<figure id="attachment_414726" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414726" style="width: 2728px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="02889298"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/a6c1ce46e858a82bb8769311cc6b49d9-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414726" class="wp-caption-text">Appearing at the welcome party in denim in a super mini-skirt (from the February 25, &#8217;05 issue)</figcaption></figure>
<p> What did &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; report 10, 20, and 30 years ago? Playback Friday&#8221; looks back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we will look back at <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;FRIDAY</span> &#8221; from the February 18, 2005 issue, which was published 20 years ago, with a <span class="strongInContent">story titled &#8220;The Fairy&#8217;s Frenzy in Japan, Live from the Fairy&#8217;s Japan Tour!</span> 　 <span class="strongInContent">Sharapova&#8217;s &#8220;super mini-skirt and slender legs&#8221; were a hit</span>.</p>
<p> Maria Sharapova (37) has won a total of five major tennis tournaments, becoming the 10th player in history to win all four major tournaments. Her name became known around the world when she won Wimbledon in 2004 at the young age of 17 years and 2 months. Her beauty, which earned her the nickname &#8220;the fairy,&#8221; and her well-proportioned figure of 188 cm attracted many people. Her popularity at the time was so intense that her visit to Japan in February 2005 caused a bit of a stir. All ages are current at the time).</p>
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<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Showing off her raw legs in a super mini-skirt</span></h3>
<p> In January 2005, Sharapova (then 17) came to Japan for the Toray Pan Pacific Open (PPO, January 29-February 6, 2005). The whole of Japan was in an uproar, and she was surprised by the enthusiasm of the Japanese tennis fans, who were so passionate and excited,&#8221; she said with a roll of her tongue. It seems that she was not too surprised at the reception she received from the fans.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> At the airport when she arrived in Japan, she was rather brusque, perhaps because she was tired from her long trip. However, at the press conference held on the day before the main event, she turned around and smiled. Perhaps a remnant of her stay in Australia until last week in the middle of summer, she appeared in a denim &#8220;super mini-skirt&#8221; and showed off her beautiful bare legs. In a photo session held just for her before the press conference, she said, &#8220;I&#8217;m glad to be back in Japan,</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I&#8217;m so happy to be back in Japan.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> She also paid lip service to her appearance at the party on the eve of the main event.</span></p>
<p> She was also quite lovely at the party on the eve of the main event. She was sipping orange juice like a minor and deftly using chopsticks, which she practiced for an hour when she came to Japan as a junior. However, as a Japanophile, she ate sushi, her favorite dish, with her bare hands.</p>
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<p> Since the summer of 2003, when this magazine published a color page of her in the magazine, she has appeared in the magazine frequently, apparently to great acclaim. Sharapova was thought to have a lot of support from male fans, but it seems that her popularity is quite broad.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Nowadays, it is not only men who are crazy about Sharapova, but also women who are interested in her as a fashion leader. On this day, she was carrying a Louis Vuitton bag all the time,</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I like fashion. I want to work in design and fashion after I retire.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> She even showed off her plans for her life after retirement.</span></p>
<p> At that time, Sharapova was already a world-famous tennis player. However, the year 2005 was only the beginning of her career.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Sharapova&#39;s Glory and Failure"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">After the doping scandal, Sharapova&#8217;s game lacks the sparkle of yesteryear&#8230;</span></h3>
<p> Sharapova won the Toray PPO &#8217;05 in style. She even had time to play soccer on the sub-court after winning the tournament. Although she did not win Wimbledon for the second year in a row, she became the first Russian female player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in August.</p>
<p> Despite a period plagued by injuries, she continued to play at the top of the world and won the French Open in 2012, achieving a &#8220;complete domination&#8221; of the four major tournaments. She also won the French Open for the second time in 2002. However, she tested positive for doping at the Australian Open in January 2004. Sharapova was suspended for two years (later reduced to 15 months).&#8217; She returned in 2005, but her world ranking at that point was 262nd. After her return, she was plagued by injuries and was unable to regain her former brilliance, and retired in February 2008.</p>
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<p> During the period of her suspension due to doping allegations, Sharapova took a strategy course at Harvard Business School and studied team management as an intern in the NBA men&#8217;s professional basketball team, which was said to be for her life planning after retirement. It was believed that she would either enter Hollywood as an actress or become a businessman after her retirement.</p>
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<p> In December 2008, Sharapova married British businessman Gilkes. Their first child was born in July 2010. She often posts recent photos on Instagram, and her every move is often covered as Internet news in Japan. Her popularity does not seem to be waning.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The Preservation Edition: Real Fairies! Sharapova from &#39;03 to &#39;05"></div>
<figure id="attachment_414727" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414727" style="width: 2946px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6b72067a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/11f5315d0fdebb3df4e4554339df02f2-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414727" class="wp-caption-text">The moment she stepped onto the stage for the photo session, the audience was transfixed by her bare legs (from the Feb. 18, &#8217;05 issue).</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_414728" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414728" style="width: 2830px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="69b1256b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/9c3c0da200c92b4703ae40246d591184.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414728" class="wp-caption-text"> A glimpse of her back (from the February 18, 2005 issue)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_414730" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414730" style="width: 2739px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1105ad12"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/c05049e7cad7c646280ae12cfc7b6682-2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414730" class="wp-caption-text"> The Japan Open in September &#8217;03 was her first win on tour. She was already using her 170 km/h high-speed serve as a weapon (from the February 25, 2005 issue).</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_414732" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414732" style="width: 4086px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="65e31c35"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/10679153688a7652fe1cc7d9f9040ddd-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414732" class="wp-caption-text"> Won the Japan Open in &#8217;04 for the second straight year (from Feb. 25, &#8217;05 issue).</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_414733" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414733" style="width: 2857px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="97178545"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/3955b0cbeeb7b17e165186d46f3b3cce-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414733" class="wp-caption-text"> Despite a typhoon hitting Tokyo, the venue was packed for the final match of the &#8217;04 Japan Open (from the Feb. 25, &#8217;05 issue).</figcaption></figure>

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<figure id="attachment_414734" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414734" style="width: 2728px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cb6a2069"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/c2f584782065b2b275beb3af5d1ead19-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414734" class="wp-caption-text"> At the party held the day before the &#8217;04 Japan Open. She appeared with a Chanel bag (from the Feb. 25, 2005 issue).</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_414738" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414738" style="width: 2739px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="509918d7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/bd63912a84f6bba46ff032801e555841.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414738" class="wp-caption-text"> At the press conference on the first day of the Toray PPO in &#8217;05, carrying a pink Nike bag (from the Feb. 25, &#8217;05 issue)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_414739" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414739" style="width: 2739px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ab0f0c06"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/33b361a7448fb2c0cd0175186e7e42b9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414739" class="wp-caption-text"> When she won her first match of the Toray PPO in &#8217;05, she wore the same pink bag and yellow jersey (from the February 25, &#8217;05 issue)</figcaption></figure>


 Shinji Hamasaki (1st to 3rd photos), Hiroyuki Komatsu (4th to 7th, 9th photos), Shinya Inui (8th photo)

 In this issue of Playback, we take a look back at what this magazine was reporting 10, 20, and 30 years ago. In this issue, we introduce the "fairy" Sharapova's fever in Japan, which appeared in the February 18, 2005 issue, along with images from that time.

Playback ’05] “Japanese fans are too excited” – “Fairy” Sharapova’s Fever in Japan

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