For her army of male admirers, Maria Sharapova’s appearance at Wimbledon has become almost as important as the tennis itself.

It is not difficult to see why. But in a break with protocol, the glamorous Russian has dispensed with the dresses and skirts that have, in the past, shown off her assets to the full.

Just 12 months after earning the same prizemoney as the men, the former champion has decided to dress like them — this year she will be striding out in a pair of shorts.

Short changed: Maria's new look

Fashion conscious Sharapova has kept something up her sleeve at SW19 before. And in previous years she has used Grand Slam events to showcase different styles.

At the 2006 U.S. Open she sported a number inspired by the Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Last year at Wimbledon, she unveiled another show-stopping swan-style white dress. This summer the third seed has diverted the attention from her stuttering form with another trendsetting statement.

‘I’m changing my outfit this year,’ she said. ‘I’m going with the traditional shorts, believe it or not. I’ve never worn shorts at a Grand Slam. Call it menswear, obviously. It’s kind of a tuxedo look, very simple lines, classic.’

Although that may disappoint her followers, of more worry is Sharapova’s form, which has been erratic as she relinquished the top ranking bequeathed to her following Justine Henin’s retirement.

Despite this, bookmakers have installed her as the tournament favourite, ahead of top seed Ana Ivanovic, but her preparations have not gone to plan.

A fourth-round defeat in the French Open and subsequent withdrawal from the DFS Classic in Birmingham have left the 21-year-old short of match practice on grass as she attempts to wrest back a title she won four years ago.

She kicks off her own challenge against Stephanie Foretz. Her opponent has no great track record on grass, although the Frenchwoman’s ranking in the top 100 should ensure that this will be no walkover tomorrow.

But Sharapova maintains that missing out on picking up grasscourt experience in Edgbaston will not hamper her prospects of seeing her name on the honours board for a second time.

‘I’ve changed it this year,’ she said. ‘Every year I’ve stayed in Europe between the French and Wimbledon. I wanted to go back home, you know, to give my body and mind a little rest.

‘I wanted a change of pace because I’ve played a lot of matches already, although it was awkward going home.

‘It was strange. But it’s always good to get back home and recharge your batteries. It’s funny but within 24 hours of my loss in Paris I was in my little local coffee shop in Florida with my cookbook wondering what I was going to do or dinner.

‘So I don’t think it really matters that I’ve not had that grasscourt exposure.

‘You’re going from a court surface that’s totally different to grass, so your mentality has to change a bit.

‘But you don’t get time to learn. There are only a couple of weeks anyway. Hopefully it will come together.’

Interestingly, during the build-up to this year’s tournament Sharapova and Venus Williams have each outlined a determination to add Olympic gold to their list of achievements.

Defending champion Williams already has one Olympic crown to her credit — but both mentioned how high on their respective wish-lists the honour would rank.

That challenge presents itself at the end of August, with both players admitting they have become more selective in their court appearances.

Sharapova added: ‘There’s no slowing down. This year we have Wimbledon, the French, the Olympics and the U.S. Open a few weeks afterwards.

‘If you play a lot of matches, you have to be physically in shape. Mentally, you want to be able to go out and play
matches and compete. If you are not there, then that’s just tough.

‘I’ve had a few experiences where I’ve made those wrong decisions and it has cost me in the later stages of the year.’