Maria Sharapova: 5 Reasons Why She's Overrated at No. 2 Ranking

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Maria Sharapova was in the limelight in 2012 thanks to her rejuvenated game. She managed to complete her career Slam thanks to her win in the French Open.

Because of her consistent performances in the tournaments that mattered, she finished the year ranked at No. 2.

But, is she really good for the position?

It's no wonder that she pulls in the crowd as well as troubles all the players in the Top 10, but still, that ranking doesn't seem right.

Let us look at five reasons why her ranking might be too high.

Losses to Lower-Ranked Players

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Though Sharapova lost repeatedly to Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in 2012, she also had surprise losses to lower-ranked players.

Whether it was Agnieszka Radwanska, Samantha Stosur, Sabine Lisicki or Angelique Kerber, Sharapova lost to all of them this year.

Though this is not to belittle the achievements of her opponents, Sharapova will be eager to forget these losses this year!

Consistency

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Maria Sharapova has not been consistent in the last few years, though she can argue that she was better this year.

Sharapova's record this year stands at 60-11. 

For a player who was ranked second in the world, 11 defeats and just three titles do not justify the ranking!

Grand Slam Performance

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The French Open was the silver lining in Sharapova's performance in 2012.

If you remove that title win, her Grand Slam record in the others is nothing to shout about.

Even though she made the finals in the Australian Open, a fourth-round appearance in Wimbledon and a semifinal qualification in the last Slam of the year do not justify her ranking.

Pressure of the Ranking

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Sharapova seems to fumble when she is ranked No. 1 in the world.

She did all the good work to reach the pinnacle but could not sustain the pressure of the spot.

It is clearly visible that Sharapova did not feel that she belonged to the position.

She won the three titles this year when she was ranked No. 2, but lost many more!

Does she not have the self-confidence then to step higher?

Record Against Serena

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Overall their head-to-head record stands at 9-2 in favour of Serena Williams.

Whether it was the Madrid clay or Wimbledon grass, the result of their matchup was a lopsided win for Williams.

Where is Williams ranked, then? She is not No. 1, but one rung below Sharapova in the WTA rankings because of the complicated manner by which those rankings are calculated.

Surely, Williams should be higher than Sharapova. Don't you agree?