Now I'm one of those guys who have never been real big fan of tennis.

And I'm still trying to figure out how to warm-weather outdoor sports like tennis should be so popular in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Eastern Europe, where there are sometimes only 3 to 4 months of good weather.

In any case, when I see such examples of sterling beauty and athleticism in action this certainly gives me pause and makes me reconsider the attitude to my game.

This is especially true if I get a chance to see ladies like to get all hot and sweaty at work and back chasing a fuzzy ball in a scant clothing on a green courtyard.

Hmm, maybe I just answered my own question.

She's one of the most photographed women in the world. And as odd as it may sound the thing Maria Sharapova is most grateful for on her first visit to Auckland is: "no one has tried to take a picture of me eating a bowl of bolognese pasta with meat sauce all over my face".

That and other little gems is what an expectant press pack found out when the tennis beauty queen, the top seed at this year's ASB Classic, was paraded in front of us yesterday. Apparently, well-meaning fans have a habit of snapping her when she has "meat sauce" on her face, a habit she's not that fond of.

She is after all supposed to be a glamour-puss.

Call me crazy but Maria, as her meat sauce story would seem to suggest, seemed pretty damn unpretentious, dare we say ordinary. Just ask James McOnie.

The likeable larrikin, he of The Crowd Goes Wild fame, specialises in embarrassing sports stars and himself with zany questions. However, poor old James met his match yesterday. As well as the nice meat sauce line we learnt Maria likes to shop but hasn't had time to since here arrival here a few days ago.

McOnie offered to show her the ropes to which she inquired: "How's your taste? Is it good? I see you don't know too many hairdressers around here".

Nice serve that and ASB Classic organisers will be hoping we see plenty more of those when the tennis megastar graces ASB Tennis Centre this week.

Americans have chosen the most beautiful Russian women. The first in the ranking of the Russian beauties is the current girlfriend of Cristiano Ronaldo, model Irina Shayk. Incidentally, a relationship with a handsome football player not just glorified her, but also made her wealthier. Now, Shayk earns much more than she used to, and fashion experts predict she will be included in the top ten most influential world's top models.

First Place - Irina Shayk. In the past she was Miss Chelyabinsk 2004 Irina Shayhlislamova, born in a mining town of Emanzhelinsk in the Chelyabinsk region. Now she is a well-known model who trapped one of the most eligible bachelors on the planet.

25-year-old Cristiano who has a contract with Real Madrid gets paid a hefty $40 million a year. According to Western press, the Portuguese had already proposed to Shayk. Ronaldo met Irina while filming TV commercial for Armani. 24-year-old Irina had a chance to work with Guess, Lacoste, Missoni, and La Perla, was a face of Intimissimi brand and appeared on the covers of fashion magazines several time, but only after her romance with Ronaldo she was elevated to the status of a top model, and her payments have soared.

Click here to see pictures

The runner-up is Maria Sharapova. Maria, incidentally, is also about to get married. Her fiancé is Slovenian basketball player Sasha Vuyachich who proposed to the tennis player after Lakers vs. Golden State match in Los Angeles. "We're engaged and very happy," said Vuyachich. "I proposed to Maria on the anniversary of our first meeting. Maybe it looks old-fashioned, but I wanted to act like a gentleman."

It's a bit tongue in cheek interview I just found out about Ms. Maria Verchenova which a rising star in the Golf World.

When you read her interviews highlight how focused and aim it and how it probably was interviewed for a surprise.

You see, that can be viewed as "over-achiever" in the U.S. or Western girl that age is regarded as a perfectly normal thing here in Russia or the former Soviet Union.

So the main message I want to convey to you gentlemen out there?

As if we need anyone to another state apparently does not it?

Well, let me say that our new friends of the journalist ..

WELCOME TO THE PEOPLE'S PARTY!

So let's see ..

The last time I Googled up "Russian Women" was only a few sites that have returned ..

How you might ask?

Yes.. you heard me right..

Even Anna Kournikova said this herself during her early rise to fame. She told the press that she didn’t understand all of the attention she was getting over her beauty because in reality she was just a “normal” Russian Girl.

Some may have thought that this was a display of false modesty in the limelight of fame.

It wasn’t..

I love to play chess.

And somehow the thought beautiful 23 year old raven haired Russian Grandmaster named Alexandra "Sasha" Kosteniuk kicking my ass all over the board has a strange appeal to me.

Or, in other words ..

This Girl turns me on.

24-year-old Anna Sharevich is another example of the eye opening of intellectual talent from the former Soviet Union.

Usually I always enjoy a demonstration to the ladies, as it is to spell different races stereotypes that exist about Russian women.

But I must admit, the image of chess Russian beauty says, "checkmate" is a stereotype I do not mind the promotion at all. ;)

I’ll begin by stating again a myth that dies hard: That people over 60 [substitute your own age] aren’t having sex. Part of this is that we just don’t want to think of our parents as actually having sex, no matter how old they are, no matter how old we are.

Guess what? Your parents are doing it. So are your grandparents. If they’re a healthy couple, that is, who enjoy each other and are still enjoying life.

Sex over 60 is sublime. Sex under 60 is also sublime. In this article let’s look at the things that make sex over 60 sublime, in a humorous way, because some of the things that startle, amuse, and slightly embarrass you about your Granny are some of the things that can make sex under 40 sublime.