Maria Sharapova feasts on bagels

Bagels, breadsticks, eggs, chops and fry! Food and tennis have always shared a special bond, the perfect example being Wimbledon’s strawberries and cream. But the buck doesn’t stop there. Whoever introduced tennis terminologies was for sure a hardcore foodie or an American at heart. And this is evident by its lingo. If you were out at a coffee shop or attending a party discussing tennis, you would never feel out of place. That’s when bagels and serves come to your rescue. At times, the jargon is as colourful, if not better, as Serena Williams’s attire.

And if that wasn’t enough, an honour called the Golden Bagel Award was introduced in 2004,  exclusively for the male players. And unlike an eating contest, the one who served most bagels became the ‘Bagel King’. While Roger Federer was the first to get his hands on the award, Rafael Nadal  bettered him by bagging it thrice. The rivals are heroes of zeroes too!

Back to the Australian Open and Maria Sharapova tasted sweet success in more ways than one. After launching her premium-priced range of ‘Sugarpova’ lollies in Melbourne, the Russian doled out a double bagel in her very first match on Monday. Olga Puchkova had no clue, and Sharapova ‘mixed’, ‘kneaded’, ‘boiled’ and ‘baked’ her way to glory.

And having completed a ‘Career Slam’ at the French Open last year, Sharapova has her eyes set on another record now — the ‘Bagel Slam’.

Note: In tennis, when a player wins (or loses) a set 6-0, it is called a bagel. The shape of zero is similar to that of a bagel, hence the name. When a player wins (or loses) both the sets 6-0 6-0, it is known as a double bagel. You sure know what a ‘Bagel Slam’ means.