Thailand awaiting Maria

The secretary general of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT), Adm Bannawit Kengrieng, is confident the arrival of tennis superstars Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams will provide a welcome boost to budding players in the Kingdom.

``Maria Sharapova is a good looking woman and she can set a good example for Thai youngsters,'' said Adm Bannawit.``This is because she became very successful in tennis when she was just 17-years-old. ``She has trained very hard and concentrated on her tennis and has won many major tournaments like Wimbledon and WTA Championship. ``I would like this visit to be the stimulation and push Thai youngsters to turn and play more tennis.''The winner of the tournament will be invited to Chiang Mai to watch the exhibition. Maria and Williams are set to arrive in Thailand tomorrow and Thursday respectively before playing an exhibition game in Chiang Mai in the New Year.The LTAT official offered his words of encouragment after attended the opening ceremony of a junior tournament at The Fifty Tennis Club.