Australian Open 2012 Finals: Sharapova Will Use Loss vs. Azarenka as Motivation

Maria Sharapova's loss in the 2012 Australian Open final to Victoria Azarenka will motivate her to play even stronger in the upcoming tournaments and help her win at least one Grand Slam singles title this season.

One thing in Sharapova's favor is that there is no dominating player right now in women's tennis. The amount of parity is remarkable, unlike the men's side of tennis where there are four major stars who win nearly every Grand Slam singles title.

The last four Grand Slam titles have been won by four different women, each of whom captured her first career Grand Slam title.

Sharapova has not won a Grand Slam singles title since 2008, but her run in Melbourne this month was quite impressive. She had impressive wins against stars such as Petra Kvitova and Sabine Lisicki, and played good tennis throughout the tournament until the final.

The next Grand Slam tournament is the French Open, and the Russian star has historically not done well at Roland Garros, not making the final once in Paris.

Sharapova showed she has the skills and the mental makeup to compete at a Grand Slam level, and she is more than capable of reaching the final at each of the three remaining Grand Slam tournaments this season.

Her service game, her forehand accuracy and her decision making was sharp throughout the Australian Open, and she hasn't even reached the peak of her talents yet.

Sharapova's defeat to Azarenka will certainly motivate her to improve her game and continue her success in January for the rest of 2012.

The Russian star is one of the best players in the world, and is playing some of the best tennis of her career. This Australian Open final loss will help her learn and become a better player going forward.