Appeal

This may seem like an odd thing to lead off with, but ignoring the fact that Sharapova has sex appeal would be like ignoring that the sky is blue. 

Besides, you can tell by the company Sharapova keeps on Yahoo!'s Top 10 list that sex appeal is something that matters to today's Internet-obsessed crowd.

I'll give you a couple examples.

Danica Patrick's career achievements don't match the hype attached to her name, but she was No. 1 on Yahoo!'s list. It would be foolish to think that doesn't have something to do with her attractiveness, which she has openly showed off in GoDaddy.com commercials and in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue.

Soccer star Hope Solo came in at No. 7 on the list. She garnered a lot of attention when the U.S. women's national team was making its run to the World Cup Final, but she garnered even more attention when she did Dancing with the Stars and when she posed nude for ESPN the Magazine's "Body Issue."

So yes, it suffices to say that Patrick and Solo draw a lot of interest because of their sex appeal, and the same is true of Sharapova.

Sharapova is not the first tennis star to be renowned for her beauty, and you can rest assured that she won't be the last. And like a lot of them, Sharapova has capitalized on her appearance by doing various photoshoots, most notably for the Swimsuit Issue.

Sharapova didn't need to do these things to make people notice her beauty, but doing so definitely generated more interest. And make no mistake, this interest will not fade away anytime soon.

High-Profile Personal Life

Yup, another non-tennis reason why people can't get enough of Sharapova, and this one's just as important.

Sharapova has been engaged to NBAer Sasha Vujacic ever since 2010. Vujacic was with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time, and you don't need me to tell you that Lakers players with famous wives or girlfriends tend to get a little extra attention. The same goes for the wives and girlfriends themselves.

From a distance, Sharapova's and Vujacic's relationship doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but that doesn't mean it is exempt from being tabloid fodder. Whether people want to or not, they can't help but be aware of everything the two of them are up to at a given moment.

For good or ill, this is how things are going to be as long as they remain together.

Successful Tennis Career

Once you get beyond all the glitz and glamour and focus on what Sharapova does on the court, there's a lot to talk about.

Unlike other past tennis beauties (see Kournikova, Anna), Sharapova has achieved quite a lot of success during her career. She won three Grand Slams between 2004 and 2008, and she was a virtual lock to reach the later rounds in every tournament she played in.

In late summer of 2005, Sharapova took hold of the No. 1 ranking for the first time, and she would hold it off and on until 2008. Even after all her struggles in recent years, she is still the No. 4 player in the world.

Keep in mind that Sharapova is still only 24 years old. As long as she feels up to it, she still has a few good years left in her. If she continues playing at a high level, she will add to her success.

Easy to Root For

One thing that has always been true of Sharapova is that she's just downright easy to root for. She was likable when she burst onto the scenes in her late teens, and she's still likable now.

In fact, Sharapova may have even more fans pulling for her now than she did before. The first couple years of her career passed without any major issues, but she suffered a pretty major shoulder injury in late 2008 and it took her a long time for her to get back to 100 percent.

Sharapova didn't really seem to be herself again until last year. She started serving the ball with authority again, and she managed to hang around longer in tournaments.

If that was the case last year, it stands to reason that things will be even better in 2012. If Sharapova plays even a little better than she did in 2011, she could get back to winning Grand Slams.

And make no mistake, she certainly has plenty of people pulling for her.

Final Thoughts

All things considered, it's not hard to tell why Sharapova has so many fans and why those fans can't get enough of her.

We live in a world where celebrities matter more than anything else, and the only thing people love more than celebrities are celebrities who are both attractive and very, very good at what they do.

Sharapova is both. As long as that's the case, she's going to have fans.