Maria Sharapova's Competitive Drive on Display at Singapore's WTA Finals

However Singapore’s WTA finals concludes, superstar Maria Sharapova has returned in a big way. She dominated the red group, winning all three of her matches to land in the semifinals, but the big takeaway was the standard she has continued to set with her competitive toughness.

The past year has not been easy for Sharapova. Late in her career, she has battled injuries to her serving shoulder, leg and left forearm. She withdrew from the Fed Cup in April and missed nearly everything after Wimbledon, including the U.S. Open.

Although she is still hanging on to her No. 4 world ranking and with only a single match and loss at Wuhan to account for the last few months, Sharapova did not come in with excuses or low expectations. Instead, she clenched her fist and brought in her competitive fire.

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Calling Out Competitors

Sharapova did not come to Singapore to cozy up with her competitors. Instead, she criticized players who had publicly thrown their support behind Serena Williams’ attempt to complete her calendar slam, as recorded in The Straits Times (h/t Tennis.com):

"

I was very surprised that a lot of players said, 'I do hope she achieves it.' (It) was surprising because I knew these players were going to be in the draw, so it was as if, I felt like, why are they even playing.

Maybe that's just the competitor in me.

"

Sharapova’s comments could be seen as polarizing. Is she denigrating those who would wish well to a top champion? Or is this genuinely more of Sharapova’s makeup, that she is a steely competitor who will not give anything to anyone?

Like it or not, Sharapova is a throwback competitor, prickly perhaps, but willing to put herself on the line for major championships and titles. She’s unwilling to concede to Serena despite losing 18 of 20 career matches.

Not everyone loves her machine-like groundstrokes or the way she shrieks and throws herself into each point. There’s monotony to her patterns of play, but there’s a lot of beauty in how fiercely she plays. She’s the 21st-century Monica Seles, and if not as accomplished as the original copy, certainly as feisty and intense, complete with screaming groundstrokes.

Had Sharapova been any less competitive, perhaps she would not have won any major titles.

The Sharapova Standard

The best of the rest in the WTA rest sauntered into Singapore this week. With no Serena to block their hopes, the tournament was ready for someone else to step up big and win the WTF finals.

But group play finished Flavia Pennetta, whose final match was a loss to Sharapova.

Then No. 2-ranked Simona Halep melted away after losing to Agnieszka Radwanska, saying in her press conference, via ESPN, that “I was done. No energy anymore. I was tired too. I felt that I lost the chance to win the match in that moment."

Whether or not that’s the real Halep, and she clearly has more growing to do if she is to be a major champion, the contrast between her and Sharapova was never more apparent.

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Think that Sharapova would have thrown in the towel? Victory or defeat, that’s not the Sharapova way. As sure as the sun rises each day, Sharapova and her big groundstrokes will keep coming.

She is the standard of being a competitor, and that might be the legacy she cares most about.

With the semifinals looming and two matches to winning a championship, Sharapova could suddenly be the favorite. It’s surprising, given the questions surrounding a belated return to 2015. Now that she’s made it this far, don’t expect her to go quietly. The greater the big-match tension, the more she digs deep, unafraid to compete.

If someone does beat Sharapova, she will need to review chapter one of Sharapova's legacy: “Tough as Nails.” It’s an accurate label coined by childhood coaching legend Nick Bollettieri, and it’s a reputation that continues to win over columnists.

Her body might have to battle injuries, but her competitive spirit and toughness might be better than ever.