Maria Sharapova awakes every day in Bradenton, Fla., with a single goal: to become a better tennis player. At the IMG Sports Academy, a sprawling 130-acre complex at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, the cool, blonde Russian has all the finest tools at her disposal.

	Maria Sharapova has been called an Anna Kournikova lookalike, but the 14-year-old tennis phenom wants to be known as a winner.

She has been training with coach Nick Bollettieri under the Florida sun for almost eight years, an entire career for some, and has been a regular at the Academy for five years.

Maria Sharapova just turned 14 years old.

"It's pretty funny -- sometimes they call me Baby Kournikova," Sharapova told the New York Post earlier this year. "But she hasn't won a tournament yet, so it's hard to admire her."

Sharapova, as her words suggest, is one tough kid. How about boys? Sharapova says she is "absolutely not" interested.

"I'm only into one thing," she said, "and that's practicing so I can become better."

Bollettieri insists that Sharapova, who first made her mark by winning the 12-under Orange Bowl tournament, will be the next big thing in women's tennis. Take him at his bombastic word because he discovered Anna Kournikova and nurtured Andre Agassi and Monica Seles at the tennis school he sold to IMG in 1987.

The IMG Sports Academy isn't the loose, mom-and-pop operation it was under the benevolent Bollettieri, who was a soft touch when it came to bestowing scholarships on talented youngsters with financial needs. International Management Group has turned Bollettieri's school into an efficient machine that currently houses 475 full-time students who, in addition to tennis, pursue baseball, hockey, golf, football, soccer and basketball. Tennis, however, remains the primary sport of choice, with 208 students dedicated to raising a racket.

The folks in Bradenton think they have a core of gifted young women that will rival the men's group America produced in the 1980s that featured Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier.

"We have a group at the Academy very comparable to those guys in the '80s," said Carlos Fleming, who oversees the IMG scholarship program. "They are that good."

In addition to Sharapova, there is Tatiana Golovin, a 13-year-old from France, along with American Jamea Jackson, 13, and Jelena Jankovic, the reigning Australian Junior champion at 15.

IMG's critics claim that stockpiling all this young talent creates an unfair advantage when the athletes turn professional and that they are already beholden to IMG.

"IMG didn't purchase the Bollettieri Tennis Academy to get into the tennis camp business," said Rick Macci, who coached Jennifer Capriati and the Williams sisters early in their careers. "Call it what it is: breeding thoroughbreds. With Sharapova, hundreds of thousands of dollars are being put in. Trust me, she's the real deal.

"They have the financial capacity to do this. The way it's structured, if they become a player dollars are paid back and there are percentages. Sure, check it out, a lot of kids become IMG clients later on."

According to Max Eisenbud, who handles the Academy's scholarship program with Fleming at IMG, 90 percent of all the athletes at the Academy wind up with full or partial scholarships. Only 3 percent to 4 percent of the tennis players are considered pro prospects, he said. But there are 10 such players, including Sharapova and Golovin, who fall into this elite status.

Both girls, by the way, have a representation agreement with IMG. Only two of three others at the Academy have such a deal, meaning that only a handful of young athletes already have legally agreed to let IMG represent them.

But as Macci points out, the risk – and reward – is all IMG's.

"They are the ones taking the chance," Macci said. "They could break a leg, they could get a boyfriend. Some might say it's not fair, but I think at the end of the day that's just good business."

Said Fleming: "It's interesting ... they say you are hoarding talent. We say we are creating opportunity. We don't bring in players we can't help."

	Monica Seles left Yugoslavia as a young girl to hone her tennis skills at Nick Bolletieri's sports academy in Florida.

When he hears the invariable criticism, IMG agent Tony Godsick always mentions the young Seles.

"She used to play on a parking lot in Yugoslavia – there weren't any indoor courts," Godsick said. "She came to Florida and became one of the game's great players. It's interesting that the criticism comes from our competitors. Obviously, there are two sides to every story."

Bart McGuire, the outgoing WTA Tour CEO, thinks IMG "has done a lot of good," in education that goes well beyond the game of tennis.

"The fact that they're trying to make some money on it, is not a problem. They're trying to develop young people with tennis skills. But, at the same time, give them the balance and stability to deal with all the challenges the sport offers. That's to IMG's financial advantage and the players', as well."

Eisenbud has heard the criticism before.

"It's very frustrating when you get that big, bad IMG thing," he said. "To me, sometimes there's a lot of jealousy.

"If you take an athlete with best facilities, best coaches, best trainers – good things happen. If you take elite athletes and put them in that environment, something special can happen."

The 20 exclusive IMG field operatives are on every continent, scattered across the world in 89 offices in 35 countries. When they see a talented young tennis player, they put in a call to the Academy.

"We have a network second to none," Eisenbud said. "We do a good job of turning over every stone. Our client managers are always recruiting."

The carrot: 30 mini-scholarship slots. When Eisenbud and Fleming agree on a candidate, they extend a two-week invitation to Bradenton, where they are essentially auditioning for a more permanent spot at the Academy. Bollettieri and his staff make the final call.

	Nick Bollettieri instructs a young Anna Kournikova during a training session at the IMG Sports Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

"I didn't see Anna Kournikova when she was nine – Nick did," Eisenbud said. "We trust his judgment.

"The goal is to identify kids with talent, put a security blanket around them and let them develop – as a player and a kid. People think we're dragging kids halfway around the world, but they don't understand; we won't let young kids come to the academy without a family member."

Once the best and the brightest have been identified, they are thrown into a Darwinian world where only the strongest actually thrive on competition.

"What makes the Bollettieri system so effective is that you get the cream of the crop and put them into a competitive environment," Fleming said. "It's like playing one of the top tournaments in the world. These kids are pushing themselves – and each other. It's just like Agassi, Courier and David Wheaton used to be. You've got all the pieces in one place."

So who will be the next Kournikova? Chances are, she will come from the IMG Sports Academy. Sharapova and Golovin are the best bets.

"People criticize us," Eisenbud said. "Golovin and Sharapova ... they happen to be beautiful. But you still have to win matches. It doesn't matter what you look like if you can't win matches."

Greg Garber is a senior staff writer for ESPN.com.