Sharapova - top Russian Women's Player?

Many top Russian women tennis players train outside their home nation, so about the only places they can ever get together are at professional tournaments around the world. The nation's female tennis players struggle to pinpoint a single reason they have continued to flourish against the backdrop of a withering sports infrastructure, saying toughness fashioned from hard training conditions, strong genes and the enthusiasm for the sport left behind by late Russian president Boris Yeltsin all have played a part, as has the lack of high-level competitive opportunities that encourage many young players to turn pro early.